Clarification of reports on possible desertion of Afghan security personnel

Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Ash Power has provided details of an incident that led to members of the Afghan National Security Forces deserting their posts.

No ADF personnel were involved in the incident which is reported to have occurred in the Khod Valley, an area that straddles the Uruzgan and Dai Kundi provincial border.

“The exact reason for the Afghan Local Police officers leaving their posts is yet to be determined but we do know that no ADF or ISAF personnel were involved in the incident,” Lieutenant General Power said.

The incident occurred approximately 72 hours ago in a remote area of Uruzgan that is not regularly visited by ISAF personnel and as such reporting from the region is limited.

“I understand that a local shura was held in one of the villages within the valley and shortly after it concluded several Afghan Local Police deserted their post.

“While any security incident within Uruzgan concerns me, we must place this incident in context,” Lieutenant General Power said.

“This is an extremely remote area of the province and involved members of the Afghan Local Police who are drawn from the very villages they serve to protect – at this stage we simply don’t know what has caused this incident to deteriorate to the point they felt it was appropriate to leave their posts.”

The ADF has no role in mentoring or advising Afghan Local Police personnel. The program is coordinated by the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

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