Panetta Provides Personal Account of Recent Trip

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2012 – As has been his custom for all of his foreign travels, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today provided a personal account of his trip last week to Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Here is the secretary’s report:

I’ve recently returned from my seventh international trip, and my third trip to Afghanistan as Secretary of Defense. As I always do upon returning from international travel, I wanted to share some observations and reflections on the trip directly with you, the men and women of the Department of Defense.

My first stop was Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, which is also host to the International Transit Center at Manas. The visit to Bishkek gave me the chance to meet with Kyrgyz leaders for the first time, and my goal was to affirm our relationship and thank them for their support of the Manas Transit Center. That transit center is critical to sustaining our efforts in Afghanistan, and provides us with the ability to move personnel in and out of the war zone, to execute aerial refueling sorties, and to transport air cargo in and out of theater.

Kyrgyzstan and its Central Asian neighbors serve as key links in the logistical supply lines into Afghanistan known as the Northern Distribution Network, which has proven extremely important in recent months. For me the visit underscored that the United States shares a number of important interests with our Central Asian partners, chief among them a secure and stable Afghanistan so that the broader region can be peaceful and benefit from expanded trade and development.

We had dinner at a local restaurant and stayed at a hotel in downtown Bishkek. The next morning, I was able to greet American troops at the Transit Center who were waiting for flights home or into Afghanistan. As I met with each of them individually, I was on the lookout for anyone bound for California and managed to greet a few from my home state. I was energized to meet doctors and nurses who had volunteered for service at the war front. I thanked all of the men and women I met for their dedication and sacrifice to their missions. Each received Secretary of Defense coins in recognition of their excellence while serving our nation in uniform.

I departed Kyrgyzstan from Manas in a C-17, traveling onward to Southwest Afghanistan, where I landed at Camp Bastion Airfield in Helmand Province. My trip to Afghanistan took place against the backdrop of a series of challenges that have tested our relationship with our Afghan partners as well as our resolve to focus on achieving the mission there. An unfortunate incident at the airfield as I landed only served to heighten tensions but as I told the press, this is a war zone and it is important to keep our eye on the mission.

We are making strong progress in our military campaign by reducing violence and continuing a process of transitioning security responsibility to Afghan lead. Enemy-initiated attacks in Afghanistan in early 2012 are down about 24 percent compared to last year, and half of the Afghan population now lives in areas that are transitioning to Afghan-led security control.

My basic message to U.S. and coalition troops and to our Afghan partners was that we all needed to stay focused on our fundamental mission to ensure not only that we defeat al-Qaida and their militant allies, but that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists to conduct attacks on the United States or our allies. To do that we must support efforts that will enable Afghanistan to secure and govern itself.

After a short ride over to adjoining Camp Leatherneck, I was honored to meet with several Afghan provincial government leaders, including the Governor of Helmand, as well as commanders from the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. I told Governor Mangal that on my way from the United States to Afghanistan I had been reading more about the rich history of Afghanistan. I said that I appreciated how in many ways the history of Afghanistan is the story of leaders seeking peace and stability in the face of conflict.

At the same meeting I also heard from Major General Malouk who commands the Afghan National Army 215th Corps in Helmand province. He told me his men know how to fight and are willing to take risks against the enemy, but that they also continue to need help from the international community as they mature into a professional force. I assured him that the U.S. is committed to assisting him and his units as we work together toward transitioning security responsibility to them. I came away from this discussion encouraged that Afghan forces are truly taking charge of operations and leading them in this part of the country, and that Afghanistan has brave leaders who are determined to build a better future for their country.

After meeting with these local Afghan officials and military commanders, I had the opportunity to address U.S. Marines, and other ISAF and Afghan troops. I emphasized my message to focus on the mission even in the face of challenges. As these troops know well, we have been tested, time and time again, over a decade of war. That’s the nature of war: to confront every obstacle, to face every barrier, to fight through every challenge in order to accomplish a mission. It is important that all of us -- the United States, Afghanistan, the ISAF forces -- all stick to the strategy that we’ve laid out.

