The Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan)

 

For Civilian Services In Afghanistan 2001 - 2013.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Civilian Service Medal is a British medal presented to civilians (and some members of the UK Armed Forces) for service in Afghanistan. The medal was instituted in April 2011 and is awarded for non-military operations or activities undertaken in assisting the Afghan transition to democracy and ‘rebuilding’ the country following the coalition invasion subsequent to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to dismantle al-Qaeda and eliminate its safe haven by removing the Taliban from power.

 

This included crown servants, whether recruited in the United Kingdom, Afghanistan or elsewhere, under operational control of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and any person holding the office of Constable as well as contractors, and their employees, directly employed by the British Government to work for, or in support of, any FCO Provisional Reconstruction Team.

 

The medal is awarded to those who have served in Afghanistan for 30 days continuously, or for 45 days aggregated over a period of one calendar year - provided that the visits are for a minimum of 48 hours each.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and struck in cupro-nickel with a rhodium plating/coating. The obverse of the medal depicts the Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the inscription; ‘ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF.’ (meaning Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith).

 

The reverse depicts an Afghanistan mountain scene with the inscription; 'AFGHANISTAN' written in English (above) and Arabic (below).

 

The ribbon suspender is the plain, straight and non-swiveling type attached to a fastening that surmounts the medal.

 

The recipient's details can be found on the medal's rim in laser engraved capital letters.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide and beige (sandy) in colour with a wide central green stripe and a narrow light blue stripe either side.

 

 

None were authorised for this medal.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The War In Afghanistan.

 

The War In Afghanistan - The War in Afghanistan (2001–present) refers to the intervention by NATO and allied forces in the ongoing Afghan civil war. The war followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to dismantle al-Qaeda and eliminate its safe haven by removing the Taliban from power.

 

U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and expel al-Qaeda. The Taliban requested that bin Laden leave the country, but declined to extradite him without evidence of his involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The United States refused to negotiate and launched 'Operation Enduring Freedom' on 7 October 2001 with the United Kingdom. The two were later joined by other forces, include the Northern Alliance.

 

The U.S. and allies drove the Taliban from power and built military bases near major cities across the country. Most al-Qaeda and Taliban were not captured, escaping to neighbouring Pakistan or retreating to rural or remote mountainous regions.

 

In December 2001, the United Nations Security Council established the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), to oversee security in the country and train Afghan National Security Forces. At the Bonn Conference in December 2001, Hamid Karzai was selected to head the Afghan Interim Administration, which after a 2002 loyal jirga in Kabul became the Afghan Transitional Administration. In the popular elections of 2004, Karzai was elected president of the country, now named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

 

In 2003, NATO assumed leadership of ISAF, with troops from 43 countries. NATO members provided the core of the force. One portion of U.S. forces in Afghanistan operated under NATO command; the rest remained under direct American command. Taliban leader Mullah Omar reorganized the movement and in 2003 launched an insurgency against the government and ISAF.

 

Though vastly outgunned and outnumbered, the Taliban insurgents, most notably the Haqqani Network and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, have waged asymmetric warfare with guerilla raids and ambushes in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets and turncoat killings against coalition forces. The Taliban exploited weaknesses in the Afghan government, among the most corrupt in the world, to reassert influence across rural areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan. ISAF responded in 2006 by increasing troops for counterinsurgency operations to 'clear and hold' villages and 'nation building' projects to 'win hearts and minds'.

 

While ISAF continued to battle the Taliban insurgency, fighting crossed into neighboring North-West Pakistan. In 2004, the Pakistani Army began to clash with local tribes hosting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. The U.S. military launched drone attacks in Pakistan to kill insurgent leaders. This resulted in the start of an insurgency in Waziristan in 2007.

 

On 2 May 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan. About three weeks later, NATO leaders endorsed an exit strategy for withdrawing their forces. UN-backed peace talks began between the Afghan government and the Taliban. As of 2013, tens of thousands of people had been killed in the war, mostly militants and civilians. In addition, over 4,000 ISAF soldiers and civilian contractors as well as over 10,000 Afghan National Security Forces had been killed.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.