Contents The deadline for the next edition Page 3: RAF Police on patrol at KAIA is: Page 4: The Afghan National Army Training Team Wednesday 11 May 2005 Page 6: Thoughts from around ISAF Have you got a camera ? Page 7: In Our Ancestors’ Footsteps Send your pictures to the Editor Page 8: CA Recce Squadron Earns Brigade Commander’s Certificate and they could be on the cover ! Page 9: Return of a Hero Page 10: Multinational Day at Bagram AFB Page 11: Exercise KABUL FIND Page 12: Canadian Recce in Afghanistan Page 13: ‘Kids of KAIA’ Football Championship Cover photograph: Colour Sergeant Kajiman Limbu MC RGR Page 14: Dutch F-16s arrive at KAIA Back Cover photograph: Page 15: HSS Open House Children at Setara School with their new ‘book bags’ courtesy of the TIC staff at HQ ISAF The ISAF Mirror is a Public Information Office publication. Content is edited and prepared by the PIO staff using submissions sent to them. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect official NATO, JFC HQ Brunssum or ISAF policy. Submissions can be e-mailed to:pressoffice@isaf- hq.nato.int. Articles should be in MS Word format, photographs should be at least 7 x 4.5 cm and 300dpi resolution. The ISAF Mirror is published monthly and aims to be available by the first Friday of the month. For more information please call the Editor on HQ ISAF Ext 1230. The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions. Editor: Maj Gavin Jones, Chief Internal Info HQ ISAF Contributing Editor: Flt Lt Richard Heffer, Media Ops HQ ISAF 2 RAF POLICE ON PATROL AT KAIA By Flight Lieutenant RJ Heffer, Media Ops Air knives and other weapons from departing passengers HQ ISAF is a further priority. Corporal Stu Davidson is “amazed by the amount of illegal weapons that we A small, but expert, group of four RAF policemen are confiscate. Recently one soldier tried to bring home a now working to protect the vital multinational ISAF fighting knife bought at local market hidden in the military airbase at Kabul International Airport ceramic plates of his combat body armour”. A lighter (KAIA) in Afghanistan. This is the first time that the job has been a paper-round to deliver the ISAF RAF Police have worked at KAIA in their core role of general policing duties and air transport security as part of the International Military Police unit. Flight Sergeant Martin Gibson, is a shift supervisor for the KAIA Military Police and enjoys "the multinational environment, its always challenging work- although the language aspect can be interesting". The four are highly experienced policemen with a great deal of operational knowledge gained in the Balkans and the Middle East over the past couple of years. Their policing skills have already been put to good use at KAIA. Corporals Jase McDonald, Stu Davidson, Sean Reece Corporal Sean Reece with illegal weapons taken and Flight Sergeant Martin Gibson now working at from military passengers at KAIA KAIA Over the last month, KAIA military police have dealt newspaper to the local community. with some 70 incidents and Corporal Jase Reece relishes the workload "The job is very similar to standard policing on any base, but the workload is much higher than on most RAF stations. We have Corporal Sean Reece points out that the four lads are been particularly busy dealing with weapon security also involved in helping a local orphanage. They problems and traffic accidents at the airport". have widely distributing collecting tins throughout the military side of the airport and encourage spare Other roles have been to cordon off the minefields change donations from departing passengers, who being slowly cleared around KAIA and spot checks seem particularly keen to cough up! The policemen using sniffer dogs to search civilian and military have plans well underway for a multinational charity vehicles on the airbase for illegal drugs. This, football match. They hope that their fund-raising will explained Martin Gibson, is a necessary prevention buy books and ideally a computer for the orphanage. measure because of the large amount of illegal narcotics in Afghanistan. The confiscation of illegal Editor’s Note: The match has now been played - read the report on Page 13 of this magazine. 3 THE AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY TRAINING TEAM Edited from an original article by Major John Wakelin, UK Afghan National Army Training Team A key element to the establishment of a democratic Afghanistan is the nascent Afghan National Army (ANA). The Afghans have witnessed almost thirty years of armed conflict. An army that is both representative and that upholds the principles of this emerging state are the key to its future security and national pride. 'The young Afghan men that arrive here at The Kabul Military Training Centre are excellent raw material for soldiers,' said Major John Northern Ireland and completed two tours in Wakelin, commanding the British Army's the Balkans. 