On May 10, German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived for a whirlwind visit at the ISAF Regional Command–North (RC-N) in Camp Marmal, Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. Besides the military leadership of the region, the German Chancellor met the senior national representatives of the 17 nations serving on the staff of the RC-N, among them RC-N Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen. Ferenc Komor.

Angela Merkel said the RC-N had been doing a good job, thanked the participating nations for their contributions and asked them to continue assisting Germany in the lead nation role by making further commitments after the expiry of the ISAF mission’s mandate as well.

Uniquely in Afghanistan, the RC-N has already fully transitioned to the Afghan National Security Forces four of the nine provinces in its area of responsibility (AOR). The nations serving here – including Hungary – are continuously reducing their roles. The primary missions of the RC-N are to develop the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), ensure freedom of movement along the Northern Lines of Communication (NLOC) and to maintain security in two cities in the north, Kunduz and Mazar-e Sharif.

Currently around 120 Hungarian soldiers are serving in the AOR of the RC-N. Hungary contributes a Military Advisory Team (MAT), trainers and staff officers as well as medical to the tasks of the RC-N.

(ISAF RC-N)