Archived Document
Quarterly Report
Canadian Priorities: Making and Measuring Progress
Priority 1. Enable the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order.
Canada is:
- working with the ANSF in establishing security;
- training, mentoring and equipping the Afghan National Army and Police;
- building capacity in administration and logistical support; and
- contributing to a reformed justice and correctional system.
A primary function of ISAF is to assist the development of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) with training and other support. The ANSF are composed of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP).
In Kandahar, the capacity-building function in support of the ANA is led by the Canadian Forces under ISAF Command. As well, the Canadian Forces lead counter-insurgency and other security operations in Kandahar and protect governance and development activities in the province. About 2,500 Canadian Forces personnel are currently in Afghanistan, most in Kandahar. The main elements include a battle group of about 1,000 soldiers, Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) attached to the ANA, and units assigned to the Canadian-led Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.
A well-led, well-trained and well-equipped ANA is essential if the Afghan government is to exercise its sovereignty and maintain enough security to allow productive governance and development to proceed. OMLTs are a critical tool for preparing the ANA for that responsibility. The Canadian Forces are currently mentoring five ANA battalions (each comprising, in theory, about 650 soldiers) and one brigade headquarters, all in Kandahar. The current ANA complement in Kandahar is approximately 2,400 compared with just 600 in 2006. Nationally, the current ANA complement is approximately 50,000 compared with approximately 20,000 in 2006. Progress has been significant with considerable improvements in both numbers and quality, but challenges remain. ANA leadership, administration and logistical support are weak, and the numbers of ANA personnel made available for training tend to fluctuate with the seasons. Some ex-Soviet equipment will need to be replaced with NATO-standard material and weapons.
The Canadian Forces in Kandahar, working in close cooperation with the international community, are intensifying efforts to train and prepare the ANA to plan, execute and sustain independent operations by 2011. The recently announced U.S. deployment of 1,000 more troops to Kandahar by February 2009, and arrangements to acquire more helicopter-lift capacity and unmanned aerial vehicles, will strengthen the Canadian Forces’ capacity to pursue this objective while better protecting Canadian soldiers and civilians.
Still demanding is the establishment of an increasingly professional and effective ANP, which must be supported by sufficient justice and corrections capabilities in order to contribute to security and promote the rule of law. The ANP, at a minimum, must be able to recruit, train, retain, pay and equip its members. But the ANP faces sizable impediments, among them an insurgency that systematically targets police. The ANP has also displayed high rates of illiteracy, corruption and drug abuse within its ranks. For many Afghans, local police personify the government itself; police failures alienate communities from the government and hold back development progress.
More than 600 ANP members have been trained in Kandahar City in activities led by the RCMP, while a Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, led by the Canadian Forces, has improved the ANP’s ability to work and survive in outlying areas of Kandahar province. Major initiatives to support the ANP are also being organized by the United States and the European Union, in partnership with the Afghan government. We will continue to contribute to these efforts and intensify training of ANP members, assist in the development of security infrastructure and provide salary support.
Improving the institutional capacity and performance of the Afghan justice sector and correctional services, including prisons, is an important component of the security priority. Canada has been able to improve inmate care and the administration of prisons in Kandahar. More specifically, Canada has worked to ensure proper treatment of detainees transferred to Afghan authorities by the Canadian Forces, and we will continue our efforts in this area. In the justice sector, Canada has engaged judges, prosecutors and others in workshops and other training exercises. We are currently exploring new areas of programming, including additional support for training, salary support, and the provision of security for judges and prosecutors.
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.
- We will measure progress toward this objective using indicators such as the ANA’s success in securing and stabilizing key districts, its ability to conduct near-autonomous security operations and its maintenance of effective brigade strength.
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.
- We will measure progress toward this objective using indicators such as the ANP’s provision of effective police services with trained and paid officers in key districts, supported by a functioning court system and improved correctional facilities.
