Drones to stay for ‘support’: NATO general

Following withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Washington and London will keep their drones to support Afghan security forces continue fighting against insurgency, NATO’s Air Force General Jake Polumbo said.

Present challenges facing the Afghan air force required using the unmanned aerial vehicles beyond the end of 2014, Polumbo said.

“Afghan air force will need time till 2016 to end up at full operational capability (FOC). The way we have partnered with the Afghan security forces, in particular the air force, is to be committed to that duration, to bring on these aircrafts, these training mechanisms, and the like,” the senior NATO and US airman said.

The US general added that there were currently 6,000 aircrafts for the Afghan air force, yet only one percent of them were capable of carrying out air operations.

“The results are showing, not only in the training environment but more importantly on the battlefield. Afghan air force airmen have conducted re-supply missions to remote Afghan national army locations in Nurestan province in the east, and they have provided direct support to Afghan border police in Paktika, Zabul province in the east and also down in the south in Kandahar province,” he said.

“During recent combat operations Afghan air force helicopters flew life-saving casualty evacuation flights and they also conducted independent air assaults in the contested areas.”

Afghan Defence Ministry, on the other hand, suggested that dialogues on post-2014 drones for Afghan air force were on-going between Kabul and Washington.

“There are matters that are related to agreements by the Afghan government. Post-2014 issues and activities are still being discussed,” said General Zahir Azimi, spokesman to Afghan Defence Ministry.

NATO has around 300 trainers for Afghan air force. Very few of these are believed to leave the country after 2014.

The circumstances of drone missions of Afghanistan are reportedly part of the bilateral security agreement between Afghanistan and the United States, the agreement on which talks are yet not finalised.