3. COMISAF Foreword FOREWORD BY COMMANDER ISAF IX 4. Commander’s Intent HAVE YOU GOT A STORY? HAVE YOU LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICHARDS 5. Spanish history in Kabul GOT A CAMERA? Then you could be University one of the ISAF MIRROR journalists! Send your articles and photos about This is my first ISAF Mirror and comes just 6. Commander ISAF IX takes ISAF activities and, who knows, you the reins weeks into our tour in Afghanistan. As such, could could be in the next issue. I would like to pay tribute to ISAF VIII, under 8. UNAMA & ISAF run combined Lt Gen Mauro Del Vecchio, for their hard PRT training course ISAF MIRROR is a Public Information product. Articles, where possible, have work, for their successes and for setting the 10. Romanian Soldiers donation to been kept in their original form. Opinions conditions for ISAF IX and the expansion of Afghan children expressed are those of the writers and NATO’s presence in Afghanistan. 14. Powering TV Hill do not necessarily reflect official NATO, JFC HQ Brunssum or ISAF policy. Photo I have spent much of the first few weeks 15. Military March in Camp credits are given to the authors of the engaging with the Government of Afghanistan Warehouse submission, unless otherwise stated. and its Ministries. I have also spent time 16. Turkish Soldiers donation to Submissions can be e-mailed to: visiting RACs and PRTs throughout the country Afghan children pressoffi[email protected] in order to get a better feel for the situation in Afghanistan. Everywhere I have gone I have Articles should be in MS Word format 17. On Patrol with the ANP been impressed with the warm welcome (arial), photos should be at least 4.5cm 18. Ex-Commanders hand in their and 300 dpi resolution. ISAF MIRROR of the Afghans and the professionalism of weapons is published monthly and aims to be our soldiers. I am quite clear that there is 19. Foundations for a new beginning available by the first Friday of the month. an overwhelming majority of Afghans that want us here to support the development 20. Construction of Vehicle For more information please call the of Afghanistan after over 25 years of war, Maintenance Building in Farah. editor on HQ ISAF ext. 1230. and I am determined that they should be 21. Mujahedin Victory Day at rewarded with the peace and prosperity that Chaghcharan The electronic version of this magazine they deserve. It is only a small minority that the areas that the government’s writ runs and can be downloaded online at: stand in their way and we must ensure that to allow the international community to do 22. Spanish Minister of Defence Visits www.jfcbs.nato.int/ISAF PRT in Badghis province. they are not allowed to interfere as the future the things that the Afghan people really want, prosperity of the country depends on both a such as providing water, power and transport, 23. Civil - Military Operators Meeting secure and stable environment. to allow them to stand on their own feet as a proud and successful nation. NATO expansion is going to be one of the greatest challenges we shall face in our To finish, I would encourage you all to read tour. No one should be under any illusion my intent, which is on the next page. Read about our capability and determination to it carefully and understand it. It underpins all build successfully on the excellent work that we are doing here in Afghanistan; apply of the Coalition. Nor are we doing this in it appropriately, using your own initiative and isolation; it is very much done in partnership drive, and do not wait for detailed orders. In with the Afghan Army and Police. There will particular, get out and about; engage with be fighting, for which we are all trained and your Afghan and international partners and prepared. However, fighting is not the only actively develop your relationships and thus thing we shall be doing and, clearly, the less improve the sometimes poor coordination Managing Editor Editor Layout & Design Photography we have to do the better. We are there to do Lt Col Christopher Borneman Capt Lisa Tankaria-Clifford WO2 Simon Scott Sgt Frank Proctor between us all. Do not wait for the other Chief PIO Chief Internal Info Chief Photographer PIO Photographer much more and that is to expand and deepen person – lead the way! Front cover by: Sgt Frank Proctor Back cover by: Sgt Frank Proctor 2 ISAF MIRROR ISAF MIRROR 3 COMMANDER’S INTENT SPANISH HISTORY IN KABUL UNIVERSITY ISAF IX Maj José Manuel Esponera Román (SP Army) ISAF HQ CJ3/7 SO Targeting TSC. My guiding intent is, through our actions and a linked information operation firmly rooted in substance, to reinforce the people of Afghanistan’s belief that long-term peace and growing economic prosperity from A Spanish History course has