In the last part of her series MARY FITZGERALDvisits Irish troops serving with the Nato-led security mission in Kabul
THE FLAGS that ring the main offices of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in its heavily fortified Kabul headquarters are all at half mast to commemorate those who have most recently died while serving in Afghanistan. Among the dozens of flags is the Irish tricolour.
Isaf has been deployed since 2001 following UN Security Council resolutions mandating an international force to assist the Afghan government and its army in maintaining security in Kabul and its environs. After Nato took command of Isaf in 2003, the UN authorised Isaf to expand beyond Kabul.
Today the Isaf mission consists of 42 nations – the most recent to join was Bosnia-Herzegovina – of which more than 10 are non-Nato members like Ireland.
“It’s not just Nato here, it’s the international community,” says Cmdt Albert Cusack from Letterkenny, one of seven Defence Forces personnel currently serving with Isaf. “It’s a complete international community effort and I think that’s important to remember.”
Ireland has contributed seven Defence Forces personnel on a rotating basis to Isaf since July 2002. Troops serve a six-month tour of duty and to date 99 Irish soldiers have served in Afghanistan. All are based at Isaf headquarters in Kabul.
The most senior Irish officer in Isaf is a lieutenant-colonel who, along with a colleague also participating in Isaf, cannot be identified due to his work with the Defence Forces’ bomb disposal team.
Both work in Isaf’s counter-IED (improvised explosive device) unit. The lieutenant-colonel works in its operations section, where all IED incidents and insurgent tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs in military parlance) are monitored to identify developments, assess trends and develop TTPs to enhance force protection. “Ultimately we’re trying to prevent casualties,” he says.
His Defence Forces colleague is part of the team responsible for analysing technical information gleaned from the scene of an incident or from any IED recovered. Between January and March, some 1,200 devices were found and brought to Isaf HQ for examination.
“The switch to victim-operated devices [detonated unwittingly by a person or vehicle] has been huge, and the number of radio- or phone-operated devices is down,” he explains.
“Most devices are based on ammonium nitrate mixes. They are basic but effective. It is the ordinary people that take the major brunt.”
Cmdt Cusack works as a planner in Isaf’s strategic communications unit. “Our job is about winning the people over and getting the Isaf message out there,” he says.
Winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan can be difficult, Cmdt Cusack acknowledges, and the battle to counter insurgent propaganda is a constant one.
“What makes it more difficult for us is that the insurgents do not need to tell the truth. We have to be truthful, we have to be honest, and part of winning hearts and minds is ensuring we are first out with the truth.”
He admits the rate of civilian casualties has a huge impact on how Afghans perceive Isaf.
According to the UN, last year’s civilian death toll was the highest since 2001, with US, Isaf and Afghan forces responsible for almost 40 per cent of the 2,118 deaths recorded. Most of these were caused by air strikes, such as the one carried out by US forces in southwestern Afghanistan earlier this month which resulted in scores dead.
“Even one civilian casualty is too much . . . and there is a huge effort to minimise them,” Cmdt Cusack argues. “But when there are civilian casualties it is also very important to follow up, to be transparent . . . and make sure they are investigated fully.
“Nobody wants civilian casualties in any war, whether it’s Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else. It is right up there in terms of priorities – it has to be if we are to maintain the confidence and support of the people, because without those we are wasting our time.”
Fintan Lambe, a company sergeant from Galway, works in a four-person unit responsible for tracking civilian casualties. His colleagues include two civilian staff, one of them an Afghan national. “We track all civilian casualties to find out who exactly was responsible and we maintain a database of the numbers. It’s difficult because of the security threat and the way things are out there on the ground,” he says.
Cmdt Paul Logan from Athlone is deployed to the Isaf planning cell which deals with combined joint operations undertaken with the Afghan security forces. The cell also works on counter narcotics operations aimed at clearing areas of opium.
Like many Isaf officials, Cmdt Logan talks of the “nexus between the insurgency and drugs” but notes that efforts to persuade farmers to substitute poppy cultivation with other crops are succeeding. “I would stress that [counter narcotics] is an Afghan-led operation. Isaf is not dictating the pace here, we are backing up with expertise and enabling [Afghan security forces]. But it’s a law and order issue for the Afghan government to address,” he says.
Cmdt Logan praises the growing capability of the Afghan security forces in general as Isaf gradually transfers responsibility in certain areas. “There is continuing confidence that they can take hold of this and meet the challenges ahead,” he says.
Cmdt Noel Maher from Kilkenny works in theatre-force protection at Isaf HQ. “Basically that involves securing camps where troops are staying,” he says.
“We watch the trends, look at the security situations and then make improvements. We implement procedures, training, tactics – whatever helps in preventing people getting hurt. Our job is to look at the worst scenario and try to plan against that.”
He acknowledges the risks in Kabul are likely to increase in the run-up to August’s presidential elections. “We just do our best to mitigate it, but you can’t mitigate every risk.”
Jerry Kelly, a company sergeant from Carlow, works at Isaf’s joint operations centre monitoring events as they occur. “We piece information together to build up a picture which is then passed on up the line,” he says.
All seven believe this year will prove pivotal for Afghanistan, what with the arrival of more than 17,000 additional US troops in the coming months and the holding of presidential elections later in the year. “This is a year of opportunity more than anything else,” says Cmdt Cusack. “And I think it has the potential to be a very good year for Afghanistan.”
This series was supported with a grant from the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund run by Irish Aid; series concluded.
