NATO Hands Over Infantry Soldier Training to Afghan National Army
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Eric Lockwood NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Public Affairs
An audience of senior officers from both the Afghan National Army and Coalition forces attend a ceremony establishing the Mentor House Infantry School being handed back to the ANA, Dec. 31, at Camp Julian. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrea Salazar)
KABUL – After nearly two years of coalition command, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A) advisors held a ceremony Saturday to hand operational control of the Afghan Infantry Branch School (IBS) to the Afghan National Army (ANA) near Camp Julian in Kabul
The School graduates about 10,000 students per year to the ANA’s front line Kandaks and specializes in turning soldiers into heavy weapons specialists, as well as developing NCOs and officers.
Passing the IBS over to the ANA is a major achievement in the overall handover of training institutions to the Afghan forces.
“This is a very important milestone because the Infantry Branch School is the first institution in training that is being turned over to ANA leadership,” said British Lt. Col. James York, Senior Military Advisor to General Abdul Sabor at the IBS. “And as such they are leading the ANA in this process.”
NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan’s Deputy Commander Army British Brigadier Gen. James Stevenson passes the Mentor House Infantry School keys to Afghan National Army Senior Officer Col. Abdul Salur during a handover ceremony at Camp Julian, Dec. 31. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrea Salazar)
The advisors that make up the training advisory team hail mainly from the United Kingdom, but they also come from Australia, New Zealand, France, Mongolia and America. After this turnover, they will begin to assume a different role.
“[We’re] taking a step back,” said British Capt. Jamie Allen, who’s in charge of the NCO courses at IBS, “whereby we now move to the advisory role, where the Afghans are very capable of running and conducting their own training, and running their own organization, and we’re here now to provide the advice and small tweaks, should they ask us for that sort of assistance.”
According to Col. Adbul Sabor, Commander of IBS, this shifting of roles is exactly what senior Afghan officers want to see happen.
“We should have the Coalition Forces one step behind us now,” Sabor said. “And aim for three steps behind in the future.”
Two Afghan National Army infantry soldiers prepare to launch a mortar during a training demonstration at Camp Julian, Dec. 31. The demonstration was held to showcase the ANA’s abilities to be self-sufficient and take charge of the Mentor House Infantry School after 18 months of successful co-operation with the coalition advisory teams. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrea Salazar)
With this turnover, that vision is becoming a reality for the Afghan infantry, and the students that have graduated from the courses given at the IBS are consistently showing themselves able to take on the challenge.
“We’re looking to handover to these guys completely and let them lead the way,” said Allen. “From what I’ve seen in the last four months, they’re more than capable of doing that for themselves.”
After the ceremony, a live demonstration of the training provided at the school was given on the nearby training range to prove to ANA and coalition forces senior leadership their capabilities.
“[The Afghans] have a very strong will to succeed,” said York. “Led by Col Abdul Sabor, he instills an absolute sense of wishing to win and delivers good, quality training. You only have to be standing on this range when it’s about minus 10, with snow or possibly rain and to see those soldiers fighting up that hill—you realize that they do have a sense of will.”
Category: News - Afghan National Army, News - News
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