NEAR KABUL, Afghanistan — At the School of Excellence, the “pop, pop, pop” of gunfire comes in rapid bursts and lasts several seconds. Another volley of gunfire resonates from the dusty hills in the distance.It is here, a remote garrison a few miles down the road from the once-glorious Darul Aman Palace south of Afghanistan’s capital, where a new generation of elite Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers are training to become special forces operatives and commandos just as the war-torn country tries to turn a critical corner.
