SAF to send two medical teams to Afghanistan, Oruzgan Province, with the Dutch PRT

SAF sends largest team to Afghanistan

By Imelda Saad, Correspondent

THE war on terror got an airing in Parliament on Friday as MPs refered to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainee Mas Selamat Kastari's escape as a stark reminder that the threat is far from gone and very close to home.

MP for Sembawang GRC for example said the Mas Selamat case brings home the message that Singapore will continue to face challenges to the country's security.

The global terror threat is a key reason why Singapore continues to contribute to international security.

The Ministry of Defence's (MINDEF) latest planned deployment will be to the Oruzgan province in Afghanistan.

MINDEF will send its largest SAF contingent to the country in the 2nd half of the year.

This will consist of a 20-person medical team which will go through two rotations for about three months each to the Field Hospital in Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital of Oruzgan.

The teams will provide primary healthcare and ward capabilities in support of the medical facility run by the Dutch and Australian forces in the Ductch-led provincial reconstruction team in Oruzgan.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean on why the SAF needs to have a continued presence in Afghanistan : 'Afghanistan is at the frontline in the global fight against terrorism. Extremists have made use of an unstable Afghanistan as a safe haven to train terrorists and to export violence and terror to other countries including Singapore. A number of JI detainees who have planned attacks in Singapore had trained in Afghanistan and more recently, a self-radicalised Singaporean was detained on his way to join the Taliban in Afghanistan'.

To prepare our soldiers, they will undergo a comprehensive 3-week training in Singapore prior to their deployment in Oruzgan.

This'll be followed by more training in Australia so the Singapore team can work seamlessly with their Australian counterparts and be briefed on the ground situation as well as how to handle threats in volatile Afghanistan.

------------

Some trivia, Oruzgan is the birthplace of Mullah Omar, and from June 15 to June 19, 2007 Dutch and Afghan soldiers fought off an assault on the town of Chora by a reported several hundred Taliban. Dozens of Taliban may have been killed, as well as an unknown number of Afghan civilians, 16 policemen and a Dutch soldier.

Because of security concerns and the Taliban insurgency, no international aid agencies or NGOs have a permanent presence in Oruzgan. NATO's ISAF operates a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), in Tarin Kowt, transferred from U.S. to Dutch authority as of August 2006.


ST report

Wikipedia - Oruzgan Province

This post has been edited by LazerLordz on Feb 29 2008, 11:29 PM

Oruzgan ......Quite a few firefights took place over there..in fact it's a hot area.


Here are some actions that took place...
Taliban extremists in late August 2007. Released by the Dept. Defence in early Sept 07..
Task Force (RTF), consisting of a combined arms team, to the Oruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper. The RTF is in (more) ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quaVwnUz9yw




Australian Reconstruction Task Force (RTF) soldiers based in Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan, have successfully repelled repeated Taliban extremist attacks against a new construction project over the (more) ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oEyYMfBbDE

This post has been edited by Callsign 24 Seira on Feb 29 2008, 11:42 PM

news

1st time SAF decides to officially sent engineers there.....

All the best to the guys heading there. Please put up a better show than our "contributions" in E.Timor.

I wonder whether they(the SAF Engineers & Medical team) will carry sidearms? In those hostile environment they better have minimum means of self defence.
P 226?


By the way, Bamiyan is where the Taliban destroy the Buddha figure in 2001.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSDihK9ZDAQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UpDsgvkfjQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMKtmlFzzCE

This post has been edited by Callsign 24 Seira on Mar 3 2008, 02:40 AM

The Engineering team carried their SAR21 and sidearm. There was a pic or two, and in the MINDEF's latest Defence video, you can see them too.

Afghan Taleban say attack Dutch over anti-Islam film

LONDON - THE Taleban has said two attacks on Dutch forces in Afghanistan were in retaliation for an anti-Islamic film by a Dutch politician, the Site Intelligence Group said on Tuesday.

In a communique posted on websites used by militants dated April 1, the Taleban said its Shura Council Leadership announced reprisal operations against Dutch forces because 'one of the members of the Dutch Parliament produced a film that hurts Islam, and he published it with bad intentions'.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, launched the anti-Quran film Fitna - an Arabic term that can mean strife - last Thursday on the Internet.

The film urges Muslims to tear out 'hate-filled' verses from the Quran, and starts and ends with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, accompanied by the sound of ticking.

It was condemned by Muslim nations as a provocation, while Dutch Muslim leaders urged restraint. The Dutch government has said the film in no way reflects its own views.

