Afghan security forces conduct joint operation to clear areas of threat around Lashkar Gah, Helmand

Afghan security forces from the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan Border Police (ANBP), Afghan Civil Order Police (ANCOP) and ISAF soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Scots Guards acting as part of the Brigade Advisory Group, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh and the Counter IED Taskforce have completed a clearance operation around Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand. The operation was jointly planned by Afghan security forces with guidance from ISAF advisors.

Afghan National Army and ISAF Commanders discussing plans before the operation.

Lieutenant Peter Foster, 1st Battalion The Scots Guards and commander of the Brigade Advisory Group attached to the detached Kolay of the 4th Kandak, Afghan National Army said, “This morning’s operation was basically planned and conducted by Afghan security forces. There was a small ISAF contingent there to help with the planning and execution of the operation…..The operation was good. It pretty much fulfilled what it was meant to do. It got Afghan security forces working together, which is extremely good.”

The operation was part of an initiative by the Provincial Governor, Governor Mangal, to clear key areas close to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gar which he considered to be a threat. It involved 300 Afghan security forces and 40 ISAF troops who amassed on the start line to the west of the city in the early hours before stepping off at first light. ISAF forces attached to the troops provided mentoring and guidance to the advancing Afghan forces and their commanders. The aim was to enhance the effectiveness of the overall operation and develop the skills of Afghan forces.

Soldiers from the Afghan National Army lined up with their impressive arsenal of weaponry before the operation starts.

“We plan operations jointly. We give them as much as advice as possible as to how to make it an effective operation and how we can interact our assets with their numbers and their face. Essentially we’re looking to give an Afghan face as much as possible, because the Afghan people want to see Afghan soldiers,” said Lieutenant Foster.

He continues, “Out on the ground my job is to specifically mentor the commander. I’ll give him advice and direct him where he needs directing to further develop his soldiering skills. In terms of controlling his troops, that is his job. I am merely there to advise him.”

Supported by Counter IED teams, Warrior armoured fighting vehicles and aviation support if the troops faced significant resistance, the ANP and ANA patrolled south down two separate geographic corridors. Both the ANA and ANP contingents were able to reach their objectives without incident, although the Counter IED Taskforce was deployed to deal with potential IEDs. After the operation, the Afghan security forces took part in a debrief session with ISAF troops to review how the operation how gone.

Operations of this nature which are jointly planned and use partnered troops are the next step as ISAF moves towards Afghan-led security in and around Lashkar Gah.

Photos: Cpl Barry Lloyd RLC/MOD 2010

Afghan security forces conduct joint operation to clear areas of threat around Lashkar Gah, Helmand

Afghan security forces from the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan Border Police (ANBP), Afghan Civil Order Police (ANCOP) and ISAF soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Scots Guards acting as part of the Brigade Advisory Group, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh and the Counter IED Taskforce have completed a clearance operation around Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand. The operation was jointly planned by Afghan security forces with guidance from ISAF advisors.

Afghan National Army and ISAF Commanders discussing plans before the operation.

Lieutenant Peter Foster, 1st Battalion The Scots Guards and commander of the Brigade Advisory Group attached to the detached Kolay of the 4th Kandak, Afghan National Army said, “This morning’s operation was basically planned and conducted by Afghan security forces. There was a small ISAF contingent there to help with the planning and execution of the operation…..The operation was good. It pretty much fulfilled what it was meant to do. It got Afghan security forces working together, which is extremely good.”

The operation was part of an initiative by the Provincial Governor, Governor Mangal, to clear key areas close to the provincial capital of Lashkah Gar which he considered to be a threat. It involved 300 Afghan security forces and 40 ISAF troops who amassed on the start line to the west of the city in the early hours before stepping off at first light. ISAF forces attached to the troops provided mentoring and guidance to the advancing Afghan forces and their commanders. The aim was to enhance the effectiveness of the overall operation and develop the skills of Afghan forces.

Soldiers from the Afghan National Army lined up with their impressive arsenal of weaponry before the operation starts.

“We plan operations jointly. We give them as much as advice as possible as to how to make it an effective operation and how we can interact our assets with their numbers and their face. Essentially we’re looking to give an Afghan face as much as possible, because the Afghan people want to see Afghan soldiers,” said Lieutenant Foster.

He continues, “Out on the ground my job is to specifically mentor the commander. I’ll give him advice and direct him where he needs directing to further develop his soldiering skills. In terms of controlling his troops, that is his job. I am merely there to advise him.”

Supported by Counter IED teams, Warrior armoured fighting vehicles and aviation support if the troops faced significant resistance, the ANP and ANA patrolled south down two separate geographic corridors. Both the ANA and ANP contingents were able to reach their objectives without incident, although the Counter IED Taskforce was deployed to deal with potential IEDs. After the operation, the Afghan security forces took part in a debrief session with ISAF troops to review how the operation how gone.

