Singapore nurtures Afghan success

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Brig. Gen. Aminullah Patyani, Commander of the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) accompanies Brig. Gen. Chan Wing Kai, Singapore Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations) as he signs the guest book at the Hall of Honor located during a Singaporean visit to KMTC near Kabul, Afghanistan, April 22.

After two days of visiting and touring the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC), Brig. Gen. Chan Wing Kai, Singapore Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), and his party graciously hosted a reception for their Coalition partners, inviting them to partake in Singaporean hospitality.

“We should always make time for reflection – to make new friends and be reacquainted with old ones,” said Brig. Gen. Chan Wing Kai. “This is a small gesture on our part to say thank you to our friends with the Coalition and to remind us all how important it is to work together. Only through our combined efforts can we expect to help improve the lives of the Afghan people.”

The evening was filled with conversation and authentic Singaporean food and networking. It is that same spirit of camaraderie that has helped make the NATO Training Mission, Afghanistan (NTM-A) such a success. With a total strength of 38 troop-contributing nations, including the Republic of Singapore, NTM-A has been able to help build the Afghan National Army (ANA) to an approximate 195,000-troop fighting force. Additionally, all of these soldiers possess a base level of literacy and an indoctrinated commitment to the ANA.

It was the stated intent of Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger, commander of NTM-A, to enable the Afghans to protect their own people by developing Afghan leadership and building enduring institutions. By 2014, Afghan national security forces will be capable of shouldering the responsibility for their own security and their local governance will be adequately developed to maintain self-sufficiency.

Tags: afghan national army, afghanistan, ANA, army, Feature, featured, independence, Kabul, Kabul Military Training Centre, KMTC, nato, nato training mission, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, NTM-A, soldier

Category: News - General