It was an honor to meet with this motivated group of Marines, Afghan, and international troops, for it’s their dedication that offers the chance at a better life for us and our children, and for the Afghan people and their children as well.

We then boarded an MV-22 Osprey and flew from Camp Leatherneck to Forward Operating Base Shukvani, the remote and dusty operating location for the Georgian 31st Battalion and their U.S. Marine Corps partners.

At FOB Shukvani, I thanked the Georgian troops for their important contributions to the campaign, and read them a letter from their former commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Alex Tugushi, who was grievously injured during operations in December 2011. In the letter Lt. Col. Tugushi called the troops “Georgian heroes” and said it was a great honor for Georgian troops to partner with American and international troops in Afghanistan. I told the Georgian troops that Lt. Col. Tugushi’s letter reflected my feelings exactly: the U.S. is privileged to stand together with Georgia.

That afternoon, we flew to Kabul for meetings that night with my friends and colleagues Minister of Defense Wardak and Minister of Interior Mohammadi. The focus of our discussion was on the progress being made by the Afghan National Security Forces. Minister Wardak hosted me at the ministry for a traditional Afghan meal, and I was grateful for his hospitality. Both of my meetings with the ministers went very well, reaffirming our shared commitment to the mission, progress in achieving greater security in Afghanistan, and the continued development of Afghan security forces.

The following morning I met with President Karzai at his palace. President Karzai and I have met several times over the years, and I told him that we seem to get tested almost every other day by incidents that challenge our leadership and our commitment to our shared goals. I know that tragedies like the incident in Kandahar weigh heavily on President Karzai’s heart and create problems for him as the leader and the protector of the Afghan people. They weigh heavily on all of us. That’s why I told him that we are sparing no effort to hold those responsible accountable and to make sure this does not happen again.

Still, our discussion largely focused on the future as the United States and Afghanistan seek to build an enduring partnership. We have made significant progress on reaching this kind of agreement, and were recently able to sign an MOU with Afghanistan that establishes a way forward to transferring detention operations to Afghanistan. In spite of recent challenges, I am confident that we will reach an agreement with President Karzai on a strategic partnership.

After finishing this meeting and heading to the Kabul Airport, I reflected on the fact that in past trips to Afghanistan, whether as CIA Director or Secretary of Defense, I was invariably concerned about the differences with regards to the strategy ahead and how to try to get better agreement on how we would proceed in the future.

In this trip, everyone I talked to absolutely agreed with the strategy that NATO nations and the Afghan government have laid out: to support an Afghan-led transition process leading to Afghan responsibility for security across the country by the end of 2014. As the Afghans increasingly take on leadership through the transition process, we expect ISAF to shift naturally in 2013 from a primarily combat to a primarily support role, while remaining fully combat capable. At the same time, we will continue to talk about the kind of post-2014 presence we need to maintain. Everybody is absolutely committed to this strategy.

There is no doubt that the Afghan people are tired of war. They’ve suffered through years of conflict, and they’re hoping for peace and the opportunity to raise their families so that hopefully their children will have a better life. The American people share some of that tiredness after 10 years of war as well, and all of that’s understandable.

But I think the American people also understand that we came here with a mission to accomplish. The mission was to make sure that those that attacked our country on 9/11 will never be able to use Afghanistan as a base to do that again and that Afghanistan needs to be able to govern and secure itself. That’s our mission, that’s our goal, and we have never been closer to accomplishing that.

From Afghanistan I continued on to the United Arab Emirates, which is a very important partner in the Middle East. The U.S. continues to work closely with our Emirati partners, including the missions in Libya and working with the international community on Syria, as well. I had good discussions with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed about regional issues and also the importance of our relationship with the UAE, particularly at this point in time.

As I headed home from this trip, I reflected on the fact that our troops are heroes and patriots, and that we can never forget your sacrifices. Those of you in uniform are doing the job of trying to protect this country, and doing it magnificently with courage and with dedication. Your skill and mission focus have always been the key to our ability to overcome any challenge -- and that enables all of us to pursue that fundamental American dream of giving our children a better life.

