Visiting Hungarian Troops In Afghanistan

Minister of Defence Dr. Imre Szekeres, General László Tömböl, MoD Chief of Defence Staff, Major General László Frigyer, Chief of Logistics, HDF JFC, Major General Ferenc Palásti, Head of the Military Department, Office of the President of the Republic, Brigadier General István Tarján, Deputy Director General, Military Security Office, Republic of Hungary, and the journalists accompanying the delegation were received by Colonel Dr. Gábor Boldizsár, Commander, HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

The delegation attended the meeting of the personnel in the Hungarian camp, where the minister thanked the Hungarian troops for their demanding work and informed them about the role Hungary will play in coming years and the details of planned troop reinforcement. During the camp tour Col. Gábor Boldizsár showed the members of the delegation the ‘old’ and new technical equipments such as the SUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) Cougar vehicles. The delegation laid a wreath on the wooden memorials raised in honour of the two comrades they lost – posthumous Lieutenant Gyula Kovács and posthumous Major Krisztián Nemes – and the heroes’ memorial.

As the last program point in Pol-e Khomri, Defence Minister Imre Szekeres, Gen. László Tömböl, Col. Gábor Boldizsár, and Ambassador István Tölli, the provincial reconstruction policy advisor delegated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answered the questions of the journalists. In response to one of the questions Col. Boldizsár said that with the help of Hungarian soldiers, bridges, medical institutions and schools are being built, and by controlling rivers they help to prevent floods. In the opinion of the commander, the relation between Afghans living in the province and Hungarian soldiers is good. Ambassador István Tölli said by now, poppy plantations have officially disappeared in Baghlan – they have been replaced by fruit tree plantations. At the ISAF Regional Command North (RCN) in Mazar-e Sharif the delegation met with soldiers serving at the RCN and the troops serving with the National Support Element (NSE). In this forum – similarly to Pol-e Khomri – defence minister Imre Szekeres and Gen. László Tömböl informed the soldiers about the extension our role in Afghanistan and the objectives of the Hungarian military high command.

After the meeting the Hungarian delegation was received by Brigadier General Frank Leidenberger, Commander, RCN. From the corps of the Hungarian Defence Forces there are more than 300 soldiers serving in Afganistan at the moment, and in the near future they will have new training, preparation and mentoring tasks at the Afghan air force, an Afghan infantry battalion and Afghan corps involved in peacekeeping. In the autumn, the Hungarian Defence Forces will once again assume the responsibilities of the lead nation at Kabul international airport, and Hungarians will control the airport. Their role is of key importance in stabilising the distant country, improving its security situation, and supporting reconstruction and development.

With their commitment in Afghanistan, the Hungarian Defence Forces contribute to the suppression of international terrorism, the performance of duties resulting from our NATO membership, and increasing our recognised role in the international community, and as a result of this, guarantee the security of Hungary.