By Raf Sanchez, Washington



6:00AM BST 29 Sep 2012

Afghan troops have been issued with a new manual urging them not to take violent revenge when their Western counterparts mistakenly offend their cultural traditions.









The booklet is intended to bridge the divide cultural divide between local forces and Nato troops and avoid the misunderstandings that have sometimes ended in violence, the Washington Post reported.











It warns Afghan soldiers that their international allies may blow their noses in public or "show their excitement by patting one another on the back or the behind", both taboos in Afghan culture.











The pamphlet, entitled “Cultural Understanding — A Guide to Understanding Coalition Cultures", also cautions that Westerners may put their feet up desks without realising that showing the soles of feet is considered a serious insult in Islamic culture.







RELATED ARTICLES





Afghanistan launches first professional football league

28 Sep 2012[/*]



Soldier honoured for Taliban bayonet charge

28 Sep 2012[/*]



Soldier who led Afghanistan bayonet charge honoured

28 Sep 2012[/*]



British-built schools in Afghanistan may be forced to close

27 Sep 2012[/*]



Timeline of 'green on blue' killings

26 Mar 2012[/*][/list]







"They are by no means trying to offend you. They simply don’t know or have forgotten the Afghan custom," according to a translation seen by the Post.







The 18-page guide is being distributed after a sharp rise in the number of "green on blue" attacks, the nickname for incidents in which Afghan troops turn their weapons on Nato soldiers.







This year 51 Nato troops have been killed by members of the Afghan security forces, including nine British soldiers.







The booklet is being accompanied by three one hour-long seminars designed for new recruits, many of whom are from isolated areas with little or no exposure to Western culture.







It also tries to give a sense of the distant lands where Nato's forces originate from, describing the US as "a little like a lovely carpet. Different colored strands combine to make a beautiful whole.”







The cultural programme was drawn up by Brigadier General Mohammad Amin Nasib, the head of the religious and ideological affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Defence, and Commander Michael Gore, a US Navy chaplain posted in Afghanistan.







“Some would argue that we’re too late, but any time is the right time to promote understanding of each other’s culture,” said Commander Gore.