Photo Credit: Refugees International
08/19/2007

The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) was decimated by the rebellion launched by Taylor's guerrilla movement in 1989, and was never properly reconstituted thereafter. Since 2005, the United States has been working with the government of Liberia to establish a 2,000-member light army. 105 recruits graduated from basic training in November 2006. The second class of 525 recruits began training at on July 23, 2007.

On August 21, 2007, the Ministry of Defense announced a new recruitment drive for a further intake of AFL recruits. There will be a special emphasis on female recruits; approximately 5% of the extant AFL is female. The end state for the AFL is a professional army “… modeled on US Army doctrine, that will support the national objectives of the Government of Liberia.”