Afghan National Army Private Mohammed Khaili, the 100,000th BWC graduate to go through literacy training, is awarded a plaque and pen at Kabul Military Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 28, 2011, in recognition of the Afghan National Security Force's accomplishments in the realm of education and literacy. Basic Warrior Training Kandak 162 graduated 1,287 soldiers, all of whom will continue military and literacy training at various Afghan National Army Branch Schools or the Consolidated Fielding Center in Kabul. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael James

The Afghan National Army graduated 1,287 soldiers from Basic Warrior Training at Kabul Military Training Center, July 28, including a special commemoration marking the graduation of the 100,000 Afghan National Security Force literacy program trainee.

ANA soldier Mohammed Khalil, graduating with BWT Kandak 162, was chosen to represent the 100,000th literacy graduate. He was awarded a commemorative certificate and writing pen.

“Education is vitally important. When we become educated, it gives us the ability to recognize our friends from our enemies,” said Khalil. “Education will take us from the darkness to the light.”

The recognition of the 100,000th graduate of literacy training represents a milestone in the professional development of the Afghan National Security Force, which consists of the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and Afghan Air Force.

Literacy training was integrated into the ANSF required curriculum in November 2009 and has been expanding rapidly since. There are currently more than 86,000 soldiers and policemen enrolled in some level of literacy training.

“I am the eldest of six brothers; I do all I can to provide for them,” said Khalil. “I am now able to take the lessons I learned in Basic Warrior Training and share them with my brothers.”

The goal set by Afghan and coalition leadership is for all literacy program students to read at a first grade level by the end of basic training. The literacy education received by such large numbers of young Afghans is expected to have far-reaching effects throughout Afghan culture.

“Literacy is the basic tenant for building partnering capacity and professionalizing an already very capable ANSF,” said U.S. Army Col. Ken Lenig, Force Integration Director, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan.

Today’s graduates of the Basic Warrior Training course will go on to attend branch schools and leadership courses offering specialization in military proficiencies as well as continued literacy training.

NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan
By: U.S. Navy Petty Officer Michael James

When Diatullah returned to Afghanistan following a nine-year absence from his home in central Afghanistan, 17-year-old Ibrahim just enlisted in the Afghan National Army. Diatullah joined the ANA shortly afterward. That was six years ago.

Since then, 39-year-old Diatullah and 23-year-old Ibrahim have run missions together in Kandahar, Zabul and Helmand provinces as ANA Commandos trained by members of Special Operations Task Force – South, near Kandahar Airfield.

Today they are squad leaders in the ANA’s 3rd Commando Kandak, assisted by the same SOTF–South weapons sergeant who trained them in 2008.

“Last trip I worked with them on just about every mission, and we did similar direct-action missions then as we’re doing now,” said the weapons sergeant. “I was one of the lead advisors for their company and platoon; and comparing this squad to the others, [Ibrahim and Diatullah’s] leadership has definitely trickled down to the commandos in their squad,” he said.

Born just 30 miles from each other but separated by more than 17 years, Diatullah and Ibrahim arrived at the ANA from very different places in life.

THE YOUNGER

As an adolescent, Ibrahim had been attending school near his home in Baghlan province when the Taliban rose to power in the mid-1990s.

“When the Taliban came, they didn’t let us go to school anymore, so my family moved to Pakistan where it was safer for us,” Ibrahim said. “But we wanted very much to get back to our country and to live in our home again.”

Once they received word that the Taliban had been removed from power by early 2002, Ibrahim and his family moved back to Baghlan and back to their family’s compound. But by then, he said, he had reached the age where his family now depended on him to earn money to help provide for everyone.

Joining the ANA allowed Ibrahim to take care of his two biggest concerns at the time: patriotism and family.

“Even today, when I go back home on leave, I tell the young people that they can support their family and serve their country if they become a commando,” he said.

THE ELDER

Diatullah has served his country in two different decades of fighting.
In the 1980s, he fought the Soviets as a young man with the mujahedeen. It was a difficult time, he said, because the Soviets conscripted his brother to be a soldier in the Soviet army.

“For six months he was gone in Moscow for training to become an officer,” Diatullah said.

Not long after returning to Afghanistan, he got word that his brother was killed in a tank battle. Diatullah was wounded in fighting during that period, but it was a minor injury to his leg and not something with lasting effects.

Then life slowly began stabilizing for Diatullah’s family after the Soviets left Afghanistan, he said. By this time, his family was just his mother and his wife.

But when the Taliban rose to power, Diatullah’s family moved to Iran for safety. Then tragedy befell them all when a dispute with an Iranian soldier landed Diatullah in prison for seven years. He never saw them alive again.

“When I returned to Parwan,” he said, “I found that my wife and my mother had just died. I had only two younger brothers and no job.”

So Diatullah joined the ANA as a 33-year-old experienced fighter. His SOTF-South mentors have warmed to him because of his maturity and experience – and his signature mustache.

“We call him ‘mustache’ because he looks like that guy on the coffee can,” said the SOTF-South weapons sergeant. “He’s an old dude; but he and ‘Rahim’ are about the best I could ask for when working with a partnered force.”

A SOTF-South engineer sergeant said he’s worked with Diatullah and Ibrahim for the last four missions, and both are “probably the most squared-away” of all the commandos.

“They’re all proactive when we’re out there pulling security throughout the night,” he said. “Their assertiveness – you should hear ‘Rahim’ yell – and their concern for the most basic needs of their soldiers gives them credibility. Their squad listens when they talk.”

