Another Hungarian Contingent to Finish Work in Afghanistan
Szöveg: honvedelem.hu / MTI | 2013. március 31. 12:02After the Provincial Reconstruction Team, another Hungarian contingent, the airmen of a helicopter mentor team are going to end their mission soon in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence told Hungarian Press Agency MTI.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. More than 500 troops of the
Hungarian Defence Forces are deployed in altogether eight contingents in Afghanistan. One
of these contingents, the Provincial Reconstruction Team is terminating its activities in the
coming days and the soldiers serving with it are going to return to Hungary.
The Hungarian Defence Forces have contributed two helicopter mentor teams to the NATO-
led operations in Afghanistan. The service personnel of both teams are drawn in four-month
rotations from the airmen of the HDF 86th Szolnok Helicopter Base. The Hungarian Defence
Forces Mi–35 Air Mentor Team has been deployed at the Kabul International Airport (KAIA)
since April 2010. The mandate of this contingent will expire in May 2013, when the ninth
rotation of the team ends its mission and the soldiers are going to permanently return to
Hungary.
The team has the mission of providing classroom instruction and hands-on flying training
for the attack helicopter crews of the Afghan Air Force. Furthermore, it participates in
the maintenance of the helicopters of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and mentors
maintenance-related technical activities.
The other Hungarian helicopter mentor team, the Mi–17 Air Advisory Team has been
deployed at Shindand Air Base, Herat Province since August 2011. This team will continue
working in Afghanistan – the mandate of the contingent runs until the end of December 2013.
ISAF will end its mission at the end of 2014 and withdraw its combat forces from the Central
Asian Country.
ISAF transitions the main responsibility for security to the Afghan government forces
gradually, province by province. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen has repeatedly stressed that Afghanistan would not be left on its own after the
withdrawal of the international force in 2014. A new international mission will begin with a
focus on training, advising and support.
Photo: Csaba Hegedűs
