At a ceremony held in Camp Pannonia, Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces Joint Force Command (HDF JFC) announced that the contingent of the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT) would complete its operational tasks in early March. He stressed that the handover of the camp to the Afghan partners had started and would be finished at the end of March. (Reporting from the spot.)

Also present at the event were Sultan Mohammad Ebadi, the governor of Baghlan Province, Maj.-Gen. Jörg Vollner, the commander of the ISAF Regional Command North (RC-North), Ambassador Dr. József Nyerki, the civil representative of the PRT, Col. János Csombók, the acting Operations Chief of the Defence Staff, Col. Antal Sipos, the commander of the PRT-13 rotation, provincial shura leader Mohammad Razul Khan, Lt.-Col. Szabolcs Pécsvárady, the commander of the Hungarian–US Military Advisory Team (MAT), László Papp, the PRT development advisor as well as the leaders of the province and the representatives of partner organizations.

Maj.-Gen. Jörg Vollner, the commander of ISAF RC-North delivered a speech in which he pointed out that today the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are a combat-ready force, so the international forces can gradually hand over the already completed tasks to them. As a result of the work done in the last few years, today the ANSF guarantee security for 87 per cent of the Afghan population, and lead 80 per cent of the military operations conducted in the country.

In the opinion of the RC-North commander, security can be created and maintained by joining forces, and to achieve this, the Afghan Civil Order Police, the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the population must do something together with the international forces.

In his speech, Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF JFC said that nearly seven years before Hungary had joined the strategy worked out by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan government, so that it can assist the development of the country and the province with the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Five fields were given priority in the cooperative work that began: security, governance, reconstruction, health care and education.

Since 2006, progress has been made in all these fields, and we have achieved many results.  We built schools, handed over roads, and improved the level of health care for the population by building medical institutions. In the field of security, together with our American ally, we helped setting up military and police forces in the province and enabled the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to take over responsibility for security in the country, Maj.-Gen. Domján said.

The general said thanks for the joint work and cooperation. The commander of the HDF JFC announced that the Hungarian Defence Forces had finished their activity in Baghlan Province. “However, we will not leave the country on its own, since the HDF continue to carry out several tasks as part of the ISAF forces”, he added.

László Domján stressed that “the withdrawal of the Provincial Reconstruction Team was planned together with the Afghan government and the international forces”. The handover was preceded by a several-week series of negotiations with the representatives of the Afghan government, and a special-purpose Afghan–Hungarian provincial joint commission worked out the concrete details. The Afghan government has nominated the Afghan National Security Forces to take over and further operate the camp. The government of Hungary hands over Camp Pannonia in an operable condition to the Afghan government, which has undertaken to operate it further. The handover of the camp is one of Hungary’s greatest contributions to the creation of an independent and autonomous Afghanistan.

Camp Pannonia is the only Hungarian-run base in Afghanistan. In the autumn of 2006, the Hungarian Defence Forces took over the area from the Dutch partners together with the tasks of the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Over the six and a half years that have passed since, more than 2500 Hungarian soldiers have served their six-month service here – many of them doing three or even four tours of duty with the mission. These close to seven years saw Albanian, US, Bulgarian, Croatian, Montenegrin, German and Slovak troops working in the camp under Hungarian command for longer or shorter periods of time. In the last few years, significant extension and fortification works were completed in Camp Pannonia, in consequence of which the base now meets all security standards, reflecting at the same time the Hungarian military and cultural characteristics in all its elements. This has been a “little Hungary” for the soldiers serving here.

“Hungary is proud of the results that have been achieved together with you here in Baghlan Province over the last close to seven years. The Hungarian Defence Forces thank the provincial government and the population for supporting our efforts”, Maj.-Gen. László Domján said in closing his speech.

Since October 2006, the Hungarian Defence Forces have been deploying the contingent of the Provincial Reconstruction Team to help the development of Afghanistan. The last development project of the PRT, a renovated 12-classroom wing of the Hazrat Zaid School was handed over by Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the commander of the HDF JFC on the day before the camp handover ceremony.

The implementation of development projects will not stop in the province with the withdrawal of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, as the NGOs and international organizations working in this field will continue their activity that has been coordinated with the help of the PRT.

(Krisztián Vargha)