Cooperation and Confidence-Building in Kabul

The first line of defence of the camp is formed by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The soldiers serving with the second rotation of the HDF Kabul International Airport Force Protection Contingent (HDF KAIA FPC-2) are in direct daily contact with the local forces, so the development and maintenance of proper cooperation is a priority. Another priority is ongoing coordination and exchange of information, which goes a long way towards ensuring the security of the airport and the Hungarian contingent.

In addition to commander-level meetings and consultations, for the relations to be developed it is also indispensable to make sure that the members of the guard cooperating at their posts and the commanders know each other and build mutual trust. The simplest step towards confidence-building is to let the leaders of the two organizations meet the personnel under them at their posts and recognize their work there. Recently, an excellent example of this was the meeting at the KAIA entry control points and the handover of donations.

On behalf of the leadership of KAIA, Col. Zoltán Apáti, the commander of the Hungarian contingent met Col. Wahab Muhammad, the leader of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC). During their discussion, Col. Apáti stressed the importance of the work done by the ANSF in the joint system of tasks. Col. Wahab assured the Hungarians of their cooperation and the continuous exchange of information.

In order to recognize the work of the ANSF, the commander, company commanding officer and command sergeant major of the HDF KAIA FPC-2 handed over articles of use in everyday life – including kitchenware for holding food, thermoses, blankets and towels – which make the service of the Afghan sentries on duty easier and their posts more comfortable.