According to the NATO Training Mission, the Mongolian unit in Afghanistan works with about 50 selected Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers in each Kandak (battalion) to improve their competency with three Russian weapons - the D-30, SPG-9 and the 82mm mortar.

Mongolian soldiers are said to be ideal for training there because they use the same Soviet-era military hardware commonly found in Afghanistan. Eight groups had previously been sent to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2008, all for training purposes and no more than 25 soldiers at a time. So far, one Kandak (the 122nd) has completed the six-week course. The 123rd Kandak is four weeks into the training while the 124th had just finished its second week.

MAJ Mirwas Kohistani, chief of the artillery section at Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC) says the weapons were chosen for their effectiveness against Taliban.

The main obstacles to the learning program are the rate of illiteracy among the Afghan soldiers and the language barrier which requires the constant use of an interpreter. Nevertheless, both the Afghan National Army Soldiers and the Mongolian trainers insist the training is succeeding. Other obstacles include having only 15 mortar systems for the class of over one hundred. Only one of these mortar systems is fully mission capable and ready to be used on the range. The other 14 are worn out and used for demonstration in the classroom.

Besides working with the artillery unit within a Kandak, the Mongolians also mentor an officers’ course. Their time is divided between KMTC and assisting the 201 Corps in Jalalabad. Both of these crucial tasks stretch the capabilities of this 22-MAN man detachment.