Kabul posting for OE captain
AN ARMY CAPTAIN from Guernsey has been deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Captain Ali Robinson, 32, is responsible for assessing the success of the British mentoring mission at the Afghan National Army Officers Academy.
British soldiers lead a multi-national team who are helping the Afghan National Army to train their future leaders at their version of Sandhurst.
As part of his role, Capt Robinson has travelled to Helmand and Kandahar to see how academy graduates are conducting operations against the Taliban and Isis-K.
‘It’s clear that graduates of ANAOA value the training they’ve experienced and the input of the international mentors to prepare them for operations,’ he said.
‘The officers trained at ANAOA have been well educated and given a strong foundation of military knowledge. Getting out and about has shown me that ANAOA works – even though we have more work to do.’
Captain Robinson, who went Elizabeth College, said it was his first operational tour.
‘It’s opened my eyes to the Nato mission and the cultural, political and ethnic challenges faced in Afghanistan,’ he said.
‘It’s great to live and work with our partners from the US, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Turkey – it definitely makes life more fun.’
Having graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2012, he completed the arduous All Arms Commando Course in 2013, earning the famous commando green beret.
He has since served with 29 (Commando) Regiment Royal Artillery, commanding both a troop of 105mm light guns and a forward support team, a role in which he was trained to call in artillery fire for the Royal Marines.
