Operation Fingal

Following the Coalition assault on Afghanistan and the establishment of the Afghan Interim Authority, an International Security Assistance Force was formed. The UK offered to lead the force for the first six months in December 2001. Meanwhile, Royal Marines of 40 Commando had supported Major General McColl and the Afghan Interim Authority since the Authority took office on 22nd December.

On 4th January 2002 the Military Technical Agreement, which provided the framework for the deployment of the ISAF, was signed by Major General McColl and the Afghan Interior Minister, Mohammad Yunis Qanouni.

The International Security Assistance Force was formed to provide security and stability in Kabul under the command of Major General McColl.

Eighteen countries provided troops to the International Security Assistance Force, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

On 7th January 2002, the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, visited Bagram Airfield where he met members of the advance party and was met by Hamid Karzai, the head of the Afghan Interim Authority.

A joint Memorandum of Understanding in London was signed by the participating countries on 10 January 2002, with Belgium signing the Memorandum later and Bulgaria also contributing troops.

The Royal Marines withdrew once the ISAF was in place.

6th February 2002
The Salang Tunnel, the world's highest road tunnel, was struck by a major avalanche that trapped about 40 vehicles and a hundred people in and around the tunnel. ISAF and the Afghan Interim Authority agreed to deploy ISAF personnel to the area to help the rescue efforts. Helicopters from the ISAF's contributors flew supplies including fuel, food and blankets to both ends of the tunnel and a road convoy transferred casualties to a medical centre run by the HALO de-mining organisation.

21st March 2002
Royal Engineers completed a replacement bridge on a key road between Kabul and Bagram, which was named after Captain Dundas, VC, who fell in action near Kabul on 23 December 1879. He had won the VC during the Bhutan expedition in 1865, leading the attack on an enemy blockhouse. The bridge was named "The Dundas Bridge".

25-26th March 2002 Northern Afghanistan was struck by an earthquake and the ISAF provided a team of experts for damage assessment while aircraft assigned to the ISAF were heavily involved in transporting emergency supplies to the affected area.

25th April 2002
British and New Zealand ISAF contingents marked ANZAC Day, holding a service of remembrance at Bagram Airport. Buglers were provided by the Royal Anglian Regiment while a British Army padre led the service.

20th June 2002
Major General McColl handed over leadership of the ISAF to Turkey's Major General Zorlu.

This marked the end of the first six months of the ISAF during which 2,185 joint patrols with the Afghan security forces had been mounted in and around Kabul. Nearly 3 million munitions were disposed of, about 80% of these were anti-personnel landmines.

The first battalion of the newly formed Afghan National Guard was trained and 200 humanitarian aid projects were completed.

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