An Afghan police officer, mentored by the Coldstream Guards, leads a team out on patrol from Forward Operating Base Jackson near Sangin
[Picture: Steve Dock, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
Success for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan cannot be gained without the country's own forces leading the way.
That was the blunt assessment from all ranks of British personnel in Sangin and the feeling from the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Afghan National Army (ANA) is mutual - they openly admit that they want and need help to make their country a safer place.
High-ranking officials from both organisations emphasise that only a joint force of international soldiers and Afghan nationals would defeat the insurgency.
Sergeant Rohullah Abdullah, Second-in-Command of the ANP in Sangin, spoke of the vital relationship that has been forged with British soldiers working as police mentors:
"I have worked for three years in Sangin and in my opinion we are here to serve the people along with ISAF to make the environment safer," he said.
"When I first came here there was trouble in the bazaar - there was lots of fighting. Now there are no problems and people go shopping."
Sgt Abdullah, surrounded by proud members of his force, insisted mentors from the Coldstream Guards at Forward Operating Base Jackson were doing a lot to improve security:
"Our forces are working together and the police are getting better every day," he said.
"If we have any problems we talk with our mentors to gain advice and help.
"The locals are now aware that the ANP and ISAF want to serve the people and provide security."
The town of Sangin has become notorious for its sympathy towards the Taliban and civilians have struggled to escape the lure of money fuelled by corruption.
However, the police mentors are optimistic about the future because, with Afghan faces on patrol, locals are more inclined to consent to the operation and impart helpful information.
"The ANA are local sets of eyes and they get more information than us. They speak the language and, like our lads, they are not going in blind."
Warrant Officer Class 2 Chalky White
ANP mentor Sergeant Simon Thompson, Coldstream Guards, said:
"We are trying to build trust and work with them.
"Locals are starting to trust the ANP because they realise they are doing a good job.
"They are now approaching the ANP instead of us if they have problems, which is a step forward."
Sgt Abdullah agreed that the people of Sangin were turning their backs on the Taliban insurgency:
"Now the people are very happy with the Government and they are not happy with the insurgents or the drug dealers - they want our help."
The need to strengthen the Afghan presence on the ground was reiterated by soldiers mentoring the ANA.
Personnel from 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (2 YORKS) working in the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team were in no doubt that lives are being saved by the joint patrols.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Chalky White, A Company, 2 YORKS, said:
"When we have ANA with us the locals are more likely to tell us if there are IEDs present in the area.
"Without the ANA, the nationals are reluctant to come forward, even if we ask them if there has been Taliban activity."
In simple terms, in the minds of British soldiers, progress can only be gained by continuing to work alongside the Afghan forces as their link to the wider population:
"Sangin is an evil place and a lot of the area here is unknown territory," admitted WO2 White.
"The ANA are local sets of eyes and they get more information than us. They speak the language and, like our lads, they are not going in blind."
In further support of the strengthening bond between the British and Afghan forces, Lieutenant Said Akbar, one of 15 ANA Commanders throughout Afghanistan, explained the essential relationship:
"If ISAF wants to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban it can do it, but the ANA alone does not have the capability," he said.
This article is taken from the December 2009 edition of SOLDIER - Magazine of the British Army.