North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations
June 20, 2013
Albania-US Team mentors Afghan Army
Story by Albanian Army Lt. Zamir Sadikaj, NTM-A Public Affairs
“If they fail, it’s because of us!”
Such is the unofficial slogan of the Albanian-U.S. Military Advisor Team “Striking Eagles-3,” which currently provides mentorship and advice to an Afghan combat support battalion at Camp Blackhorse in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The team mentors and advises the Afghan 4th Battalion 2nd Brigade 111th Division in the planning and execution of a detailed yearly training and exercise plan, while also training battalion staff and companies in how to conduct operational-level staff work and perform troop leading procedures.
“We are following Afghan doctrine and respecting their military tradition, while sharing the best of our experiences,” said the Striking Eagles-3 commander, Albanian Army Col. Isuf Hamati…
The team is training and tracking the execution of a wide variety of special courses and concepts like troop leading procedures, map reading, vehicle maintenance, computer operations, tactical communication, lifesaving skills and effective and safe weapons use.
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“I have found a hard working counterpart; we have found a way to solve problems together. The biggest challenge is finding the parts for repairing vehicles,” said Albanian Army 1st Lt. Mirel Ziu. He has served as a logistics officer for six years and is the current maintenance platoon mentor for Striking Eagles-3…
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