Operations of this nature which are jointly planned and use partnered troops are the next step as ISAF moves towards Afghan-led security in and around Lashkar Gah.

Photos: Cpl Barry Lloyd RLC/MOD 2010

Tensions between UK and Afghan troops on patrol in Helmand

By Kim Sengupta, Independent

'You wonder how many nutters are out there, but I can't be looking over my shoulder every day'

Amarullah Ali, right, with British troops during Operation Omid Do in Helmand. Image James Wakeman

The attack began late in the afternoon on a long, hot day. Raking bursts of machine-gun fire followed by Kalashnikov rounds as British and Afghan troops scrambled into a compound through a narrow doorway.

Within minutes Amarullah Ali was on the wall, standing in full view of the Taliban shooters, unprotected by body armour, a rakishly worn beret instead of a helmet, firing his UGL (underslung grenades launcher) in the general direction of the enemy. The UK troops shouted at him to get down, but the 22-year-old Afghan was not to be deterred.

"This is bloody stupid, he is bringing down fire on himself and us," complained Private Richard Harvey. "Just let them loose," sighed Private Jamie Aitken. "It's an Afghan thing, he just won't listen."

This was Operation Omid Do, in the badlands of Helmand, the first ever Afghan-led military operation in the war and a key part of the West's exit strategy: handing over security to President Hamid Karzai's forces.

The mission to wrest back Yakchal, an insurgent enclave in Nahr-e-Saraj, involved close to a thousand Afghan troops and ended successfully with co-operation between the two forces.

At the compound wall, Private Aitken joined Amarullah Ali, also known as John J, who was declaring "We Afghans are afraid of nothing," and opened fire at a position behind a cemetery to an insurgent sniping point.

A number of other targeted compounds were cleared, some of them heavily laden with IEDs (improvised explosive devices). One of the casualties in the action was an Afghan soldier shot and wounded while guiding a unit of British Army Gurkhas across a field.

Some of the Afghan troops taking part in Omid Do returned to their quarters at PB (Patrol Base) 3 at the end of the operation. Later that night, it is claimed, Talib Hussein, a 22-year-old soldier liked and trusted by the Gurkhas, took advantage of his role on guard duty to load himself up with a variety of weapons to kill three of his British comrades.

It remains unclear what motivated Hussein to carry out the attack. As a Hazara Shia he appears to have been an unlikely recruit for the Sunni Pashtun Taliban. But what happened was undoubtedly a propaganda victory for the insurgency, sowing distrust among the Afghan and British allies which has already had to be repaired once after the killing of five UK soldiers by an Afghan policeman at Nad-e-Ali eight months ago.

"How do we feel about trusting the Afghans? Ask the Gurkhas," said one soldier. "How can you trust them after what happened? We need to keep a loaded weapon with us at all times."

After a pause, he continued. "Look, part of the problem is the language barrier. We don't really have much of a chance to communicate. There aren't enough 'terps' (interpreters) and it's a bit difficult to get to know people unless you get a chance to talk to them."

Another soldier added: "We know it was just one guy, but there was also just one guy at Nad-e-Ali. And between the two of them they killed a lot of people. You can't help wondering just how many nutters you have got out there. But, I have three months still to go and I can't spend every day looking over my shoulder."

Another consequence of the rogue gunman's actions was that they deflected attention away from an operation that had gone far more smoothly than the British troops expected.

Captain John Young, of 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, leading one of the units, said: "With the ANA (Afghan National Army) you tend to take three steps forward and one back. But those two steps are important and we are slowly getting there. I thought they did pretty well today, considering the numbers involved. Maybe it was because it was an Afghan-led operation they felt more motivated. At the end of the day, this is the way ahead."

Many among the Afghan soldiers said that the killings at PB3 had taken away much of the feeling of elation they had felt over Operation Omid Do.

"We were successful, and that is the reason the Taliban and the Pakistanis did what they did at PB 3," said Nasruddin Khan. "Why else would they choose this time to do this? We went into Yakchal and they ran away. Then they kill in this cowardly way. The British who died were warriors, the one who killed them isn't a man."

He insisted that he and his colleagues get on well with most of the British troops although some could "be rude without reason". Nasruddin added: "We are willing to learn but they should understand that we have a hard life here. We have to spend a long, long time in somewhere like Helmand, not just six months."

The posting Afghan soldiers get on leaving the Kabul military academy is a matter of lottery, or bribes. Those sent to the front line of Helmand and Kandahar have to do three years, with the junior ranks getting little chance of any leave for the first year.

"You can imagine the pressure that can build up if someone is exposed to the pressure of life in a PB in a hostile area without much of a break year after year," said a senior British officer. "This is something the Afghan security force needs to look at urgently. It leads to people going on leave and not coming back, but also one has to wonder what kind of mental effect it may have."

