12th May 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
I’m back from Helmand for a couple of weeks for some R&R, to attend the FCO leadership conference, and to do a ground-truthing session at NATO in Brussels. As always, I’m spending plenty of time persuading friends, colleagues, and anyone who will listen, that: no, it isn’t all going fall to pieces after 2014. Progress […]
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1st October 2012 Washington DC, USA
The following is a guest post by Lieutenant General Nicholas Carter, who was given responsibility for leading the UK’s Army 2020 Team to design the future Army. From October 2012 he will be Deputy Commander HQ ISAF and the UK’s National Contingent Commander in Afghanistan. Lieutenant General Nicholas Carter was visiting Washington last week and in this guest […]
23rd July 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Helmand PRT on Wednesday 18th July. This was his ninth visit to Afghanistan, having failed to get to Helmand on the last two occasions – the first time because a soldier sadly went missing and air assets were prioritised to search, second because of the infamous Helmand sandstorms. So we […]
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21st July 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
To mark the one year anniversary of Lashkar Gah’s transition to Afghan control (the first area to transition in Helmand), please see a guest blog from the Stabilisation Advisor for Lashkar Gah at this significant time. I arrived in Helmand in October of 2010 to work alongside local Government as a District Stabilisation Advisor, in the […]
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12th July 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
I have invited members of the PRT to use my blog to talk about their work. This instalment comes from Marie-Louise Hoilund-Carlsen in the PRT’s Socio-Economic Development Team. These are some of the top items on the to-do list this week – they have been for the past couple of months and will guide our […]
1st July 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
In the run up to the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan I have invited members of the PRT to use my blog to talk about their work. The first has been written by Mary Thida-Lun from the PRT’s Socio-Economic Development Team. 51…52…53…54…55…56…57…58…59… Why do those last 10 seconds on the treadmill always stretch out for an eternity? […]
23rd May 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
So Chicago has come and gone and the outcome has ensured the international community’s commitment post 2014. The funding pledges for Afghan security forces have been made; the international community has signalled it is with Afghanistan for the long-term but reminded their public of why we are here; “ to stop it becoming a haven […]
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2nd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
I recommend you take a look at the latest blog written by Helmand’s new Head of Mission, Catriona Laing, on the recent DCC elections in Sangin. Famous for its dangerous past where many British and American soldiers lost their lives, Sangin now boasts its first ever District Community Council elections where over 2,000 people travelled […]
31st March 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Its not often in recent years that there has been a carnival type atmosphere in the Helmand district of Sangin. Internationally Sangin is known for the large number of ISAF casualties – 100 British, and many US Marine deaths since they took over the battlefield in 2010. But this week saw a unique event […]
6th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
I’d like to draw your attention to the latest blog by our Head of Mission in Helmand, Michael O’Neill. The post covers his recent trip to Sangin, and highlights the impressive progress that has been made there over the last year and a half. As Michael notes, when he first visited Sangin in late 2010, […]
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