Farewell ceremony for 19th HRVCON in ISAF

The ceremony was attended by the representative of President Ivo Josipović, Zlatko Gareljić, Defence Minister Ante Kotromanović, Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Drago Lovrić, Deputy Chief of General Staff for Operations Rear Admiral Zdenko Simičić, Military Bishop Monsignor Juraj Jezerinac and others.

Addressing the aligned members of the contingent, Minister Kotromanović stressed the importance and value of Croatian participation in the ISAF peace support operation. “You participate in creating peace and security in Afghanistan, and just as others used to assist us, now we can help others. You’re ready for it, and by presenting to the world your capabilities and skills you will present your homeland, Croatia”, Minister Kotromanović said.

Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Drago Lovrić, when welcoming members of the 19^th Contingent, recalled the importance of respecting the culture, customs and religion of Afghanistan, as well as the current exceptional commendations for their work and participation received by earlier Croatian contingents. Envoy of the President, Zlatko Gareljić wished them to carry out their mission professionally and successfully, contributing to peace, prosperity and good, on the pride of Croatia.

19^th Croatian contingent in ISAF is made up of task-organized force, military police, infantry task force, staff personnel, operational and mentoring liaison teams, mentors in the Military Police School, mentors in Military Training Center in Kabul, logistics support teams and air mentoring team. Contingent, whose commander is Colonel Tomislav Galić, counts 339 members of the Armed Forces, of which 16 females. The contingent also includes 17 members of the armed forces of member states of the US-Adriatic Charter.

Upon arrival in the area of ​​operation, members of the 19^th contingent will be deployed to Regional Command North in Mazar-e Sharif and the Regional Command in Kabul.

Croatian contingent who have been participating in the ISAF for years are equipped and trained to the highest standards, and in ​​Afghanistan have been repeatedly identified and validated for their expertise in performing the numerous tasks and contributing to the stabilization of the situation in that country. Along with many others, the most important tasks of the HRVCON members are training, mentoring and support of the Afghan National Army (ANA) members.