started in Kabul which everyone can benefit is possible if they continue to give their government, and its international University as a collaboration between the partners, their support and encouragement. Spanish personnel posted in HQ ISAF and the Kabul University Spanish Language Department. ISAF, in partnership with the Government of Afghanistan (GOA) and the International Community, is to The course has been taught by Major Francisco think and plan for the long-term future of Afghanistan, seizing short-term opportunities as they occur but Yanez Giner from CJ9 branch. always in a way that is in step with the long-term vision for the country. We are to focus on action that actively assists the GOA in nurturing and further developing the consent of the people to the GOA (our Recognising Major Giner’s previous experience centre of gravity) and its international partners, not least NATO. Respect for the people of Afghanistan as a former lecturer in the Spanish Military and their faith is to be central to all we do. Academy and his History degree from Zaragoza University, D. M. Kabir Nezami, department chief, Within this framework, ISAF will: plays a very important role in improving Afghan accepted with great pleasure the offer by Major Society and in moving forward from the long a. In step with GOA’s National Development Strategy, concentrate on those activities that Giner to give Spanish History lessons to the two period of wars and conflict. will most clearly and quickly assist the GOA in its drive to establish the sustainable economic last courses of students. growth on which the future of the country depends. Some examples of this approach include: The collaboration by the Spanish Contingent The lessons introduce the university students in Kabul with the University stopped when the (1) Helping ensure the security of mineral resources, border crossing points, and the to Spanish culture. The students were all very Spanish Contingent deployed to the northwest transport network, water and power supplies. interested in the lessons and were interactive provinces. When Spanish personnel were with the lecturer and asked several questions. commissioned into HQ ISAF the collaboration was (2) Supporting the GOA in the development and prosecution of its Counter Narcotics The other teachers of the department praised the re-established. It is important for the collaboration (CN) campaign. initiative. It is very important to have a Spanish to continue in the future with personnel specialising teacher in the department to help the students to in different areas. (3) Assisting in the GOA’s economic and human resource development strategy so perfect the language and to understand Spanish as to enable Afghanistan to become increasingly self-sufficient. history from a native point of view. It is very important to highlight the female presence in the University, as it contributes to the sense of Kabul University has been highly b. Work to resolve conflict and reduce tension within Afghanistan, focusing on the holistic normality. The lack of women wearing burkas is regarded in Spanish affairs, but with the defeat of the residual insurgency threat to the country. Supporting and helping to train the Afghan another important aspect. It is significant that the Taliban regime some departments were National Security Forces (ANSF) to a standard that will enable them in time to assume full number of students joining the Spanish Language closed, including the Spanish Language responsibility for the internal and external security of the country will be critical to success. Department of the University has grown to forty- Department. Nowadays the University five this year. ISAF is to be prepared to respond positively to requests to help the GOA and International Agencies (IA) with its guidance, advice and coordinating skills as required, in order to assist actively in the achievement of these aims. My Main Effort is to extend and deepen the areas in which the GOA and IAs/NGOs can safely operate in the interests of the people of Afghanistan, enabling the ANSF increasingly to take the lead in achieving this aim. In this way too I will seize the initiative against those who oppose the GOA through violent means, by using appropriate and well considered measures - including the robust use of force should it be necessary - at times and in places of my choosing thereby forcing them to respond to my design. 4 ISAF MIRROR ISAF MIRROR 5 COMMANDER ISAF IX TAKES THE REINS “ISAF’s composition and the way we are organized makes us completely capable of S/Sgt Brian Lamar (US Army) accomplishing this mission and more so. HQ ISAF PIO ISAF IX went through a very difficult training regime and identified where we need to gain in capability.