Before its launch, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation expressed concern it could worsen security for foreign forces in Afghanistan, including 1,650 Dutch troops.

The Taleban statement referred to two revenge attacks on Sunday which it said killed a large number of 'occupier soldiers'.

The Dutch Defence Ministry said in a Web statement dated April 1 that five Dutch soldiers from Nato-led forces were wounded in two separate incidents on Sunday.

One soldier lost both his legs in the explosion and his condition was critical but stable, the ministry said.

The Dutch ministry said no Dutch soldiers have died in attacks in the past week. -- REUTERS

Link
----------------

Seems like the tempo will be upped in Oruzgan. Hope our boys are up to the task.

The Engineering team carried their SAR21 and sidearm. There was a pic or two, and in the MINDEF's latest Defence video, you can see them too.

there was a feature on our detachment in Afghanistan in PIONEER Jan 08.

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/publicati...8/jan08_fs.html

I think we should standardise our desert BDUs, as per below. The RSAF wore the same pattern in the first deployment, while the Army wears the tiger stripes. I wonder if it would make more sense to standardise or come up with an updated digital desert BDU.
--------------

RSAF Tanker Aircraft Deploys to the Gulf

Posted: 16 Apr 2008, 1000 hours (Time is GMT +8 hours)


Picture by MINDEF

Chief of Air Force MG Ng Chee Khern at the at the send-off ceremony for the Republic of Singapore Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft deployment to the Gulf.

Chief of Air Force Major-General Ng Chee Khern officiated at the send-off ceremony for the Republic of Singapore Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft deployment to the Gulf, at Changi Air Base this morning. The 36-man KC-135 detachment is Singapore's latest contribution in support of the multinational reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The KC-135 tanker aircraft will conduct air-to-air refuelling missions in support of the coalition forces during its three-month deployment.

Since 2003, the SAF has made four deployments of KC-135 tanker aircraft, four deployments of Landing Ships Tank and one deployment of a C-130 transport aircraft to the Gulf.

This post has been edited by LazerLordz on Apr 16 2008, 07:13 PM

The Netherlands pleased with Singapore’s contribution to the mission in Uruzgan

29 Feb 2008 | The Netherlands is pleased with the contribution Singapore has promised to make to the mission in Uruzgan.

On 29 February, Singapore agreed to deploy two medical teams, comprising twenty personnel each. They will be based at the Dutch headquarters near the capital Tarin Kowt and will provide international and Afghan troops with basic health care. They will also treat civilians in need of urgent medical care.

Minister of foreign affairs Maxime Verhagen welcomed Singapore's contribution. “It is important that after Australia, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, an Asian country should also have decided to strengthen the mission in Uruzgan. In doing so, Singapore is demonstrating its solidarity with the Afghan people and with international efforts to promote security, stability and reconstruction in Afghanistan.”

The Netherlands will be taking part in the NATO stabilisation and support mission in Uruzgan until 2010. The personnel from Singapore will start their tour of duty later this year.

Link

this would be it, its the US 3 colour desert pattern

"The SAF will be deploying a medical team to support an ADF unit in Oruzgan Province later this year."

- SM Goh. Link

Australia may have to increase her contribution to Afghanistan. Infanfry may be sent to reinforce SAS led SOTG.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why the US has put on the hard word

Patrick Walters, Analysis | September 08, 2008

GENERAL David McKiernan has put the US coalition partners, including its NATO allies, on notice.

The four-star general, who took over the top NATO commander's job in Afghanistan in June, wants more help from key allies as he seeks to regain the initiative in the counter-insurgency against the Taliban.

As the US begins a lengthy military withdrawal from Iraq, Washington's focus is slowly but surely shifting east to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

McKiernan has already shaken up command arrangements in the unwieldy 39-nation International Security Assistance Force, based in Kabul. He has drawn up a campaign plan to start in November, which aims to employ the 70,000 ISAF and US forces based in Afghanistan and the still-evolving Afghan National Army in a co-ordinated counter-insurgency strategy. He has no illusions about the magnitude of the task.

McKiernan points to Afghanistan's complex geography, lack of human capital, porous borders, narcotic trafficking and ingrained corruption as factors that make the counter-insurgency fight a uniquely difficult challenge.

If the counter-insurgency is to succeed, it will require not just greater military effort from ISAF and the Afghan National Army, but also a major strategic effort with Pakistan to stabilise the border and a focused effort to improve governance across Afghanistan's ethnically diverse provinces.

The US is looking at a troop increase of about 15,000 over the next 18 months as the war in Iraq winds down.

