Commander of the NATO Mission in Afghanistan Resolute Support (RS), General (USA) Austin Scott Miller, met the staff of the Train Advise and Assist Command West (TAAC-W), led by the "Folgore" parachute brigade of the Italian Army and in charge of train, advise and assist (TAA; training, advice and assistance) of the Afghan security forces in the west of the country.
After being received by Brigadier General Beniamino Vergori, commander of the TAAC-W, gen. Miller was updated on the activities underway in the area under Italian responsibility and participated in a shura (meeting, consultation) during which he took stock of the situation on the provinces of western Afghanistan.
The meeting was attended by the governor of the province of Herat, Sayed Abdul Wahid Qattali, Major General Abdul Raouf Arghandi Wal, commander of the 207th Army Corps of the Afghan National Army, the director of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) of Herat, General Issa Mohammad Hamidi, and the commander of the 2a Special Forces brigade Colonel Fardeen Sepah.
The meeting once again demonstrated the integration between Afghan government authorities, military units and intelligence (the so-called security pillars) in a shared effort to improve the security conditions of Afghan citizens in the west of the country.
The gen. Miller expressed satisfaction with the level of integration achieved and confirmed NATO support: "We are still here and we are determined to support the Afghan Security Forces". He then thanked the Italian contingent for their contribution together with 38 other countries to the mission Resolute Support, defining the commitment of the Italian Armed Forces as essential to increase the independence and self-sustaining capacity of the Afghan security forces.