'The Afghan instructors have Afghan National Army Training Team responded well to the guidance that we are able (ANATT) in Kabul. The UK ANATT is drawn to give them and have begun to conduct some from the Worcestershire and Sherwood very professional training. Foresters Regiment (1WFR). KMTC is set against the backdrop of the The soldiers from 1WFR are embedded within stunning snow capped mountains of the Hindu the US Army's Training Advisory Group at the Kush. Here amid the bustle of thousands of Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC). Their fledgling ANA soldiers the instructors can be role is to mentor the Non-Commissioned seen presiding over the training of the next Officer (NCO) school. The Nottinghamshire, generation of junior leaders. Derbyshire and Worcestershire soldiers are each attached to a training team of 8 Afghan 'I have been in the new ANA since its beginning instructors. They work side by side with their 2 years ago,' explains Captain Shahin Mokhtar Afghan counterparts ensuring that the future a 34 year old Captain. Shahin, a Pashtun, is leaders of the ANA receive the best possible one of 4 Company Commanders at the NCO training. ‘The job has been unlike any other School. He combines his duties as a Company that I have carried out in the infantry.' Explains Commander with reconstructing his family’s Corporal Sean Leach who has also served in shattered lives. 'During the Taliban era I was in exile in Pakistan,' he recounts ' When I returned, my home had been destroyed and my father had been killed'. The house building stops and starts depending on how much money is available for the project. Many of the Afghan officers have ambitions to attend a European Military Staff College to improve their prospects of promotion. 'The experience of the potential Junior NCOs (JNCOs) varies an awful lot', explains Corporal Tom Myatt from the Reconnaissance Platoon of 1WFR. ‘Our role is to provide support on how to structure and implement training. The JNCO course is six weeks long and culminates in a 4 Field Training Exercise. We have to take Army's elite Foundation College at Harrogate. 'I account of a range of abilities and experience. frequently have to split my lessons into two Some have a great deal of combat experience groups and have to allocate an instructor who from the wars fought over the last 10 years.' speaks Dari and one who speaks Pashtu.' All Afghan recruits are put through six weeks Mortar and anti-tank demonstrations are led by of basic training before being assessed for Staff Sergeant E6 Annis Tophan (23). Annis, a their suitability for junior leadership training. Shia Hazara, has been serving in the ANA for Following their cadre they are reintroduced to 15 months. He was educated to the ninth grade basic training but this time as JNCOs. 'Language barriers present us with a significant challenge' explains Corporal Michael Parsons who has joined 1WFR straight from a tour of Iraq where he was responsible for managing locally employed civilians in Basra. ‘We have a good team of interpreters who have worked at KMTC since the start and who have a good grasp of British military terms. They are crucial to our role here.' at school but when the civil war started he fled to Iran. In Iran he worked on a farm growing cereal crops. He used a paid courier to support his parents, two brothers and three sisters who remained in Kabul. He is currently engaged to Marhim and hopes to settle in Kabul and have a family of his own. “The British Army has given Afghanistan hope and I am grateful for the security and stability that now exists” said Annis. “I dream of an Afghanistan free of corruption and strife in which to have a family. By joining the army I am helping my country to achieve security. The wars have broken up my country’s political system and all we have is our tribal allegiances. Here in the new ANA we have to try and overcome our tribal prejudices and build a new nation based on good government and trust” 1WFR have been instrumental in developing the ANA. A strong ANA will be one of the pillars of the new Afghanistan and they can justifiably be proud of their considerable 'There are a number of ethnic groups in efforts, a long way from Nottinghamshire, Afghanistan and there are two languages in Derbyshire and Worcestershire. common use here at KMTC' explains Corporal Mark Trow who has arrived in Afghanistan fresh from his role as an instructor at the 5 Cpl Yves De Meester Cpl Deana Burwell Cpl Peter Szaniszlo IMP KAIA Clerk CA NCE Driver HU Contingent I have enjoyed working The culture and the This is a very in the multinational country are so interesting country environment different and so beautiful Thoughts from around ISAF....