Amarullah Ali, from Kunduz, in northern Afghanistan, so keen to make a stand at the wall, agrees that being away from home for such long periods is extremely difficult. "We are here to fight for Afghanistan, but people miss their families, some get sad, some get angry. I do not know what happened at PB3, but sometimes people do stupid things."

Afghan, British and Danish troops help improve security around Gereshk

Work by elements of Task Force Helmand and local Afghan National Army units over recent weeks has helped bring increased security to Gereshk in central Helmand.

Scots Guards on patrol in Helmand

One such example of the improved security has been the opening up of the main route from Gereshk to Lashkar Gah which was previously closed because of the number of insurgent IEDs.

When Brigadier Richard Felton, Commander of Task Force Helmand, visited the Loy Adera area of Babaji in April with Governor Gulab Mangal, the Governor was disappointed to hear that a section of the main route from Gereshk to Lashkar Gah was closed because of the IEDs.

This was the impetus for the Left Flank of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards to set to work.

After a fortnight of intense activity, the Scots Guards have, with their Afghan National Security Forces partners and local nationals, opened up the five-kilometre stretch of the route.

Brigadier Felton was the first senior officer to drive all the way from Lashkar Gah to Loy Adera. He met the local Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and Counter-Narcotics Police who lead operations in the area with ISAF support.

The road linking Gereshk and Lashkar Gah

Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln Jopp, Commanding Officer of Combined Force Lashkar Gah, said:

"The incredible men and women of the Royal Engineer search and Royal Logistic Corps bomb disposal teams did a great job taking 20 IEDs out of the ground, often under fire.

"We have established a number of new checkpoints where we partner the Afghan Army and Police.

"We cleared it together, we'll hold it together, and we'll build it together."

With increased security and partnership in mind, 3/3/215 Kandak of the Afghan National Army has now been deployed for just over a month, with the Heavy Weapons Tolay (unit) embedded in Camp Gereshk. Their main aim and task is providing security and reassurance in the Gereshk area.

A call sign (unit) from the 3/215 Brigade Advisory Group has deployed daily, advising and supporting the Tolay and on occasion partnering Danish troops.

The Commander of 3/3/215 Kandak of the Afghan National Army

Led by the Afghan National Police, with force protection provided by the Afghan National Army, this has proven to be a great success, welcomed by the civilian population, and has seen a dramatic improvement in the amount of crime and insurgent activity in the area.

Freedom of movement within Gereshk has increased thanks to the third and sixth Kandaks of the Afghan National Army.

Although the threat from IEDs in this area is very real, the presence of the Afghan National Army deters the majority of those trying to disrupt daily routine.

A call sign with the Danish Military Police has increased the amount of patrols along Highway 1 by 50 per cent, including a regular vanguard for an operation.

The 3/3/215 Kandak Commander meanwhile now leads the planning conference for the deployment of troops on this operation. This is a major step forward in partnering which has demonstrated to ISAF troops the capabilities of the Afghan National Army.

ISAF commanders have commented that the 3/3/215 Commander has made quite an impact within the Upper Gereshk Valley, with his presence and focus being noticed at all levels.

Afghan soldier working with 1 SCOTS finds 177 IEDs

An Afghan National Army soldier working alongside British troops in Helmand province holds the record for finding the most improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan.

Ajab Han, a sergeant in the Afghan National Army (ANA) working with British troops from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland at a patrol base in the Sangin valley, has found 177 IEDs during his three years in Helmand:

"I know where they put them now," said Sergeant Ajab.

"It helps to know the terrain. I can also think like the insurgents, stay one step ahead of them, and keep my soldiers, and ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] soldiers safe. But we can make it better."

While detecting equipment is very useful he says just staying alert can be equally effective:

"I can just see them," he said.

"There might be a tell-tale trace, or something just not quite right, or a piece of wire or wood showing, and that is when I know I have found another one.

"IEDs often come in many parts so we have to find all the bits in the ground," he added.

His successes are etched on a beam on a watchtower next to the place where he sleeps, along with his army number and the description 'IED Team Sangin Special Force' written in English.

When asked if British soldiers were getting better at finding IEDs too, he smiled and nodded his head:



"Yes, they are very good. But they are still very happy that we are here to help them."

The allied forces have rewarded Sgt Ajab for his efforts with a certificate which he prizes:

"I always have it on me," he said.

"They know how much I am doing for them. And I am very pleased they are here, helping Afghanistan, too."

Captain Will Wright, the platoon commander from 1 SCOTS mentoring team working alongside Sgt Ajab and his soldiers, said:

"Patrolling with the ANA gives us such an advantage.

"They see things we sometimes don't, they are brave beyond words, and we learn so much from them every day.

"Sergeant Ajab's skills are definitely much valued within this patrol base."

