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Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Volume 473: debated on Thursday 13 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) operational control, (b) administrative control, (c) technical control and (d) other command relationship there is between British and non-British forces operating in Helmand Province at the (i) company and (ii) platoon level; and what the nationality is of each unit. (193878)

Permanently operating in Helmand within the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command structure under the operational control of Task Force Helmand, a British HQ, are deployments from:

Denmark (a battle group)

Estonia (a single company)

A number of small specialist units from other nations also come under the Command of Commander Task Force Helmand. Other non-UK units may, on occasion, temporarily deploy into Helmand province for specific missions: the precise command relationships with these units will vary dependent on the specific nature of their operational taskings.

The Afghan National Army (ANA) currently deploys five units of battalion size or greater, which include many companies and platoons, in Helmand province. Their operations are closely coordinated with ISAF operations, including through the use of Operational Mentoring, Liaison and Training Teams, although there is no formal command relationship between ISAF and ANA units.