During their latest mission in Kandahar province’s Zhari district, Diatullah spent the early part of their first evening teaching their fellow commando, Rahmad, how to write up a guard roster for the squad’s evening watch.

Once the squad began their shift on an evening when temperatures dipped below freezing, both Ibrahim and Diatullah took turns adding logs to the fire they built to keep their squad warm throughout the evening.

“We have worked with each other for about five years, and he has become my closest friend,” Ibrahim said.

Both Ibrahim and Diatullah hope to continue their success as commandos, with the goal of one day earning selection for training as a member of the ANA Special Forces.

“We can’t worry too much about the future of Afghanistan, because that is up to God,” Diatullah said. “But I hope that one day we can help it become at least as secure as other foreign countries.”

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Benjamin Watson

An Afghan-led force killed more than 20 insurgents and destroyed more than 40 improvised explosive devices in northwestern Kandahar province during a three-day operation that ended Nov. 29.

The operation consisted of forces from the Afghan Border Police and Afghan National Army commandos, partnered with soldiers from Special Operations Task Force – South.

As the forces cleared their initial objective, area citizens provided information leading to further exploitation of the surrounding areas. The information came during evening shuras between area residents and the partnered force.

Following these discussions, the combined element decided to continue the operation past its planned 24-hour timeframe.

In all, the operation led to the discovery of two drug processing facilities, multiple explosives manufacturing facilities including nearly nine tons (8,500 kilograms in 170 50-kilogram bags) of explosives, 41 Kalashnikov assault rifles and eight high-caliber machine guns with 1,000 rounds.

The partnered force also cleared 41 IED’s from the area.

Elsewhere in northern Kandahar province’s Shah Wali Kot district, the District Governor Haji Obidullah and Afghan National Army special forces, along with their from Special Operations Task Force – South partners, located two weapons storage sites following tips from local citizens, Nov. 28.

The partnered force found almost 10,000 rounds of ammunition, multiple 82 mm mortar rounds, five rocket-propelled grenade warheads and a wide variety of IED-making material to include detonation cord, blasting caps and pressure plates.

Also in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district, Afghan National Police recovered two IED’s along a well-travelled road Nov. 29. Soldiers from Special Operations Task Force – South safely disposed of the IED’s.

No civilian casualties or property damage resulted from these operations.

DVIDS

BARG-E MATAL, Afghanistan – ANA Soldiers stand guard after reclaiming Barg-e Matal on July 26.

Afghan National Security Forces, with support from their coalition partners, continued to secure Barg-e Matal on July 27.

Soldiers from the Afghan National Army conducted an air assault July 25 in order to reinforce security in the village, located in the Nuristan province.

The combined assault force took deliberate steps to avoid hurting any innocent civilians during the operation.

ISAF provided air support, supplies, and a small force in support of operation. The support helped the ANSF further secure the town, continuing their disruption of insurgent operations throughout the region.

Once operations conclude, follow-on efforts will include projects to reinforce security.

US Army RC East

Villagers return to the village of Barg-e Matal following the arrival of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan forces July 26

The third part of this series focuses on the Afghan National Police (ANP). Canadian Maj. Gen. Mike Ward, deputy commander-Police, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, recently briefed bloggers on the current state of the ANP and the progress made since the NTM was established.

Afghanistan created its national police academy about 75 years ago. However, the next step, a police staff college, has not existed for some 40 years. Many ANP recruits were going into the field without having been through the academy first.

NTM is working with its Afghan partners to create an ANP staff college as well as a non-commissioned officers academy. The Afghan National Civil Order Police just identified fifty outstanding NCOs who are being sent to a six month training course where they will emerge as officers. The Western model of a police officer working his way up the chain of command to Chief has not been the usual way in Afghanistan and this program will leaven the ANCOP officer ranks with men who have experience in the enlisted ranks.

Ward talked about the ANP’s reputation for corruption. A recent pay increase has brought police pay into parity with military pay. That has affected the need for shakedowns for many of the police. It has also increased recruitment.

General Ward told the bloggers that nearly 30 nations are providing training to the Afghan police, either through the NATO framework or in bi-lateral missions. Training is going on within Afghanistan at 27-30 different sites. At this time, NATO is concerned about building Afghan capacity so the policy is to use training outside of the country very sparingly.

One other issue that Ward discussed was the ethnic balance of the police. In this case, unlike the army, many of the local police units reflect the ethnic makeup of the local community. The national police leadership is reflective of ethnic balance, but the boots on the ground reflect their community. He pointed out that within ethnic groups there are tribal divisions, and it is possible that some tribes may feel unrepresented and left out of local policing.

SSgt. Sarah Brown, USAF, recently authored a piece discussing many of these same topics. Titled Fixing the Afghan National Police, it covered the work of the Kandahar Regional Training Center, where a six week course trains police recruits. Each session can train 316 police officers, and the trainees include many serving police who never received basic training. By October 2010, the goal is to have 109,000 serving Afghan National Police.

Major General Ward responded to a piece about the ANP on the CIGI website April 4, 2010. He identified the NTM priorities as “Quality and Quantity, and Leader development”. He identified long term staffing goals as having 120,000 police by March of 2011 and 134,000 police by October 2011.

Ward described the basic police training as 265 instruction hours with a week of 5.5 days. In those hours are 64 hours of literacy instruction for every new police officer.

It is clear from Maj. Gen. Ward’s comments that the ANP have some challenges to overcome. Additional personnel from both allied police agencies and the military are augmenting the training staff and mentoring existing police units in the field. The future course of the ANP remains less clear than of Afghanistan’s military.