Sgt Ajab is due to end his tour with the ANA in the next few months, but he says he is not ready to go home just yet:

"Now I have so much information about IEDs I want to be a teacher. I want to share my experience with the new soldiers joining the army.

"I want to teach them all they need to stay safe."

VIDEO: Afghan and British army forces conduct first ever partnered engineering task

Army engineers from Close Support Kandak, 3rd Brigade, Afghan National Army and 21 Regiment, Royal Engineers, are undertaking a programme of infrastructure works at Patrol Base Rahim, in Nahr-e Saraj, as partnered engineering teams.

Filmed and edited by Captain Philip Atkinson, SCOTS

Afghan and British army forces conduct first ever partnered engineering task

Soldiers from the Afghan and British Armies are conducting their first ever partnered engineering task.

Army engineers from Close Support Kandak, 3rd Brigade, Afghan National Army and 21 Regiment, Royal Engineers, are undertaking a programme of infrastructure works at Patrol Base Rahim, in Nahr-e Saraj, as partnered engineering teams.

Previously, Afghan Engineers were guided through their projects by soldiers of the Brigade Advisory Group. They are now working under their own commanders to complete a number of specialist engineering projects including erecting new accommodation and Patrol Base defences.

The Patrol Base is being expanded and upgraded to accommodate approximately 300 soldiers from the Afghan National Army and the British 1 Mercian Regiment.
Lieutenant Mohammed Khalid, the Afghan Engineers’ Platoon Commander, has worked alongside British troops for four years.

He said: “When we were in Shorabak [Afghan National Army camp], the British soldiers were giving us training. But now that we are here we are implementing that training.

“Wherever people are living, accommodation is important for them, and it is the same for soldiers. We came here to make accommodation for British and ANA troops. That is why it is so important.

“We have learnt as much as we can from our mentors. If we get the type of machinery and instruments that the British troops have, then hopefully we will be able to do all of this type of work for ourselves.”

The eleven Afghan troops are partnered with sixteen soldiers from 21 Regiment, Royal Engineers, led by Lieutenant Fran Bullock: “This is the first time ANA and UK engineers have partnered on a task like this” she said.

“Before, it was more of a mentored role through the Brigade Advisory Group. They were looking at what skills were necessary and trying to improve those skills back in camp.

“Now however, we are going out on the ground with them, working alongside them on an active site and putting all of that training into practice. This is an important step for them because it means their work has to be up to a certain standard.

“Together with the Afghans, we are constructing the ANA accommodation, the showering units and the force protection elements. We will also build a dedicated secure helicopter landing site and an entry control point, all for when the new troops arrive.

“They have an excellent plant operator/mechanic who drives the bulldozer. He is very proficient and able to do pretty much everything we have wanted him to do. They have also been working on basic carpentry and joinery and there are so many other roles that we will develop in time. Once this project is complete, we will feed back to the Brigade Advisory Group to identify areas for further training to equip them with the skills to be entirely self-sufficient and bring them up to an even higher standard of combat engineer trades”.

An expansion of the base will allow more troops to control the surrounding area, creating the conditions for stabilisation and reconstruction. A growing Afghan National Army presence is an important element in securing the support of the local population for the ISAF mission.

Sgt Archie Gemmell from 21 Regiment, Royal Engineers, works as Brigade Advisory Group mentor. He has trained the Afghan engineers for their current role.

“The Afghans are in the early phase of their skills development. The engineer Brigade Advisory Group before us did a fantastic job in bringing them up to their current level. We are here now, partnering them in order to bring them on that little bit further and to identify areas of future training.

“It can be challenging sometimes, but it is extremely rewarding. There are a few characters in there, just as there are with any UK soldiers. There can be real highs and lows, as you would expect from a unit in a new role, but we all get on really well and they appreciate the advice we can give them".

Many of the Afghans have received technical training, allowing them to use plant and machinery. Sergeant Mabeed, a bulldozer operator said: “I really wanted to be a plant operator, and now I am a plant operator and I am really enjoying my work. Everything I have learnt on this excavator has been from British troops over four years in Helmand.”

The commander of the Afghan engineers, Major Bahadar Khan, has welcomed his unit’s first active role: “The work of an engineer is so important because whenever our soldiers deploy somewhere they need accommodation, showers, toilets, and this sort of thing. If engineers are not here, who is going to build these things?

“At the moment they are getting training, but after the training, god willing, our soldiers will be able to run this sort of project themselves”.

The joint engineering task at Rahim is the first of a number of planned partnered projects. The Afghan National Army will increasingly undertake projects of a similar scale without any assistance from ISAF and UK forces.

Picture Credit: Captain Philip Atkinson SCOTS

Grenadier Guards support a Taliban reintegration shura

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards' Queen's Company have recently helped the Afghan National Army hold a reintegration shura with members of the Taliban.

