Commandos' Afghan mission praised

THE efforts by the Royal Marines to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan have been praised by the Defence Secretary and First Sea Lord on a visit to Helmand.

Dr Liam Fox and Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope – plus his Army counterpart, Chief of the General Staff General Sir Peter Wall – spent two days in the Lashkar Gah area to see the progress made on the ground by British forces.

In particular, they witnessed the training being delivered by British personnel to thousands of Afghan soldiers and policemen, ahead of the first phase of the transition of authority to local forces later in the summer.

The VIPs visited the UK’s hub of operations at Camp Bastion, plus nearby Lashkar Gah and smaller, more remote Forward Operating Bases and Patrol Bases.

As well as seeing training in action, Dr Fox and the military chiefs had the opportunity to speak with members of the Afghan forces and their senior officers about their increasing capability and confidence as they prepare for a future with themselves in the security lead.

“I found what I saw on my visit to be extremely encouraging. We are well ahead of schedule for training up our target numbers of Afghan soldiers and police by the end of the year and, thanks to the outstanding mentoring being provided by British Armed Forces, the quality is improving all the time,” said Dr Fox.

“Of course, transition does not mean an early exit or early drawdown of UK forces. As Afghan capacity grows, the role of British and other international troops will evolve, moving from principally combat to training and support roles. But all the evidence on the ground suggests that by 2015 we will be in a position to conclude our combat mission.”

He, Admiral Stanhope and General Wall watched a security demonstration by Afghan Local Police – a volunteer part-time force who complement the Afghan Nation Police – and are currently being trained by green berets of 45 Commando plus the Royal Military Police.

The Defence Secretary also received detailed briefings on recent operations and progress of the overall campaign from the Commander of Task Force Helmand, 3 Cdo Bde’s Commanding Officer Brigadier Ed Davis, other headquarters staff and Battle Group commanders.

Admiral Stanhope took the opportunity of the visit to meet Royal Marines from 42 Commando based at Patrol Base Wahid, where he thanked the men for their recent efforts to clear former insurgent strongholds of the baleful influence of the Taleban.

“I am extremely proud of the contribution that Royal Marines have made to the improved security situation in central Helmand. They have made a great deal of sacrifice yet remain resolute and determined to continue their work to develop the ANA and ANP to enable them to take over security,” he added.

Before leaving Helmand, the party met members of Joint Force Support Afghanistan, the team responsible for the UK’s Camp Bastion. They visited the base’s hospital and spent time with injured service personnel, and thanked medical staff who work around the clock to treat those wounded in action.