Gen. Dadon Lawang, 1st Commando Brigade commander, presented Maj. Zabihullah, headmaster of the Afghan National Army Special Forces School, his tan beret in a ceremony on Camp Morehead, Kabul province Nov. 1. The headmaster is in the first ANASF class that graduated from the classroom portion of the course in May and spent the next six months partnered with U.S. Special Forces for on-the-job training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gloria Wilson)

ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-11-SD-076 For Immediate Release
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KABUL, Afghanistan (Nov. 6, 2010) – The first class of the Afghan National Army special forces received their tan berets in a ceremony Monday at Camp Morehead, Kabul province, after completing six months of on-the-job training partnered with U.S. special forces.

The ANA special forces Class 1 graduated in May from their 10-week qualification course and moved on to the operational portion of their training.

During operational training, the Afghan special forces paired with U.S. special forces to conduct presence patrols, clearing operations and key leader engagements – honing the skills they learned in the classroom.

The ceremony was presided over by Gen. Dadon Lawang, 1st Commando Brigade commander, and attended by the current ANA special forces students.

“Wear your berets with pride,” said Lawang. “They symbolize who you are and what you represent. Respect them as you do the people you are honor-bound to protect.”

The ANASF soldiers are trained to focus on interaction with the population through jirgas with village elders, but capable of unilateral operations.

“I am proud and honored to be standing here today, sharing this moment with you. This is an important step in the history of Afghanistan,” said Lawang. “Before there were commandos, and now there is commandos and ANASF. Special forces means special jobs and special people. I know you will do great things for our country.”