PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (May 20, 2011) — The ninth cohort of Afghan National Army (ANA) military police soldiers graduated from the phase one of the Detention Operations Transition Course Thursday, May 19, 2011.
ANA military police soldiers must complete two phases of instruction before they can serve as military police in the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP).
ANA Brig. Gen Safiullah Safi, commanding general of Parwan and Pol-e-Charki Military Police Brigade, thanked the 63 graduates for their service to Afghanistan and commended them for demonstrated dedication to their training. Safiullah said he is very proud and grateful for the graduates’ hard work and service to their great country.
“The whole world is watching,” said Safiullah. “Your hard work is vital to the success of the overall mission and the transition of the control of the Detention Facility in Parwan.”
Brig. Gen. Charles E. Petrarca Jr., commander of 43d Military Police Brigade/Task Force Protector, also attended the ceremony and said he is very impressed with the manner and professionalism the soldiers maintain while working in the DFIP.
During the ceremony top graduates were invited to the head of the formation to accept their certificates from Brigade leaders. Upon receipt, each ANA soldier hoisted his certificate in the air and exclaimed: “I am proud to serve Afghanistan.”
The Parwan and Pol-E-Charki Military Police Brigade is responsible for the confinement of detainees, prisoners and national security threats. As part of the conditions-based transition of detention operations from U.S. to Afghan control, more than 1,600 ANA military police will be trained and assigned as guard force and headquarters staff at the DFIP.
Cohort 9 students arrived at the ANA Logistical Support Area in Parwan earlier this spring to begin the advanced individual training required for service in the DFIP. Prior to that, the soldiers completed ANA basic military training and basic military police training in Kabul.
This first phase of training included six weeks of classroom instruction on standards of conduct for duty, and emphasized safe, secure, humane care and custody of detainees and prisoners in accordance with international standards and Afghan law. Soldiers also received training in daily housing unit operations, including manning over watch stations, searching cells for contraband, escorting prisoners to and from appointments and overseeing recreation, and daily hygiene and meal service for prisoners.
The second and final phase of training consists of gaining on-the-job experience in the DFIP, where the new graduates will be matched with an experienced guard force member for additional training and evaluation.
The DFIP, a state-of-the-art theater internment facility located several kilometers from Bagram Airfield, was completed in September 2009 and occupied by detainees in late December 2009. The DFIP is equipped with a medical facility, on-site family visitation center, vocational facilities and educational classrooms. The design of the DFIP accommodates detainee reintegration efforts and enables Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-435 to better align detainee operations with the overall strategy to defeat the extremist insurgency in Afghanistan.
CJIATF-435 actively partners with Afghan forces in preparation for the responsible transfer of military detention operations to the government of Afghanistan.