of the Afghan National Army is based at Mazar-i Sharif, which provides military assistance to northern Afghanistan. The Afghan Border Police headquarters is also located in the city. Despite all the security put in place, there are reports of Taliban activities and assassinations of tribal elders. Officials in Mazar-e Sharif reported that between 20 to 30 Afghan tribal elders have been assassinated in Balkh Province in the last several years. There is no conclusive evidence as to who is behind it but majority of the victims are said to have been associated with the Hezb-i Islami political party.
NATO and United Nations presence
There are also NATO peacekeeping forces in and around the city providing assistance to the Afghan government. ISAF Regional Command North, led by Germany, is stationed at Camp Marmal which lies near to the city at an airport. Provincial Reconstruction Team Mazar-i-Sharif has since 2006 had unit commanders from Sweden, on loan to ISAF. The unit is stationed at Camp Northern Lights, located 10 km west of Camp Marmal.
Camp Nidaros, located within Camp Marmal, has soldiers from Latvia and Norway, and is led by an ISAF-officer from Norway.
In late July 2011, NATO troops also handed control of Mazar-i-Sharif to local forces amid rising security fears just days after it was hit by a deadly bombing. Mazar-i-Sharif is the sixth of seven areas to transition to Afghan control, but critics say the timing is political and there is skepticism over Afghan abilities to combat the Taliban insurgency. Violence is at a record high in the insurgency, and transition comes as 150,000 NATO-led troops begin a gradual withdrawal designed to recall all foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
The United States Department of State is building a consulate in the city which will be operational by the end of 2011.
