Mar 31, 2010
TOLA is a group of leading international academics and opinion leaders who considered influential in their fields and often inform policy their respective countries which are NATO members. TOLA visited CAPS with the objective of understanding ground realities of the conflict in Afghanistan. The CAPS research and analysis team provided TOLA participants with an Afghan outlook on various issues related to security, counter-insurgency and state-building.
In the initial phase of the meeting, Ms. Mariam Safi, Research Fellow at CAPS, presented a brief overview of the Centre’s mandate, activities and functions, she focused primarily on the Centre’s three main functions aimed at achieving its mandate of peace and stability which are as follows; Research and Policy Analysis, Education and Training programs and Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing.
In addition, Mr. Hekmat Karzai, the Director at CAPS, delivered a presentation on Counter-Insurgency (COIN). During the presentation Mr. Karzai focused on topics such as classical counter-insurgency tactics, lessons learned from past insurgencies, overview of actor in the insurgency, COIN Actors (NATO/International Security Assistance Force -ISAF- and Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghan Security Forces), success and failures of COIN and finally a list of military and political recommendations.
In addition to Mr. Hekmat Karzai and Ms. Mariam Safi, the three senior research analysts Mr. Saifullah Ahmadzai, Mr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan Karimi and Abdul Halim Achakzai were also present in meeting and answered questions from the various members of the group.