Panetta Visits, Commends Georgian Troops in Afghanistan

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

COMBAT OUTPOST SHUKVANI, Afghanistan  – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta visited the Georgian 31st Battalion here Wednesday and read troops a letter from their former commander, who was wounded and is undergoing treatment in the United States.

“I wanted to come here and thank you for your sacrifices,” the secretary said.

Georgia has contributed troops to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force mission since 2004 and currently has more than 900 service members in Afghanistan, mostly in Regional Command Capital and Regional Command South.

In all, 15 Georgian troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

The battalion works with the U.S. Marines in Helmand province, and their combat outpost is located alongside Camp Leatherneck. Georgian Lt. Col. Alex Tugushi commanded the battalion, and led the unit in Afghanistan from its deployment in October until a roadside bomb wounded him in December.

Tugushi lost both legs, but is recuperating at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where President Barack Obama visited last week.

The secretary read a letter he said Tugushi had given him for the battalion. Dated March 12, the letter read, in part: “It has been an honor to serve with you. You are Georgian heroes. … The Armed Forces of Georgia, serving together with international forces in Afghanistan, are making a large contribution.

“It is a great honor to serve shoulder to shoulder with the United States in one of the most troubled regions of Afghanistan,” the letter continued.

“Unfortunately, I could not complete my service with you. But I am proud of all of you -- those who have fallen and those who continue to serve. You are all heroes who will go down in Georgian history.”

When the secretary finished reading the letter, he said it expressed his own feelings about the accomplishments of Georgian troops over the past eight years as part of the 50-nation coalition.

“You are an example of that international partnership, fighting for stability in Afghanistan,” Panetta said.

Noting the Georgian plan to add another 700 soldiers this year to the nearly 1,000 already deployed, Panetta said, “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your service to your country and to Afghanistan.”

Marine Corps Capt. David Blossom, an intelligence officer with the Georgia liaison team here, said the 31st Battalion moved from a training role to a partnered role with Marines about three weeks ago.

“They are responsible for a portion of battle space within our battalion battle space,” Blossom said.

The liaison team consists of nine Marines, specializing in intelligence, logistics, communications, medical care, operations, and command and control, he said.

The team is “embedded” with the Georgian battalion, and went through predeployment training in Georgia beginning last July. The team deployed with the battalion in October, and will redeploy with the Georgians when they finish their rotation in June, Blossom said.

The two biggest challenges the liaison team and the Georgians face in their day-to-day work together are the language barrier and continually improving their understanding and application of counterinsurgency principles, which is an ongoing process for all forces in Afghanistan, the captain said.

"Their military has made great strides forward in the past two decades, especially with the experience and training they've gained working alongside U.S. Marines in Afghanistan," he said. "And they continue to improve and adapt in a complex and challenging environment."

Blossom said he believes the liaison team model “definitely” offers the best approach to successful multinational military partnering. “They need us … not just teaching and explaining, but actually showing and working with them,” he said.

Panetta Offers Condolences for Georgian Soldiers

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today called Georgian Defense Minister Bachana Akhalaia to express his condolences for the Feb. 21 deaths of three Georgian soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province.

The secretary thanked his Georgian counterpart for his country’s continued support to the International Security Assistance Force mission, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said. Panetta also praised the exceptional performance of Georgian soldiers serving in Afghanistan, he added.

Helmand province is located within ISAF’s Regional Command Southwest. NATO officials said Georgia has contributed ISAF troops since 2004 and currently has 935 service members in Afghanistan, mostly in Regional Command Capital and Regional Command South.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in November during a visit to Georgia's capital of Tbilisi that Georgia is "on the right track" to full membership in the alliance.

In all, 15 Georgian troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

Commander Outlines Situation in Southwest Afghanistan

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2011 – Key areas in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Nimroz provinces are likely candidates for the second or third rounds of transition to Afghan security, the U.S. commander there said today.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. John A. Toolan Jr., commander of Regional Command Southwest, briefed Pentagon reporters by video uplink from his Helmand province headquarters at Camp Leatherneck.

