A Royal Air Force officer has been recognised for his outstanding efforts in Afghanistan by General Austin Scott Miller, the American commander of the NATO mission Resolute Support.
Squadron Leader Craig Pearson, of the Royal Air Force Regiment, was recognised by General Miller for his contribution to the humanitarian support following the attack on Camp Anjuman Kabul on the 28 November 2018.
Squadron Leader Pearson was serving as the Kabul Security Force Liaison Officer at the time and was key to generating the required forces to respond to the incident and to keep the chain of command appraised of essential information, ensuring the NATO base commander at Hamid Karzai International Airport was well equipped to make well-informed and speedy decisions that directly aided those affected by the attack.
Sir Nicholas Kay KCMG, HM Ambassador to Afghanistan at the time, and the future NATO top-diplomat to Afghanistan speaking about the contribution of British Forces said: “the extraordinary efforts of the team at the UK National Support Element [based at the airport], who swung into action at immediate notice and worked tirelessly through the night to provide the necessary support to G4S casualties and evacuees.”
“I’m proud to have played a small part in the multi-national response to the incident as an RAF Regiment Officer and it was a privilege to have seen the many nations act in unison to bring this incident to a swift conclusion. My thoughts, as ever are with those whose lives were affected and I wish them all the best”.
Squadron Leader Pearson
On 28 November 2018, Camp Anjuman, a contractor facility was severely damaged during an Insurgent attack. Following a rapid reaction by Afghan security forces, supported by Resolute Support forces, eight wounded individuals were speedily evacuated to the NATO Hospital at the airport.
NATO forces also assisted 210 people who were affected by the attack who were relocated to the safe haven that had been created at the airport. Within a few days, all were safely repatriated or relocated to new locations.