New Order
If today the foreigners desert Afghanistan... then it will be seen for how many days the national army of Mr. Karzai will resist?...Nothing will remain stable even for a week
Mohammad Qasim Fahim, former Afghan Defence Minister
Royal Military Police and ANP. Crown Copyright
At the end of 2001 the United Nations-backed International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was set up to support a temporary Afghan government. The main role of this North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led force was to establish and maintain security in and around the capital, Kabul. The ultimate goal of this intervention is to allow Afghanistan to develop into a peaceful and self-dependent democracy and return to the international fold after years of conflict and isolation.
British forces were involved in the training of Afghan army units at an early stage. The Afghan National Army (ANA) and Police (ANP) are being reformed with ethnic balance, professionalism and accountability as key performance indicators.
ANA weapons training, 2006
Reconstruction and Reform
In 2003 the UK’s role developed with the creation of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in the north of Afghanistan. By March 2004 around 1,000 British troops were in country and the UK provided the bulk of a Quick Reaction Force based at Mazar-e-Sharif. The PRT model was adopted by Coalition forces in the north and west, extending the control of the provisional government in Kabul. A Presidential election was held in October 2004, followed by an election for the new Afghan Parliament in 2005.
British soldier on foot patrol
In early 2006 much of Afghanistan was relatively stable. Many armed groups had been disbanded and thousands of weapons and large amounts of ammunition had been removed from circulation.
Refugees returned to peaceful areas and despite their novelty, elections saw high turnouts of voters. Social reform, particularly women’s rights, and the distribution of aid remain controversial issues in Afghanistan today.