Helmand’s capital of Lashkar Gah is designated as one of the first to transition in July, and security efforts in districts including Reg-e Khan Neshin, Garmshir, Nawa and Marjah have been a “tremendous success” over the past two years, he said.

“Many of those districts will be identified for transition in lead security in either the next tranche or the following tranche,” the commander said, noting the next rounds of security transition lead will likely be in January or February and July of 2012.

Toolan took command in March of a force that includes 30,000 service members from the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, Denmark, the Republic of Georgia, Bahrain and Tonga. Coalition forces in the two provinces are partnered with the Afghan army’s 215th Corps.

The year’s poppy and wheat harvests are complete and the fighting season is now under way in his area, Toolan said. He added that his objective over the next six months is to “deepen the hold” coalition and Afghan forces have established in the central Helmand River Valley.

“We need to thicken our hold in some places, mostly in the north,” the general said.

Troop operations over the summer and into the fall will focus on strengthening security in the upper Sangin and upper Goresh Valleys, Toolan said, as well as in the area around the Kajaki Dam, which supplies power and irrigation to districts farther south.

Toolan cited reducing funding for insurgent activity in the south as a major accomplishment in the region.

“We’ve been able to do that by attacking the narcotics nexus,” he said, “that combination of Taliban insurgent and narcotics producer.”

Since April, coalition and Afghan forces have seized some 30,000 tons of poppies, with an estimated market value of $65 million, he said.

While some estimates put 30,000 tons as only 2 percent of the total harvest, the general said, “We can tell just by intelligence gathering that it’s had a significant impact, particularly in the south.”

Toolan said security transition around Lashkar Gah is going well, but he expects insurgents to attack the area and try to reduce the local population’s confidence in the government.

“I think we have a pretty good plan in place,” he said. “We won’t let the transition in Lashkar Gah fail.”

As security transition efforts move ahead in Helmand and Nimroz, Toolan said, one key issue will be progress among the Afghan police, who will be responsible for protecting the population and securing justice.

“There are some things, some perceptions that need to be overcome with the police,” he said. “But we see progress.”

Toolan said the security transfer in Lashkar Gah will involve building more checkpoints around the city by January. Those checkpoints will be manned by Afghan army troops, and gradually taken over by police forces. Eventually, he said, the police will phase back from the checkpoints into local precincts.

“That’s going to take time, and I would suspect that the full transition … will probably take a good year, year-and-a-half,” the general said.

The projected total end strength for Afghan army and police forces this year is 352,000, he said, and the army is “moving along incredibly well.”

“The majority of them … are operating at pretty good capacity,” Toolan said. “They’re well trained; they generally have a second-grade reading level, and they’ve got some good leadership development going.”

The general said over the next year and through 2014, when Afghan forces are set to assume security responsibility throughout the country, coalition combat troops need to assume a more advisory role to ensure their Afghan counterparts gain the experience they need.

While progress in Afghanistan has often been called fragile and reversible, Toolan said, “I think what we really mean is that the local nationals can easily be intimidated by insurgents moving into their areas.”

The Afghan local police program recruits young men, approved by and often related to their tribal elders, to help protect their own villages from insurgent intimidation, he said.

“But if they’re not able to stand up, or if they are co-opted by the insurgents, then that fragility … occurs,” he said. “It becomes a problem, then, to get back into the villages and try to re-establish a secure environment.”

The most-difficult challenge is convincing the people they can stand up to insurgents, Toolan said.

The Afghan central government has a vital responsibility to strengthen its effectiveness at the village, district and provincial levels, he said.

Helmand’s governor and district councils are working effectively with coalition forces, the U.S. commander said.

“The real challenge will come as more and more is turned over to the national government,” Toolan said. “[Direction] has to be fed through the national government down through the various ministry pipelines.”

Toolan said civilian mentorship from the British-led provincial reconstruction team, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development are crucial to developing Afghan governmental capacity.

“The provincial reconstruction team, with augmentation from [coalition forces], is about 200 people,” he said. “The regional platform, which is our State Department-run organization, is currently about 35 people but is going to increase … to about 75 or 80.”

As more civilians join the effort, Toolan said, it’s vital to bring in people with the right skills: those who can mentor Afghan agricultural experts, engineers and financiers.