The aim of the event was to encourage members of the Taliban who are undecided as to their future or allegiance to come and meet the Afghan Government officials for the area and discuss their options for returning into accepted society.

The shura took place in Basharan in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand province where the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards Battle Group has been operating.

The Grenadier Guards and their colleagues in the Afghan National Army made security plans and cleared nearby compounds early in the morning prior to the shura beginning.

40 Afghan people attended the event from fairly far afield and follow-up shuras are planned to take place over the next few weeks.

Afghan conflict reaches critical juncture

Ian Pannell, BBC News


"Operation Moshtarak will mark the start of the end of the insurgency."

With those words, Brig James Cowan, commander of British forces in Helmand province signalled the start of the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

Thousands of US, UK and Afghan forces, supported by Danes and Estonians are now moving by land and air into parts of Nad Ali district which have long been in insurgent hands. Four thousand British troops, supported by 1,650 Afghan servicemen will operate in the northern part of area.

The white flag of the Taliban flies from a crane raised above the town of Showal in the north. It is the seat of the shadow government and will be a key objective for British forces led by 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh.

To the south-west lies the area of Marjah. Military planners believe it is home to one of the largest concentrations of insurgents in Afghanistan, and it is here where thousands of US marines are operating.

Nad Ali is now the epicentre of the so-called US troop "surge" and the counter-insurgency plan laid out by the commander of both the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and US Forces Afghanistan (USFor-A), Gen Stanley McChrystal.

'Helping Afghan people'

"Soon we will clear the Taliban from its safe havens in central Helmand. Where we go, we will stay. Where we stay, we will build," says Brig Cowan. He addressed hundreds of troops assembled on a dusty patch of land adjacent to where a vigil had just been held for the latest three British soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Dale Vincent of 1 Royal Welsh is just 21 years old and already on his third tour of Afghanistan. He misses his grandmother who follows the news closely and worries that Dale is in danger. But he is confident that Moshtarak will go well.

"We're helping the Afghan people and it keeps the terrorists from our back home. We all knew Afghanistan was going to be dangerous before we came, but this op is not going to be any more dangerous than before, it's just on a bigger scale," he says.

"Home" is the word you hear most often. L/Cpl Stephen Courtney from Swansea has a two-year-old son and is engaged to be married this August.

"I try not to think of the dangers. I just can't wait to go home and see all the family and friends," he says.

Birth of Afghan army is British exit strategy

In the mountainous outskirts of the Afghan capital, on a vast exercise area littered with rusting Soviet-era tanks and derelict buildings, British infantry commander Lieutenant Colonel Nick Ilic explains why training the Afghan National Army is crucial to British success in Afghanistan:

“It is absolutely fundamental we get this right. This is our exit strategy. The guys down south in Helmand and elsewhere are holding the line, creating a safe environment for us to train the Afghan National Army (ANA) to the right standard and quality so they can take on the fight when they’re ready.”

British, American and other NATO soldiers are working together to train and mentor thousands of ANA soldiers each month at the flagship Military Training Centre, Kabul (KMTC).

Lt Col Ilic, 41, a father of six from Warminster in Wiltshire is the UK Leadership Training Team’s (LTT’s) Commanding Officer, based at Camp Alamo, near KMTC. He heads up a team of 64 British military personnel charged with overseeing the ANA’s Officer and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) training. The training of junior ANA soldiers is run by US military teams.

In the past ANA training was delivered by coalition forces but now, Lt Col Ilic explains, it is delivered by the ANA themselves:

“My team advises, mentors and trains the ANA instructors who run the training. The aim is for Afghans to lead the training of other Afghans; when required to do so we step in an assist in the training ourselves. The mentors are here to ensure that the training is carried out safely and that standards are kept high.”

“Witnessing the birth of this new Afghan army is a humbling experience. There is no doubting the enthusiasm of the troops. They’re all determined to make a better Afghanistan for themselves and their families. The fact they are joining in their droves illustrates there’s a new found confidence in Afghanistan.”

The ANA trainee soldiers at KMTC are recruited from all over Afghanistan. They pass through an eight week training package of basic infantry and core military skills essential for fighting the Taliban - such as weapon handling, live firing, section attacks and compound clearances – before graduating and deploying to the various Provinces in ethnically mixed teams.

Some deploy to live and fight alongside British soldiers in Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) in Helmand Province’s green zone, where fierce fighting with insurgents takes place. Others deploy to work alongside units like the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh who are partnered with ANA soldiers and over the course of the next three months numbers will grow until an entire Kandak (the equivalent to a British battalion) will live and fight alongside the Welsh soldiers.

The mentoring staff at Alamo are responsible for ensuring the ANA is trained to a strength of 134,000 by the end of October 2010. Initially, the Army will be an infantry centric force able to fight insurgents and hold the ground until the national force reaches full operational capability – with its own logistic and support elements – of 240,000 by 2013.

