On September 1, 2008, exactly one year ago, the first Belgian F-16 departed to Afghanistan to participate in NATO's air operations within the framework of ISAF.

Main objective of these efforts is to protect and support ground operations of our NATO allies. Our planes are supporting different ground units of the U.S., Great Britain, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark and others active in the operational theater in Afghanistan.
In the past year, 780 flights involving about 2,500 flight hours were recorded from Kandahar. In addition, every day 2 planes are placed under alert, ready to take off within 30 minutes to intervene in favor of ground troops. During the flights, ground troops were supported by observation, escort and protection in case they took enemy fire.
These missions were always flown by two aircraft and during 116 of these patrols an intervention was requested by ground forces under fire.
Most of these interventions could avert the threat without the use of force, but in about one quarter of the interventions the use of weapons was necessary to stop the life threatening situation for the allied soldiers.
Until now, all these interventions are performed without innocent victims among the local population, what demonstrates the extraordinary professionalism of our people.
The F-16 detachment in Kandahar now consists of 116 staff whom ensure the use of 6 F-16 and who are releave every four months. Last year, over 300 men and women, including 54 pilots of the F-16 units Florennes and Kleine Brogel participated and deliverd 12 F-16 fighter aircraft to Kandahar to insure the effort over the past year.
In addition, hundreds of people on the bases, in the 15 th Wing and the Air Component certainly may not be forgotten on the home front.
And finally there is the important contribution of the other components of Defense, such as the Genie and the Medical Component to name just a few.
Without them the success of this operation would not have been possible.