“That’s how I think we’ll make greater progress,” he said. “My hope is that, on the civilian surge side, is that we bring in those aggressive, hungry, talented people who will drive that mentoring and advising role with the Afghans.”

Face of Defense: Marine Survives IED Blasts

By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryan Nygaard

2nd Marine Expeditionary Force

COMBAT OUTPOST SHUKVANI, Afghanistan, June 7, 2011 – Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Armstrong’s fellow Marines call him “Rock,” and the name fits him well. The Corinth, N.Y., native has survived two roadside bomb blasts. He is still in the fight and shows no signs of stopping.

But the memory of the first explosion will always be engraved in his mind.

On Dec. 10, 2010, Armstrong, a forward observer with Fire Control Team 5, Supporting Arms Liaison Team Chuck, 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, was on a patrol with soldiers of the 32nd Georgian Light Infantry Battalion. He was accompanied by his team chief, Marine Corps Sgt. Jamie Lee Lantgen, and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Greg Christ, a hospitalman.

Also present was Marine Corps Cpl. Alex Wilson, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, who was attached to the Georgian liaison team, and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Stacy Green, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, who was working with the Afghan National Army embedded training team.

The patrol members were aboard four mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, and they were driving through the village of Corgulat in mid-afternoon. They then spotted something suspicious on the road: three rocks stacked on top of each other. It was a sign of a possible roadside bomb.

The patrol stopped, set up a perimeter around the area and called in an explosive ordnance disposal team to investigate.

“It’s TIC time!” yelled Lantgen, using the battlefield acronym for “troops in contact.”

The Marines and Georgian soldiers had learned to expect contact with insurgent forces during that time of day. Minutes later, the patrol started taking fire.

Marine Corps Sgt. Christopher Holm, the team leader for Fire Control Team 6, was on an observation post and saw the patrol taking fire from the east. He radioed the Marines and told them to take cover on the western side of the vehicles.

“I just turned the corner, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground,” Armstrong said about being thrown from the explosive blast. “My initial thought was that I had been hit by [a rocket-propelled grenade]. I felt pain in my right arm. First thing I did was wiggle my fingers and toes to make sure they were still there.”

Green was killed instantly from stepping on the roadside bomb. Lantgen was standing between Green and Armstrong. His right arm was broken, and the right side of his face and body was covered in blood from shrapnel wounds. Armstrong was shielded from the blast by Lantgen, and absorbed only about 10 pieces of small shrapnel around his neck, and his elbow was swollen from a piece of Green’s gear that hit him on the arm.

Christ was knocked unconscious, but moments later woke up and immediately began administering medical aid to Lantgen.

The firing stopped as soon as the improvised explosive device detonated. Armstrong tried getting up. He said it was comparable to the opening scene of the movie “Saving Private Ryan,” in which Tom Hanks’ character, Captain Miller, experiences shellshock just as he lands on Omaha Beach.

“I was messed up bad -- I had tunnel vision. I couldn’t really hear anything. I was shaking,” Armstrong said. “I saw doc working on Sergeant Lantgen. Then I saw Staff Sergeant Green’s body. I didn’t know it was him at the time. I asked Wilson if it was one of our guys. He grabbed me, told me not to worry about it and pulled me away from him.”

Everyone was in a somber mood when Armstrong returned to base. Green had been killed, and Lantgen, a valuable member of the team who everyone looked up to, was lost to injury. Lantgen, a veteran of Iraq, was known to deliberately expose himself to draw enemy fire so the rest of his team knew where to aim.

“IEDs don’t see your rank or what you’ve accomplished -- they just see a victim,” Armstrong said.

Marine Corps Cpl. Matthew Williams, a radio operator with Fire Control Team 5, remembers seeing Armstrong for the first time that night.

“His face told the whole story,” said Williams, a native of Temple, Texas. “You could tell he’d been through hell. The first thing he said when he got back was, ‘I don’t want to go back to [Camp] Leatherneck.’”

