WIREDGOV

On 27 October, UK troops left Helmand marking the historic end of UK combat operations in the province for 13 years.

UK forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001 and the end of 2014 will see the completion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission. As the ISAF mission comes to a close, UK forces will now focus on the NATO Resolute Support mission.

Resolute Support will continue to develop the Afghan Ministry of Defence and training the future leaders of the Afghan National Army (ANA) at the Officer Academy.

Training and advising the ANA has been in action for a number of years. In 2009, NATO Training Mission for Afghanistan was announced and since then ISAF troops have been providing high-level support to Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) throughout its existence to enable it to be a strong and sustainable security force.

Major Bev Allen, was the Advisory Team Commander in Afghanistan back in 2012.

He has seen the change in how ANA and Afghan National Police handle security in the Nad ’Ali district and the positive effect that’s had on the community.

He said:

We’ve seen the leaders working together and it’s [Nad ’Ali] is now a bustling, thriving commercial centre and the locals are very happy that security has been delivered.

Training the trainers

One of the achievements in strengthening the Afghan forces was the creation of the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Kabul. The first intake of cadets started in October 2013 and 243 officers graduated in September this year – a landmark moment for the Academy, UK and Afghanistan.

The graduates went through a 42-week leadership course, inspired by the ethos of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst but tailored to Afghan experience.

Another positive milestone was the first intake of female cadets at the academy in June 2014. With the support of their mentors, the cadets andANA have been demonstrating that mixed teams of male and female soldiers can work together to improve the army’s operational capabilities.

Taking the lead

The success of ANAOA is just one example that Afghans are proving to be confident and capable of taking the lead in providing security and support for their people.

In 2011, Afghan forces took the lead for security in Helmand province withISAF supporting them on patrols and operations. By June 2013 the ANAassumed the lead for all military and security operations in the country, taking over from ISAF.

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