When operations widened to the whole of Afghanistan, Sweden sent personnel to a group that was led by Great Britain in the Mazar-e-Sharif. In March 2006 Sweden took over leadership there, with responsibility for security in four provinces in northern Afghanistan. This responsibility has gradually been handed over to the Afghan authorities.
The NATO operation Resolute Support Mission, RSM, was started at the end of 2014 after ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force, was discontinued. The whole operation consists of approximately 12,000 men and women.
The Swedish forces included an advisory team to the Afghan security forces, staff personnel to the multinational staff in the north of Afghanistan, hospital personnel who work at the German field hospital at Camp Marmal, air cargo soldiers who load inbound and outbound aircraft, and a Swedish support unit for the forces there.
The Swedish base, Camp Northern Lights, was transferred to the Afghan government on 26 June 2014. From September 2014 the Swedish force consists of 50 personnel, the majority of whom are working as advisors to the Afghan security forces or in the ISAF staff units. Most of them are grouped at the German airbase Camp Marmal outside Mazar-e-Sharif, but there are also a number of personnel serving in Kabul.
The main task is to continue to support the Afghan Government in providing security for the war-torn country's civilian population.