Lt Col Ilic is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead, but is infectiously optimistic about the prospect of success:

“To reach that target we need to train 5200 soldiers, officers and NCOs every month and we’ve already trained 100,000 – that’s a similar number to the total size of the British Army.”

“At the moment recruiting is high because the harvests are in and people are looking for other employment. The challenge is to maintain that momentum in spring and summer but we’re confident we’ll be able to achieve that.”

Recruitment has undoubtedly been assisted by the doubling of salaries. A Warrior fighting in Helmand (equivalent rank to a British Private soldier) now receives $240 per month - an attractive prospect when over half the Afghan population lives below the poverty line. In a move to prevent corruption, the money is paid into soldiers’ own private bank accounts rather than as cash.

“Managing the training is a huge challenge and resources are probably the biggest challenge. We are bulging at the seams here at KMTC. To cope, we are expanding the training bases so that training Afghans can take place in each of the regional core areas of Gardez, Herat, Kandahar and Maz i Sharif.”

Lt Col Ilic refutes allegations that the quantity of ANA soldiers being trained is trumping quality:

“The training at KMTC is only the first leg in a relay race. After graduating, the soldiers undertake selection and training for specialist roles followed by pre-deployment training and then partnering on the front line by embedded training and mentoring teams.”

“KMTC is therefore the start of a long training cycle that each ANA soldier must undertake to ensure an army of the right quality and size is developed to guarantee the long term stability and future of Afghanistan.”

Literacy is also a key area that the British team are addressing. Every recruit receives a two week literacy course when they join. At each and every stage of training after that, such as the NCO courses, they undertake a further week’s literacy training. This is invaluable as reading and writing are skills for life and the soldiers are very aware of the value this brings them.

The British have been training and mentoring their Afghan counterparts since 2006 and are constantly developing the training programmes to make sure it is efficient and relevant to the current operational environment. Drill, for example, has been reduced to make room for more weapons training.

From June, different specialist schools will begin to be established with the British leading on the delivery of Combat Arms skills such as infantry and artillery training.

“We are not trying to create a British Army - ours has been hundreds of years in the making. What the ANA needs to be able to do is to take on and defeat the Taliban. They can achieve that because they are better trained, better equipped and better motivated with a long term future. In time, quantity and quality will tell.”

Lt Col Ilic has been personally mentoring Colonel Abdul Sabor, the ANA Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy Commander. Col Sabor says the relationship between the mentors and the ANA is good:

“We have one aim, one enemy. The ANA is improving all the time and after four or five years, with the help of coalition forces, there’ll be no Al Qaida or Taliban in Afghanistan.”

Pictures: Lt Sally Armstrong, RN

Better pay boosts morale in Afghan army

Amal is in the final weeks of his basic training and says he dreams of bringing peace and stability to his war-ravaged country as part of a professional Afghan National Army.

He is one of 7,000 recruits from across Afghanistan undergoing eight weeks of training at the Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC), one of the focal points of the new strategy for defeating a virulent Taliban insurgency.

The 21-year-old comes from southern Kandahar province, one of the most violent, and says he joined the army to make a difference.

"I want to eliminate our enemies, I don't care who they are, Taliban or whatever," he told AFP during a break from ambush drill.

"I want to serve my country because when security is good, we can rebuild our country, the children can go to school, people can have normal lives."

Behind him, this patch of the 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares) occupied by the KMTC looks like many southern Afghan battlegrounds -- beige, barren and dusty -- as hundreds of recruits drop to their bellies to practise marksmanship.

Over the next hill, a few hundred more are being taught to search houses, set up checkpoints and road blocks, throw hand grenades and fire machine-guns.

Elsewhere on the campus -- formerly the Afghan Military Academy -- there are mass graves of victims of the communist regime of the seventies, and carcasses of destroyed Soviet tanks occupy their own graveyard.

Turnover at KMTC is 1,400 recruits every two weeks -- with 7,000 constantly in training -- as the Afghan government and its Western supporters attempt to extrude an army from the mostly illiterate and often drug-addicted pool of young men needing jobs.

US President Barack Obama, General Stanley McChrystal, who commands US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai say they are determined the country will take responsiblity for security within five years.

To make that wish come true, they plan to hit a benchmark of 400,000 security forces -- army and police -- within 18 months.

There are nearly 100,000 troops in the Afghan army, which is projected to grow to 136,000 next year. Karzai allies are calling for up to 240,000 soldiers.

These ambitious figures have sown concerns that recruits will be taken on to fit the quantity, not quality, requirements of a government in a hurry to finally prove that it is up to the job.

Experts warn the nation lacks literate young men, veterans with leadership skills, facilities for training, and money for weapons.

