Photo By OR-5 Mark Doran | Colonel Simon Stuart, Commander Combined Team Uruzgan.... read more read more
By Major Haydn Barlow
Combined Team Uruzgan
Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province will be ready to transition to independence by the end of the year, according to the outgoing commander of coalition forces in the province.
Commander Combined Team Uruzgan, Col. Simon Stuart says the Afghan National Security Forces have been operating independently in Uruzgan throughout 2013 and have demonstrated their ability to secure the province.
“Our current mission in Uruzgan is to advise and monitor the operations of the Afghan National Security Forces and to establish a platform for provincial self governance,” Stuart said.
“The 4th Brigade 205 Hero Corps and the Afghan National Police have surprised the insurgency with their strength and cohesion this year.
“They have hit the insurgents hard, have built on our gains, and are growing in confidence with each independent operation.”
Stuart paid tribute to the multinational effort that is Combined Team Uruzgan during a ceremony on August 7 to mark the transition of authority to fellow Australian Col. Wade Stothart.
“You have been indefatigable in facing each and every challenge,” Stuart said.
“You have consistently exceeded my expectations and met every day with courage, teamwork and unity.”
The multinational base in Tarin Kot was recently home to some 7000 military and civilian personnel, but these numbers are rapidly contracting as the mission in Uruzgan winds down.
“It’s a complex task to reduce the infrastructure and personnel on the base here in Tarin Kot while retaining what is necessary to complete our mission,” Stuart said.
“We have a deliberate plan to achieve this and we are working closely with our Afghan partners to ensure it is done efficiently and in a way that leaves them able to sustain independent security operations when we leave.”
Reflecting on the achievements of ISAF in Uruzgan, Stuart pointed to the new opportunities ahead of ordinary Afghans living in the province.
“Access to health care and education has never been better than it is now,” Stuart said.
“Before we came here there was a single under resourced hospital that was inaccessible to much of the population, and the school system had all but broken down.”
“Now people in every district of the province can access medical treatment and children have a pathway to opportunity because they are better educated and more secure.”
But Stuart says the job in Uruzgan is not finished and the province will continue to face challenges as it establishes good governance and better security into the future.
“Our legacy here will be a foundation from which the Afghans can build a future in their own vision. It will not be perfect, but the government is now equipped to tackle the challenges that lay ahead,” Stuart said.
“We will continue to consolidate our gains for the rest of the year and there will be an enduring international investment in the province once we leave.”
Stuart commanded Combined Team Uruzgan between October 2012 and August 2013. His successor, Stothart, will see the mission out until its conclusion.
Guests at the ceremony included Amir Mohammad Akhundzada, the Uruzgan Provincial Governor, Major General Gus McLachlan, Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans) ISAF Joint Command, and Major General Michael Crane, Commander Joint Task Force 633.
Stuart was awarded a United States Bronze Star Medal during the ceremony on behalf of the President of the United States of America by Lt. Col. Anthony Noll, Deputy Commander CTU.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2013 08:41 |
| Story ID: | 111488 |
| Location: | TARIN KOWT, AF |
| Web Views: | 329 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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