Common menu bar
Priority 1. Enable the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order.
Kandak Mentor Team 4 Reconnaissance Company
mentors Afghan National Police members at
Camp Hero on a live-fire exercise. The
Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams operate
with their Afghan counterparts to provide
training, mentorship and liaison services.
The Afghan National Security Forces include the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP). Advancing the capabilities of Afghanistan’s own security forces and progressively transferring responsibility for security to Afghanistan’s leadership are critical to the development of a more professional ANSF and the confidence of the Afghan people in these institutions. This underlines the importance of Canada’s current training mission, as well as future mentoring and training as part of Canada’s 2011-14 engagement in Afghanistan.
Canada’s 2011 objective for the Afghan National Army is that it will demonstrate an increased capacity to conduct operations and sustain a more secure environment in key districts of Kandahar, with support from ISAF allies.
The focus of ISAF and the ANSF in this quarter was to consolidate gains made throughout Afghanistan, particularly in the south, during the latter half of 2010. Coalition forces, including Canadian Forces, carried out a very successful clearing operation in the Horn of Panjwayi. Despite its pivotal strategic importance to the Taliban, insurgents were unable to defend their strongholds in western Panjwayi. These areas are now under the influence of the Government of Afghanistan for the first time since Afghan security forces were withdrawn in May 2009.
In this quarter, the ANA grew by 11,389 and remains ahead of schedule to attain its growth objective of 171,600 by October 2011; current strength is over 149,500. Leadership ranks grew by more than 1,200 officers and 3,790 non-commissioned officers—a reflection of ongoing efforts to address leadership shortfalls and other factors that contribute to ongoing attrition and retention problems.
While aggregate attrition has decreased for the ANA and ANP according to the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan, specific components of each organization are still at risk, such as the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP). It has been reported that the ANA and ANP lose 32 percent and 23 percent respectively of their personnel each year. Annualized attrition for ANCOP however has been estimated to be close to 35 percent. High operational tempo, attractive pay from private security companies, and an unpredictable force generation cycle represent some of the more significant reasons for relatively high attrition rates for ANCOP and the ANA.
Security operations continued throughout key districts in central Kandahar, increasing freedom of movement and perceptions of safety among Kandaharis. Despite a number of threat alerts in Kandahar City during Eid celebrations, there were no significant security events; the Security Ring Protection Force established around Kandahar City assisted in stemming the flow of insurgents into the district.
Security—particularly the perception of security—plays a critical enabling role for local governance. Polling suggests that perceptions of security among the people of Kandahar continue to grow. In this quarter, 65 percent of Kandaharis surveyed stated that they feel safe or very safe in their communities—a rise from 60 percent in August 2010, 40 percent in May 2010 and 34 percent in November 2009. This perception has contributed to the expansion of Canadian-supported Community Development Councils, including in areas where the security situation has improved.
Afghan National Police officers practise
their writing skills during literacy
training coordinated by the Kandahar
Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Improvements in security and efforts to improve governance in Kandahar City and surrounding key districts enabled a greater focus on establishing credible governance at the local level across Kandahar province. December alone saw larger numbers of elders participating in decision making in Panjwayi, a trend repeated in districts where security operations created the space necessary for good governance.
By the end of 2011, Canada expects that the ANP will be able to demonstrate an increased capacity to promote law and order in key districts of Kandahar, supported by justice and corrections officials. The ANP grew in this quarter by 6,297 to a total force of more than 116,800, and remains on track to meet its objective of 134,000 by October 2011. The ANP continued to professionally perform security and policing operations in Kandahar City; further, a stronger level of policing at the community level enabled greater freedom of movement for local residents.
Training of ANP officers remains a key element of this priority, and consequently of the advancement of security for governance institutions. As of December, five courses, which included an officers course, leadership and management courses, and basic criminal investigation courses, were running simultaneously at the Canadian-led Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) Training Centre, benefiting over 110 ANP as well as justice officials. In November, 27 ANP officers specially selected from Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces began a six-month officers course at the KPRT Training Centre. This is the first time the course has been offered outside of Kabul.
Six female ANP officers completed a security self-awareness workshop at the KPRT Training Centre; given its success, a second workshop is planned for 2011. In another milestone, Kandahar’s Provincial Chief of Police established an Afghan-led Training Assistance Team. Training conducted by Afghans promotes the sustainable capacity of the ANP; it also increases officer responsiveness and accountability to commanders.
In November, Canada funded a high-level civilian policing conference in Kabul, bringing practitioners and academics together to provide expert advice on best practices in civilian policing within conflict, post-conflict and developing nations. The conference assisted efforts of the Ministry of Interior to bring international expertise to the Afghan police reform process; it also assisted in building the analytical capacity of the Ministry’s policy unit.
In addition, Canada was nominated to co-chair the Institutional Reform Working Group, which included officials from the Ministry of Interior and members of the international community. This quarter, the working group made progress toward establishing a set of recommendations for institutional reform of the Ministry of Interior.
Canadian-supported training programs at Sarpoza Prison in Kandahar also continued in this quarter. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) delivered a master trainer program in addition to specialized crisis management training. Afghans continued to deliver basic training, with the CSC providing reduced on-site mentoring for trainers. This approach promotes the sustainable capacity of Afghanistan’s correctional service.
Canada’s successful “retention pay pilot project” significantly increased prison staffing levels; it will now conclude and be replaced by a donor-funded Afghan initiative to raise prison staff salaries to parity with ANP salaries. Canada continued to support infrastructure projects at Sarpoza Prison, with the goal of improving conditions of confinement so that the prison meets more international standards. In this quarter, the national security unit was upgraded and construction commenced on another building, to be used for vocational training.
Reforming the justice sector in Kandahar is a key factor in improving governance in the province. In this quarter, Canada achieved one of its justice targets through the completion of a series of training programs, including on fair trial standards and on leadership and management skills. In addition, there was substantial progress in the construction of accommodations for the Office of the Attorney General; the aim is to provide safe living and working conditions for Kandahar prosecutors, and support the recruitment and retention of skilled Afghans.
At the national level, a Canadian project at the Ministry of Justice enabled the launch of a new online legal database for Afghanistan. This initiative will facilitate legal research and improve legal awareness through easier access to legislation, court decisions and other documents. Training for researchers at the Legislative Drafting Unit continued, for the purpose of building skill sets in database management and research, and ensuring the longer-term sustainability of the database.