With almost 40,000 more troops due to arrive in Afghanistan from the US and its NATO allies during 2010, Western leaders are eager to show Afghan forces are making enough progress for them to start thinking about withdrawal.

Western public opinion has turned against continued commitment to Afghanistan, as voters grow weary of a rising death toll in a far away war.

General Egon Ramms, a German commander in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, said last month that of 94,000 Afghan soldiers trained so far, 10,000 have defected, and an estimated 15 percent of the armed forces are drug addicts.

In an effort to retain and attract recruits, the Afghan government recently announced a 33 percent pay rise for soldiers and police.

Officers at the KMTC said the pay rise, bringing average salaries up to around 200 dollars a month, is already making a difference.

"Morale has certainly had a boost since the pay rise," said Major Mahhoobullah, chief of staff and acting commander at KMTC.

"We are a volunteer army so the pay rise has made a difference to retention of recruits, they are much happier," he said, adding that applications from new recruits also leapt after the salary increase.

Problems of drug addiction were also being dealt with, he said, with screening and treatment.

The main problem for the infant Afghan National Army he said, was "the low quality of the boots, they only last a month".

VIDEO: Knowing the Enemy in Afghanistan

From a foreigners perspective its often difficult to identify who the enemy is in Afghanistan. However, Afghans serving in the National Army know the enemy well, which gives ISAF valuable insight.

Afghan National Army soldiers voting in Helmand

Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers vote in the country’s Presidential and Provincial elections at their base at Camp Shorabak , Helmand Province .

Captain Mirvais, from the Combat Service Support (CSS) Kandak, said,

“It is good to be voting. We have had no cheating and no illegal votes. I hope the right President is chosen. It is a good sign for the future of Afghanistan , for its safety and security.

Picture: Maj Ric Cole, Camp Bastion Helmand

Afghan troops capture Helmand’s Naw Zad district

Afghan forces backed by Nato-led troops have wrested a district in the troubled south of the country from Taliban control days ahead of landmark elections, authorities said Sunday.

The Afghan national flag was hoisted over the centre of Naw Zad district in Helmand province, which had long been controlled by Taliban-linked militia, a defence ministry spokesman said.

They were driven out in a major operation launched last month, he said.

‘The district of Naw Zad was freed today. The enemy has been pushed back from the district,’ General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.

At least eight districts, most of them in Helmand and neighbouring provinces remained outside government control, Azimi said.

Thousands of foreign troops, mainly US and British, along with Afghan security forces have been battling to eject the Taliban from their strongholds, to ensure that Afghans can vote safely in the August 20 presidential elections.

But commanders admit that their advance has been slowed by improvised bombs that have been responsible for most of the recent military deaths.

Electoral authorities have said that voting may not be able to go ahead in some areas under Taliban control.

VIDEO: NATO Bringing out the big guns

Mentored by the British, the Afghan National Army demonstrates their new Artillery Unit, which will be used to support joint operations in southern Afghanistan.

Northern Ireland soldiers crucial for training police in Afghanistan

Soldiers despatched to Afghanistan from Northern Ireland are helping to improve security in one of the country’s frontline towns.

The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, normally based at Ballykinler, have been training police officers in the town of Sangin — a former Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan.

Previously Sangin was regarded as one of the most dangerous parts of Helmand Province. Last year Royal Irish Regiment soldier Ranger Justin Cupples was killed during a Taliban bomb attack as he patrolled the town on foot.

Much of the violence has now shifted further south and last month two more young soldiers from Northern Ireland were killed in separate insurgent attacks near Musa Qal’eh. Lance Corporal Nigel Moffat (28) who was attached to the Light Dragoons Regiment died during an operation on May 30 and Corporal Sean Binnie (22), a member of the 3rd Battalion Blackwatch was killed during a fire fight on May 7.

Training and mentoring the Afghan National Army has been a primary focus for the British Army who control military operations in Helmand.

Army sources say that violencc in Sangin has decreased, aided by the construction of a secure governance zone and a growing economic zone. They claim the training of 20 new police officers has been crucial in keeping crime and killings down.

Last month a new school, a health clinic and government offices were opened in Sangin while success in countering drugs also means that the view from the military Fire Support Group tower is of wheat fields for food and cash crops, rather than opium fields.

The new police officers all received basic training from a combined ISAF and US forces team during an eight-week Focused District Development course and have now been issued new uniforms and new weapons.

Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson, of 2 Rifles Battle Group, said: “We’re proud to stand with the Army and fight to work together for the people of Sangin.”

The deputy district chief of police in Sangin, Commander Nayim, added: “They are tough, fighting men and will bring security to the people of Sangin. This is a new day in the fight to bring peace to Afghanistan.”

British Soldiers Train New Afghan Army Combat Unit

Soldiers from the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and 1st Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) have been working in Helmand to develop and train a new unit of the Afghan National Army (ANA) in specialist skills.

