Priorities
Priority 1. Enable the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order.
Building the capacity of the ANSF is an urgent necessity in order to create the security in Afghanistan that good governance and development require. ISAF (under the command of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and a separate U.S.-led security transition program are helping Afghans build that capacity.
The ANSF consist of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). InKandahar the Canadian Forces have primary responsibility for helping to build the capacity of the ANA, and provide support for capacity building in the ANP.
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.
Benchmarks for this objective are precise and consistent with ISAF training programs throughout Afghanistan.
One critical benchmark is the number of ANA battalions (called kandaks) capable of conducting near-autonomous security operations. Canadian soldiers are training and mentoring five ANA battalions and their brigade headquarters, and partnering with ANA units in security operations. The 2011 target is to have four of the five battalions and their headquarters fully capable of planning, executing and sustaining near-autonomous operations with some coalition support. Earlier in 2008, one battalion was assessed as fully capable—a notable first—and it has resumed operational status after a period of leave. (In the ANA system, battalions are categorized as operational, in training or on leave.)
Another ANA benchmark is the number of key districts where the ANA leads security operations. (Canada has identified six key districts in Kandahar for our civilian and military engagement.) Our 2011 target is to have the ANA responsible for security in three key districts. In June 2008, an ANA battalion held lead responsibility for security in one key district. Because the battalion went on leave during this quarter, the security lead in that district has reverted to the Canadian Forces until the ANA can reassume its leadership in the coming year.
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.
ANP reform has persistently lagged behind ANA improvement. Illiteracy, corruption, drug abuse, absenteeism and inadequate training have long undercut the ANP’s performance and reputation.
Police capacity building in Kandahar is organized in two principal international initiatives: the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led Focused District Development program. Canada contributes to both. During the past quarter Canada deployed seven more civilian police trainers to Afghanistan, bringing the total to 21 in Kabul and Kandahar. As well, the Canadian Forces had about 50 members training and mentoring the ANP in substations outside Kandahar City.
One of our progress indicators for ANP reform is the number of district ANP forces capable of planning, executing and sustaining near-autonomous operations. The 2011 target is to have 80 percent of ANP forces in key districts of Kandahar with that capability. In this quarter, two of 17 police units (12 percent) in six key districts were able to conduct near-autonomous operations with occasional assistance from police mentors.
The promotion of law and order demands a functioning court system with trained judges, competent prosecutors and defence lawyers, and a prison system where rights and the rule of law are respected. One of our benchmarks, in an array of improved justice- and correctional-sector capabilities, is the quality of detention facilities in Kandahar, including Sarpoza prison. The object is to improve inmate care and bring facilities closer to international standards. One 2011 target is to have all corrections officers and managers completing initial and advanced training programs. This quarter, 34 corrections officers (39 percent) had completed initial corrections training and two senior managers had taken part in management training.
The Sarpoza prison break was a setback to Kandahar’s security and to Canadian capacity-building work. Sarpoza is a central facility for law and order in Kandahar, and its vulnerability highlighted the urgency of improving the prison itself and the performance of its staff and management. Supported by Canada, repairs and improvements to the prison have begun and training is accelerating.