Weeks later, during another patrol, Armstrong was within 20 meters of another blast. Nobody was killed, but Armstrong had been exposed to a second roadside bomb. It is policy in Afghanistan for troops to remain on a forward operating base if they are exposed to three IEDs.

Marine Corps Capt. Ramon Pattugalan, the team leader for Fire Control Teams 5 and 6, did not want to risk having Armstrong confined to Camp Leatherneck.

“It was tough to see that look on his face when I told him he couldn’t go out anymore,” Pattugalan said. “He’s a true team player. He’s the type of guy that doesn’t want us to go into the fight without him.”

Armstrong begged Pattugalan to let him stay in the fight. Pattugalan told him that he did not need to worry -- he had a plan.

Pattugalan, who serves as the joint terminal attack controller for Fire Control Team 6 and coordinates close air support for the Georgian troops, has mentored Armstrong into becoming a joint forward observer.

“He helped me learn how to control aircraft,” Armstrong said. “That way I can go to Joint Forward Observer’s Course when we get back to the States. Eventually, I can be a team chief.”

Even though Armstrong is not allowed to go out on patrols, he has been designated as a primary machine gunner and is able to provide overwatch from observation posts around the base. He said it is a welcome break from being inside the combat operations center.

“I still get to bring out the [M240 medium machine gun] and I still get to get in on the action,” he said. “I don’t like being in the COC watching things happen on a TV. I’m just not really an office type of guy.”

Division Commander Reflects on Afghanistan Tour

By Jian DeLeon

Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2011 – When Operation Moshtarak in Marja, Afghanistan, was not meeting its security and development goals according to plan, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills was brought in to help in moving the situation along.

Mills served as commander of the International Security Assistance Force’s Regional Command Southwest in Afghanistan from April 2010 until last month. He now serves as the commanding officer of 1st Marine Division.

During his tenure, Mills kept intense pressure on insurgents while nurturing close working relationships with Afghan allies in Helmand and Nimruz provinces, ensuring their involvement and commitment in developing national security.

“The year that we were there, I think we saw a remarkable change in the situation on the ground,” Mills said during a “DOD Live” bloggers roundtable yesterday. “I inherited a situation that was improving every day.”

Mills’ eclectic command was made up mainly of British forces, with support from forces from Georgia, Estonia, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Tonga.

“During the year that we were there, I saw a remarkable increase in the capability and confidence of the Afghan security forces -- both the police and the army -- and when we left, the Afghan army forces were about three brigades, all capable of semi-independent operation,” Mills said.

Among the successes of Operation Moshtarak were the force’s victories against insurgent operations, pushing them back and separating them from society to lessen their influence on the population and empower the burgeoning security force.

“Highlights of our time over there were the culmination of the battle of Marja, the battle of Sangin, and several other fights that took place along the Helmand River to push the insurgents away from the final areas they occupied [and to] separate them from the population and reduce the impact that they would have,” he said.

The victory at Marja was important for several reasons, Mills explained. From a psychological standpoint, it is Helmand’s provincial capital, so holding the city meant the insurgents had less of an influence on the Pashtu community and general population. It also served as a great resource of funding the insurgency, as Marja sits in an area with a high volume of drug production.

By targeting areas where drug production was taking place, Mills said, his forces slowly but successfully pushed insurgents out of downtown Marja and took the fight to the enemy, building on momentum and turning the tide of battle by getting the insurgents on the defensive. They also worked with local elders to establish a good working relationship with the police force and security forces, he added, and eventually these well-nurtured relationships led to establishing local police forces.

Over time, Mills said, he saw development improve in roads, phone systems and other areas important to infrastructure and self-sustainability, as well as a decrease in poppy growth that undermined insurgents’ opium trade.

The general said he also saw several positive elections take place, including national parliamentary elections in September and five district community councils elected throughout the province. And thanks to an education program, he said, 125,000 students are now enrolled in school, about 20,000 of them female.

And the gains show signs of sustainability, the general said.

“I think some of the indicators that these gains would be long-lasting was the commitment by the Helmand population to the government of Afghanistan, as exemplified by their support of the education initiatives,” he said. “I think that indicated a real investment by the population in the future of the province.”