McKiernan would like European NATO members to lift their efforts, is highly critical of the caveats they place on their deployed forces and would love Australia to increase its contribution, especially now that we have no combat troops in Iraq.

While he firmly believes the Taliban cannot succeed in Afghanistan, he concedes ISAF is struggling to win the war in a way that would leave the country capable of managing its own affairs.

Southern and eastern Afghanistan remain a particularly tough fight and fresh US brigade combat teams will be deployed to assist the British, Canadians and Australians operating in Helmand, Kandahar and Oruzgan provinces.

Crucially, McKiernan believes Afghanistan cannot be won without solving the huge problem of insurgent fighters holed-up in Pakistan. He argues the extremist threat inside Pakistan poses as much a threat to the new democratic Government in Islamabad as it does to Afghanistan.

With McKiernan in Kabul and General David Petraeus taking over as commander of Central Command with overall responsibility for Afghanistan and Pakistan, there will be a major military and diplomatic effort by the US to improve border security for both countries.

Link

SAF medical team completes mission, returns from Afghanistan

Report by Sherlyn Quek
Photos by Roy Lim and courtesy of the Singapore Army



1SG Alfatah treating an ulcer on the ankle of a local Afghan boy.


High velocity gun-shot wounds, blast injuries and traumatic amputations resulting from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). These combat injuries, which are almost never seen in Singapore, were just some of the challenging wounds which the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical team had to treat and manage during their mission to Afghanistan.

Divided into two rotations over the course of six months from November 2008 until May this year, the 39-man team operated at a field hospital in the province of Oruzgan in central Afghanistan, providing emergency room manning, primary healthcare and ward capabilities in support of the Dutch and Australian forces deployed there.

Working closely with their foreign counterparts, the team treated casualties that included members of the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), Afghan national security forces and local civilians.

Having successfully completed their overseas mission, the latest 20-man team returned home on 30 May, and were welcomed with big hugs and warm kisses from their family and friends at Changi Airport.

Medical Officer Major (MAJ) (Dr) Lo Hong Yee told cyberpioneer: "I think this mission has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, all of us grew a lot. For a surgeon, being able to operate in a war zone is like a dream come true."

"Working under those stressful conditions has also helped me to develop greater clarity of mind and composure when I operate on patients," he added.

"This mission has exceeded all my expectations in every aspect, from the kind of patients we saw, the social interaction we had with our foreign counterparts, to the cohesion we had within our SAF contingent."



MAJ (Dr) Koh Choong Hou (second from right) manages the airway of a casualty within the ER while Staff Sergeant Terence Yeo (far left) obtains blood samples for further analysis.

His wife, Madam Wee Ming Huey, said: "I'm very happy that he's back. Naturally, I was a bit worried, but I knew the SAF would take care of him, and that he could take care of himself."

Besides providing medical support to the ISAF and Afghan troops, Medical Officer MAJ (Dr) Jared Ng also conducted a mental health workshop with the local medical community at the Regional Health Training Centre (RHTC) in the province of Bamiyan.

The construction of this two-storey facility in was overseen by a construction engineering team from the SAF last year.

Said MAJ (Dr) Ng: "It's a very rewarding experience because when I'm teaching them, I learn a lot from them at the same time. In fact, sometimes I feel like I'm the one who benefits even more from our interaction, because I get to know about their culture and their way of life, and how they deal with mental health issues."
Fellow colleagues from the medical corps welcoming Dr Jared (fourth from right) at the airport.


Fellow colleagues from the medical corps welcoming Dr Jared (fourth from right) at the airport.

Also present at the homecoming to greet the returning servicemen were members from the first rotation. As a ward nurse, First Sergeant (1SG) Alfatah Abdul Karim helped to provide round-the-clock care for casualties, ensuring their recovery and well-being.

"There's a sense of completion in seeing our patients recover as their wounds heal... I felt a sense of accomplishment in being able to contribute, and enhance the lives of the people who came through the ward," shared 1SG Alfatah.

Back in November last year, he faced the difficult decision of having to part with his two-month old daughter.

"It was my first overseas mission, and it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. I'm grateful that my wife understood and gave me her full support. While I was away, my wife would email me photos that she took of my daughter everyday," he told cyberpioneer.

"Reading her emails and looking at those photos was something I looked forward to at the end of every day. In a way, my family motivated me to do my best, so that when my daughter grows up, I'll feel proud to tell her I've been through a mission like this, that I've met and treated the people there in Afghanistan."

Congrats on a job well done!