Today, in the Camp Arena base, in the presence of the Minister of Defense, Honorable Lorenzo Guerini, as part of the scheduled shifts between the various units of the Italian Armed Forces, the alternation ceremony between the Multinational Land Force based on the "Julia" Alpine Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Alberto Vezzoli, and the "Folgore" Paratrooper Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Beniamino Vergori, in the context of Train Advice Assist Command West (TAAC-W), Italian-led NATO command of the mission in Afghanistan "Resolute Support" (RS).
The ceremony, presided over by the deputy commander of RS, general of the Italian Army Corps Nicola Zanelli, was also attended by the senior civilian representative of NATO in Afghanistan, ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo and the Italian ambassador in Afghanistan Vittorio Sandalli.
In his greeting address, the Honorable Guerini expressed his satisfaction with the excellent work done by the Italian contingent and praised General Vezzoli and all the soldiers of the Multinational Land Force (MLF) for the excellent results obtained in these six months in training, consulting and assistance activities in favor of the Afghan security forces and institutions and for the numerous civil-military cooperation initiatives carried out in support of the local population.
In particular, during his speech, Minister Guerini stated how it is “It is necessary to protect and not waste the results achieved in these 20 years with high sacrifices, also in terms of human lives. In recent years, Afghanistan has moved towards reconstruction but terrorism remains a widespread threat and the attacks that hit the country's institutions, local security forces and the population are the tragic testimony of this. We must be alongside the Afghans: this is our common desire which I have also reiterated within NATO, where we will soon define the future of the Mission ".
“One of the most important lessons we have learned - continued the Minister - it is that lasting peace cannot be imposed but must be born and developed through a shared political, economic and diplomatic process. In this delicate phase, our position has not changed: we will remain in the country, together with the Allies, for as long as necessary and as long as the institutions and the Afghan people ask us, in full compliance with the commitments undertaken ".
In taking the floor, Ambassador Pontecorvo, NATO senior civilian representative for Afghanistan, underlined the great contribution that the Italian Armed Forces have given to the Alliance and the recognized excellence of their work, which has allowed an evident professional growth of the forces Afghan security.
During his speech, General Zanelli thanked gen. b. Vezzoli and the men and women of the Multinational Land Force for the work done in support of the Afghan security forces and the local population. He then wished the staff of the thunderbolt, under the command of gen. b. Beniamino Vergori, to successfully overcome every challenge on the path to pacification of Afghanistan, continuing to support the institutions and the local defense and security forces according to the mandate of the mission Resolute Support.
At the same time, the leadership of the "Arena" Task Force took place, a unit that guarantees operational and logistical support to the TAAC-W, between the 8th Alpine regiment of Venzone (Udine) under the command of Colonel Franco Del Favero and the 186th parachute regiment thunderbolt of Siena under the command of Colonel Federico Bernacca.
Remarkable the number of activities that advisors of the MLF have developed, since August 2020, in favor of the Afghan security forces and, in particular, the 207th Corps of the Afghan Army and the provincial police commands. In addition to these commitments, which have not been slowed down by the pandemic thanks to extensive use of telecommunications systems, numerous civil-military cooperation activities have been added.
Twelve projects have been carried out which have made it possible to maintain excellent relations with the local population and have contributed to improving the living conditions of the Afghan company, from the supply of specialized material and equipment for the Herat Fire Brigade unit to the supply of medical supplies that allowed Afghan police teams to conduct a campaign of Anti Covid-19 disinfection of the Primary and Secondary Schools of the Guzara district. In this way, the men and women of the “Julia”, deployed for the fifth time in this complex operational context, continued to demonstrate their closeness to the Afghan community, engaged in the difficult path of building a solid and prosperous future.
Brigadier General Vezzoli, commander of the TAAC-W and of the MLF wanted to underline how, thanks to the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, 40 tons of food were donated distributed over the three provinces of Herat, Ghor, Badghis and Farah. In addition, 19 lung ventilators were delivered to the hospitals of Herat and Guzara and to other hospitals engaged in the fight against the pandemic from Covid-207, such as the military hospital of the 8th Afghan Army Corps and the Herat Pediatric Hospital. , 700 disposable hospital-type coveralls, 1600 disposable gloves, 700 protective goggles, 900 bottles of hand sanitizer, 13500 surgical masks, 500 bottles of antiseptic liquid, 1350 disposable shoe covers, 700 protective visors, 125 pulse oximeters, for a total value of 150.000 euros. Interventions that have given hope and confidence to the local population, General Vezzoli recalled.
The Italian Armed Forces participate in the "Resolute Support" mission, which began in 2015 following the closure of ISAF (International Assistance Security Force), with a contingent of about 800 soldiers, whose commitment has allowed the western region of Afghanistan to reach standards of security and development among the highest in the country.
The mission, which differs from ISAF in the first place for being of the "no combat" type, sees the participation of 39 naizons and is focused on training, advice and assistance in favor of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the Afghan institutions and aims to improve their functionality and the ability to self-sustain in order to independently safeguard the country and its citizens.
