Military personnel of the last rotation of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team of Ghor (PRT-17) attended live firing exercise in the Pabradė Training Area (Švenčionių Distr.) in the first half of October. It will be the final rotation that Lithuania will deploy to the province of Ghor, therefore it will have to operate in the conditions of the closure of the mission and complete the logistic tasks simultaneously.
According to the personnel that have been training in the firing exercise, preparation for varying tasks and contingencies is vital because it can be a decisive factor in the successful completion of a task. "Enhancement of troops' firing accurateness, correct handling of weapons, improvement of firing techniques from different individual and support weapons are crucial for protecting comrades in the mission area without jeopardizing local population", said the training peacekeepers.
Live firing exercise will continue - the following week troops will complete firing tasks of various complexity levels and practical tasks to enhance the principles of handling personal automatic rifles and pistols - correct posture and movement, aiming techniques, speedy magazine replacement, and timely discharge.
PRT-17 is formed by the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade "Iron Wolf" with Lieutenant Colonel Tomas Masaitis, Commander of the Artillery Battalion, as commander. It will be the second deployment of the Battalion's personnel to Afghanistan.
The Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team was launched in the province of Ghor in 2005. As a result of the transfer of responsibility for security in Ghor onto the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the province, responsibility of the local police and military forces for the security of their home country is being gradually increased. In parallel with that, local administrative abilities are being built on and development cooperation projects are continued. Currently, the key task of Chaghcharan PRT is to train the ANSF units with a focus on the mentoring function. Full withdrawal of the Lithuanian peacekeepers from Ghor and closure of the mission in the province is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.
POC - PIO for PRT-17 Capt Ainaras Jonaitis, cell phone 00370 699 36 793, email: ainaras.jonaitis@mil.lt
Photos by Sgt Audrius Matuzas
