The remarkable work being done by personnel from Arbroath-based 45 Commando group in helping transform the fledgling Afghan National Army (ANA) into an effective security force has been praised by one of the senior local commanders in the area in which the Royal Marines are based.

Speaking through an interpreter, Lieutenant Colonel Sherdil Khan, the commanding officer of 1 Kandak (the Afghan equivalent of a battalion) of 3 (Shorabak) Brigade of the ANA’s 205 Corps, said, “Our soldiers are very good and are determined to fight our country’s enemy.

“The ANA has been fighting against the Taliban in Sengin district for one and a half years and although people in the west may have seen the news on television that the Taliban think they have places that belong to them, they are wrong.

“Every province in Helmand belongs to the ANA and to the Afghan people and in every area it is based the ANA is very proactive, with continuous and successful patrols going out.”

Although still not completely satisfied with his men’s equipment and vehicles—many of their AK47 assault rifles and machine guns are ageing and prone to failures and their Ford Patrol pick-up trucks have no armour—Lt Col Khan said his troops were ready for ‘any mission’ and that this was, in large part, due to the lessons learned from the 45 Commando Operational & Monitoring Liaison Team (OMLT).

He said, “We are getting better all the time and the more we learn the better we will be able to fight and kill the Taliban and free our country.

“I am very thankful to the United States and British forces for being here and training us.’’

The OMLT—inevitably nicknamed ‘omelette’ by those involved—is 45 Commando’s biggest single commitment in Afghanistan with 151 men operating from the US-run Camp Tombstone, the sprawling military base which has been established close to the equally huge Camp Bastion in the middle of the seemingly endless northern Helmand desert.

Captain Ed Reed, 45’s intelligence officer and also the unit’s cultural officer, is overseeing the effort to turn what, to the casual observer, might be a rag-tag army of amateurs into a potent security force.

He said, “Small teams of experienced officers, NCOs and marines are involved in helping the men of the ANA in their development.

“The ANA has only existed since (president) Hamed Karsai and the Northern Alliance came to power and their manpower is drawn from experienced soldiers, some of whom are battle-hardened veterans of the Mujahideen conflict against the Russians, as well as from those who have absolutely no military training.

“Some of the young ones have come from rural villages and have hardly seen a car before, far less handled a weapon or been subject to military discipline.

“Our aim, as an integral part of the coalition Task Force Helmand, is to take them from very basic training to a level where their senior officers can take command, at which point we will remain purely in an advisory capacity.”

Capt Reed admitted, “It can be extremely frustrating at times and it would be all too easy to just do it ourselves. That, however, would defeat the purpose of our role and we just have to step back and let them learn at their own pace.

“Other times, however, we can be pleasantly surprised at how quickly they pick up on things and can move on to the next task.

“The key thing is sustainability and in the long-term—and realistically that could be five or 10 years down the line—the aim is to produce a stand-alone Afghan National Army which will enable coalition forces to eventually depart from this country.”

In the meantime, however, despite their enthusiasm for killing members of the Taliban and genuine willingness to learn at least some of the military skills which have made the Royal Marines among the most feared and respected fighting men in the world, at times the ANA troops act with the sort of discipline which one senior and long-suffering 45 Commando NCO said made his job ‘like trying to herd cats’.

Any lack of ability they might have in the areas of drill, vehicle maintenance and punctuality is, though, more than compensated for by their courage and aggression under fire—qualities they have displayed repeatedly on joint operations with the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment and more recently with their new ‘friends’ from 3 Commando Brigade.

As part of its commitment to supporting the ANA, the US government is currently spending over $60 million creating Camp Shorabak alongside Camp Tombstone. The new purpose-built home for 3 (Shorabak) Brigade is under construction and, once completed, will be able to accommodate and provide all facilities for well over 1000 Afghan troops.

As part of the complex, and in recognition of local religious and cultural requirements, the camp will have none of the gas or electrical cooking methods favoured by US and UK forces but will instead have a massive bank of wood-fired cauldrons and areas where meat can be prepared in the halal fashion required by followers of Islam.

Of the new accommodation, Lt Col Khan said, “This is excellent and, for the first time, our men have barracks with light and power and access to hot showers which, for many of them, is a luxury they have never experienced before.’’

Although the marines have worked hard to gain some grasp of the local Pashto and Dari languages, a vital link between them and their ‘students’ is the team of interpreters who are able to convey the instructions of the Scots, English, Welsh and Irish commandos to their hosts.

Among them is 22-year-old Maroof from Kabul, who learned English when his father was working at the Afghan Embassy in India and is also fluent in Urdu and Hindi as well as the two national languages.

He said, “Things are still very bad in places but the ordinary people of Afghanistan do not want to go back to the old days under the Taliban.

“We want to be free to decide our own future but we know that, without the help of the British and Americans, and the other countries who have come to assist us, that will never be possible . . . and I am glad to be playing my part.”