Afghan Army ready for Op MOSHTARAK
9 Feb 10
Amongst the ISAF personnel helping to prepare Afghan National Army soldiers for Operation MOSHTARAK is Lieutenant Colonel Nick Ilic, the UK Leadership Training Team's Commanding Officer. He spoke to the media today about what role Afghan troops will play in the operation.
Afghan troops will be heavily involved in Operation MOSHTARAK
[Picture: Major Paul Smyth, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
The preparatory phases of Operation MOSHTARAK, which will involve thousands of ISAF and Afghan troops clearing parts of central Helmand of insurgents, is underway.
The major 'clearing' phase of the operation, yet to begin, will extend the authority and influence of the Afghan Government in central Helmand, removing the largest remaining safe havens in the area for the Taliban, insurgents and narco-criminals. It will also improve freedom of movement along key transport arteries, critical to the local economy.
The word 'moshtarak' means 'together' in Dari and Lieutenant Colonel Ilic, speaking to Sky News today from the main training centre for Afghan troops in Kabul, explained the extent of co-operation between forces the operation will involve. He said:
"I think this is probably the first opportunity on a scale that we probably haven't seen before that will see the Afghans fighting alongside coalition forces down in Helmand.
"This has been made possible by the fact that we've been literally generating an army in what can be described as an industrial scale to make sure that they have the right numbers on the ground, but of course, importantly, of the right quality to be able to take the fight to the enemy."
Explaining how the Afghan National Army's capabilities compare to their British and American partners, he continued:
Soldiers of six nations are involved in Operation MOSHTARAK
[Picture: Major Paul Smyth, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
"Ultimately, what we're not doing is training British soldiers; we're not creating a Rolls-Royce solution. What we're doing is creating Afghan soldiers who are better than the Taliban, and ultimately, over time, the quality and the quantity will make the difference.
"Currently we're disrupting the insurgency, we're forcing the Taliban out of the areas they'd previously controlled, expanding the areas of control under the government, and ultimately allowing us, therefore, to train more soldiers to take on the fight in other regions of Afghanistan. So the quality is making a huge difference."
In terms of Operation MOSHTARAK, he continued:
"This is a partnership; these are two organisations - the Afghan National Army and the coalition - fighting side-by-side to basically liberate more ground to allow the people of Afghanistan greater security and normality."
Asked whether there will be casualties on all sides, Lieutenant Colonel Ilic said:
"At the end of the day war is a bloody business. There will be casualties, but of course what we've ensured is that the quality of the soldiers in terms of training that we provide them has prepared them for what they can expect in combat.
"Quality has been increasing over time; I was in Helmand two weeks ago and the reports that we're getting is that over the last two months the quality has increased. And that is now making a difference, the Afghans are now in a position to partner with our forces in order to defeat the enemy and ultimately that is our aim."
Afghan troops are trained at the Military Training Centre in Kabul
[Picture: Major Paul Smyth, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Asked about the tactic of announcing the operation in advance, he said:
"Ultimately we're fighting a counter-insurgency and the important aspect of any counter-insurgency operation is to win over the people. It's not about defeating the Taliban in the field, it's basically ensuring the people are confident, that the Army of Afghanistan is capable to provide the protection that they're after.
"And so by informing people in advance of what's going on on the ground those people will see the force now massing against them and hopefully will turn them against the Taliban themselves and, in many respects, ultimately join the government forces."
Asked if this will give the Taliban time to prepare, Lieutenant Colonel Ilic said:
"We're confident that the quality of the soldiers that we're training alongside of our partners down south is of a standard that can defeat them in battle. And that's what we're making here: soldiers ... the Afghan National Army who are capable of taking on the Taliban, and defeating them in battle."
When asked about the timings for the operation, he added:
"Well, that's not for me to say. But whenever the operation starts we're confident that the Afghan National Army is up to the task; they're well-trained, well-equipped, and, more than anything else, motivated to get the job done."