Afghans learn to fight without deadly force

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan  – Afghan National Police officers began learning U.S. Army Combatives techniques Aug. 14, so they can teach the skill to other ANP officers in each of the seven districts in the Panjshir province. 

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Cornell, a Philadelphia native, and U.S. Army Sgt. Richard Yoon, a Fort Lee, N.J., native, both members of the Task Force Wolverine Embedded Training Team with Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, put on a two-day “train-the-trainer” course at the Panjshir Operations Coordination Center-Provincial. 

Three ANP officers and four Afghan National Army officers from the OCC-P attended the training. The three ANP officers will travel the province in the coming weeks to present the training to other ANP members.

“We teach the trainers eight hours over two days,” said Cornell. “It’s an abridged version of Army Combatives Level 1. As police, the ANP will definitely have to deal with people who need to be subdued in non-life threatening situations.” 

ANP Capt. Safat Ullah Sangee, one of the trainers, said this is the first time techniques of less-than-deadly force have been taught to the ANP.

 “All of the ANP can’t use their weapons for every situation,” said Sangee. “We haven’t done this type of training before. This will help with fighting criminals and defeating criminals. Individually, all ANP should learn to use this, it’s important to use this training in police work.”

In a non-deadly situation, Cornell said the combative techniques will allow ANP to subdue someone without serious injury.

“They don’t always have to use their weapons,” said Cornell. “In some situations, they can use combatives rather than seriously injuring someone by hitting them with a weapon.”

Sangee, who also was the ANP trainer for map, compass and GPS use, said having Afghan trainers makes the training quicker and more user friendly.

“If Afghans teach other Afghans, it’s easier to learn,” said Sangee. “There is no translation and we can teach quicker than having an American trying to teach through an interpreter. That’s why it’s important for the trainers to really learn the material and be able to know how to teach it.”

The students, who are soon to become the teachers, were thoroughly enjoying the combatives, said Cornell. They are more enthusiastic with hands-on training where they’re actually doing something than they are with classroom training, like GPS use.