Village elders discuss who will be in control of the Larkhabi Afghan Local Police facility during an assumption of responsibility ceremony, April 14. (Photo by Sgt. Bethany)

KUNDUZ PROVINCE, Afghanistan (April 17, 2012) — The Afghan Local Police of Larkhabi, Kunduz district, assumed full responsibility of the Larkhabi ALP facility from their coalition special operations forces advisers, April 14.

This is the third assumption of responsibility in all of northern Afghanistan, allowing the ALP to now assume full control of security in their local village.

“We have to help our community, our government, also the people in the area,” said Cmdr. Abdul Rahman, Larkhabi ALP commander.
The Larkhabi ALP held their first validation ceremony in May 2011. Since then, 225 ALP members have been trained and assessed by their SOF advisers to be fully capable of conducting autonomous security operations, as well as operations in conjunction with the Afghan National Police.

The transition ceremony was hosted by Larkhabi village elders to recognize the ALP’s overall success and the transition of the base, formerly used by SOF team members, to ALP control.

During the event, elders discussed who would maintain control of the ALP facility. After some debating and a vote, it was decided that the ALP would continue to maintain full control of the area.
“Don’t fail our sons,” said Cmdr. Hafiz, Talakwa ALP commander, who in September 2011, was transferred the full responsibility of his facility.

He discussed the importance of maintaining a successful stronghold, as well as other lessons learned from his own experiences.

“It’s important to maintain this facility and maintain this area,” Hafiz said. “The insurgents will come back to test you, but you are well trained and you’ll be able to resist them."

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