MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Armed Forces of Liberia says it is facing an excess of false documentation from applicants.

Captain Stephen Tor Tarplah, the AFL Public Relations Officer, told The Bush Chicken that after the recruitment exercise in Montserrado, the army found that most of the applicants were not high school graduates, as they claimed.

Stephen Tor Tarplah, AFL Public Relations Officer. Photo: Zeze Ballah

Tarplah said although some of the applicants may have passed through the vigorous screening process, it is not the end of the recruitment exercise.

“The issue of false documents being presented by applicants is a serious challenge confronting the AFL during this nationwide recruitment exercise,” he said.

The AFL Public Relations officer explained that the recruitment officers will verify the documents presented by the applicants at the West African Examination Council.

Some recruits sitting at the Barclay Training Center. Photo: Zeze Ballah

According to Tarplah, the AFL recruitment team will soon be leaving for Grand Gedeh County and will be there for five days.

Tarplah did not disclose the total number of recruits needed by the AFL but said they are targeting a huge number.

“We believe at the end of the recruitment exercise, the strength of the AFL will be increased immensely,” he maintained.

Tarplah also mentioned that the current recruitment exercise is witnessing an unusually huge turnout of females.

An AFL officer inspecting a female applicant’s documents. Photo: Zeze Ballah

“Our intent is to have an AFL that is of strength to defend Liberia,” Tarplah said.

The AFL is augmenting its current strength of the approximately 2,500 officers in the wake of the UNMIL drawdown by June 2016.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah