Priority 1. Enable the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order.

The ANSF includes the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. The security required for good governance and sustained development demands that both be strengthened into effective forces. This task is being undertaken for the ANA in Kandahar primarily by the Canadian Forces, which are responsible for training and mentoring five of the six battalions (called kandaks) in the province and their Brigade Headquarters. Capacity building for the ANP in Kandahar is shared by Canadian civilian police and U.S. partners, supported by the Canadian Forces.

Canadian Objective for 2011 (ANA): By 2011, we expect that the ANA in Kandahar will demonstrate an increased capacity to conduct operations and sustain a more secure environment in key districts of Kandahar, with support from ISAF allies.

In Kandahar, Canadian Forces mentored the ANA, who assisted in providing security throughout the election period. Ensuring sufficient security at polling centres on the actual voting day was widely seen as a crucial test for the ANSF. Despite heightened insurgent activity in the lead up to, and conduct of, the elections, the security efforts led and executed by the ANA, combined with support to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in security and transporting elections’ material throughout the province, allowed polling centres to open and operate in all but two of the province’s 17 districts. In Kandahar City and nearby villages the Afghan forces prevailed in every one of the more than 40 encounters with armed insurgents.

Continuing a trend that began last quarter, the ANA exceeded the 2011 targets by shouldering a greater responsibility for security in Kandahar City and its populated approaches, executing 80 percent of security operations on their own and leading more than 70 percent. Significant amounts of narcotics and explosives continue to be seized in operations now routinely planned and carried out by the ANA, ANP and other Afghan agencies with support from the Canadian Forces.

Canadian Objective for 2011 (ANP): By 2011, we expect that the ANP will demonstrate an increased capacity to promote law and order in key districts of Kandahar, supported by justice-sector and corrections capabilities.

To achieve transformation of the rule-of-law system in Kandahar, Canada is pursuing lasting improvements in three interlocking sectors—police, the justice system and corrections. Sustainable progress in all three faces significant obstacles. The ANP suffers from frequent incidents of corruption, extortion and drug abuse; as well, poor pay, substandard equipment and targeted violence from insurgents hamper recruitment and retention and sap morale. Advancing the professionalism of the ANP suffered a setback in the current quarter after the Kandahar City chief of police and other senior officers died in a firefight on June 30, 2009. Yet in the face of these challenges, the ANP performed well in providing security at polling centres and assisting the IEC in moving and securing elections’ material.

Mentoring and training are central to Canada’s efforts in promoting the rule of law. During the quarter, Canadian civilian and military police in Kandahar City provided basic training for 679 ANP officers in preparation for the election. The arrival of the U.S. 97th Military Police battalion has also increased the availability of mentors to support the ANP. In the corrections sector, training began for a new group of women officers who guard female inmates at Kandahar City’s Sarpoza prison. As well, effectively tracking and managing criminal cases are essential to the smooth running of any justice system, which is why Canada provided training in computer use and case management for the ANP Prosecutor’s Office.