The Combat Support Kandak (the Afghan term for a battalion, numbering approximately 350 men) was established to provide artillery, engineering and reconnaissance support to the operations undertaken by 3/205 Brigade of the Afghan National Army.

Soldiers from 1 RIFLES have been providing operational mentoring to the Combat Support Kandak and Major Jim Hill, Officer Commanding of the Combat Support Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (CS OMLT), said:

"To be truly effective, the ANA need to be able to support their own operations, in the key areas of offensive support, combat engineering and reconnaissance.

"The Combat Support Kandak has a proven track record as a ground-holding unit operating in the infantry role, but is now focused upon the development of its specialist capabilities.

"The ANA undertake regular patrolling and operations throughout Helmand province, which require combat support. Whilst ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] are ready and willing to provide elements of this support, it is increasingly important that the ANA are able to contribute from within their own integral resources."

In a demonstration of the progress being made, personnel from the ANA Artillery Company recently completed their first live firing exercise, having undertaken a concentrated training package with the D-30 gun - the ANA light artillery gun.

32 Afghan personnel underwent a five-week gunnery training assessment course run at Camp Shorabak in Helmand province, the main base for 3/205 Brigade. They were mentored throughout by members of 26 Regiment Royal Artillery who are attached to the OMLT to provide expertise on the use of artillery.

Many of the Warriors (Afghan Private soldiers) had previous experience of using artillery but limited formal training. With many of them recently committed to infantry operations in the Nad e-Ali area following Operation SOND CHARA, they returned to Shorabak in late January as eager students, keen to return to their role as artillerymen.

They undertook lessons on indirect fire procedures, firing data computation, ammunition care and equipment maintenance, and the basic gunnery skills, including rudimentary mathematics, required to enable them to produce effective and accurate indirect artillery fire.

The culmination of their training was the live firing of two D-30 light artillery guns, putting all of the Warriors through their paces. A series of targets were engaged accurately at ranges out to 7km.

Major Paul 'Red' Redgrave, the Technical Instructor in Gunnery within the Combat Support OMLT, who headed up the training package, said:

"The live firing exercise was an excellent opportunity to confirm the basic skills required of the ANA artillerymen operating both on the guns and also within the command post, preparing the vital firing data.

"Many of these individuals have previous artillery experience and the concentrated training period and live firing opportunities have allowed us to set a sound basis for further work in the future.

"For me, personally, my tour is nearing an end and I look forward to being able to hand over these artillery soldiers, with the new skills they have developed, to the next OMLT. I am delighted with the progress that has been made and the skills they have demonstrated."

Personnel from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment have also deployed within the CS OMLT, mentoring the Afghan Engineer Company. They have taught construction techniques and assisted in the preparation of Afghan National Security Forces infrastructure.

This has included the renovation and construction of patrol bases and checkpoints, and substantial work to 'winterise' their accommodation and bases during the bitter winter months, improving the facilities and defences.

As an example of their progress, on Op ATTAL, an ANA operation in January 2009 in the Spin Masjed area, a group of 20 Afghan engineers with six engineer mentors constructed two Afghan National Police (ANP) checkpoints.

Using their own plant equipment and vehicles, under difficult operational conditions including regular small arms, mortar and improvised explosive device attacks, the engineers successfully established these sizeable positions in under three days.

The resulting positions have been crucial to the continued security in this key area to the south west of Gereshk.

The Royal Engineer mentors have also been training the Afghan Engineers in explosive hazard awareness and techniques to search for and dispose of improvised explosive devices in order to keep themselves, their colleagues and the local population safe.

Finally, to improve the efficiency of their operations, the Recce Company of the CS Kandak have been receiving instruction in the skills of reconnaissance. Utilising both UK and US expertise, the Recce Warriors have completed an intensive training package based upon establishing the enhanced skills required of a reconnaissance soldier.

Focusing upon patrol skills, weapon-handling, navigation and tactics, they have recently deployed on a number of tasks in support of ISAF and ANA operations.

Major Jim Hill has overseen these aspects and knows that significant progress is being made. With his tour drawing to a close he knows he is handing over a body of men with a developing skill in specialist trades - skills which will be essential for the future ANA, as it takes a greater role in providing security for the people of Helmand.

He summarises the developments:

"The British soldiers working alongside their ANA colleagues over recent months have been called upon to mentor in a wide variety of roles and locations. Fighting together as infantry established firm relationships between mentors and the ANA, which have allowed rapid progress to be made upon their return to specialist roles.

"The ANA have worked very hard to master these skills and it has been most rewarding for the mentors from these specialised areas to see the improvement in ANA capability.

"As our tour comes to a close, we are pleased to be handing over to the incoming British OMLT, the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, with elements of the Afghan Combat Support Kandak now operating in their specialist roles. We look forward to hearing of further successful support to operations in the future."