NATO Secretary General reviews transition progress in Helmand
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited Helmand Province on Tuesday 5 March to see the progress being made in the transition to Afghan security responsibility. “Two years ago, the transition to Afghan security responsibility began and in less than two years from now, Afghan forces will be fully responsible for Afghanistan’s security. Every province. Every district. Every village. And every valley,” said the Secretary General. “This is a great responsibility, but Afghanistan’s forces have shown they can do the job, and they can know they will continue to have our full support.”
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen meets with Helmand Provincial Governor Mohammad Naim
During his stay Mr. Fogh Rasmussen went to Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province and the first city in the region to start transition in July 2011. There, he met with Helmand Provincial Governor Mohammad Naim, Major General W. Lee Miller, the Commander of ISAF Regional Command Southwest, and Ms. Catriona Laing, Head of the United Kingdom-led Provincial Reconstruction Team. The Secretary General received briefings on the international community’s help to the Afghan government in delivering governance and economic development across Helmand.
This visit to Helmand was the last stop in the Secretary General’s trip to Afghanistan, which also included talks with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, other senior Afghan government officials, and young Afghan leaders from the group “Afghanistan 1400.”