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“The Afghan National Army is regularly derided as being a rag-tag militia, dope-smoking, lazy and irresponsible in battle,” writes John D McHugh, a Reportage photographer who recently spent time with ANA soldiers in Helmand Province. He continues:

There is no doubt that this is true in some cases, but the reality that I have witnessed over my 7 years in Afghanistan is that there are plenty of brave and committed Afghan soldiers who want to serve their country, fight the Taliban, and hope for peace one day. But while bravery and commitment are important traits in a soldier, there are other skills that must be taught to men if they are to have any chance of surviving in a war.

McHugh is an Irish photojournalist and filmmaker based in London, England. McHugh has worked extensively in Afghanistan since the start of 2006. He has been embedded with US, Canadian, and British troops. His new feature, available via Reportage by Getty Images, is titled “Observe the Sons of Afghan Marching Toward War.”

Caption: HELMAND, AFGHANISTAN - NOVEMBER 2012: Afghan National Army soldiers take part in Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training at the Regional Training Centre in Helmand, 17 Nov 2012.

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Ten Years in Iraq - FALLUJAH - OCTOBER 2004: A U.S. Marine from the 1st Expeditionary Force sings a song and plays the guitar during a Protestant religious service at the chapel on their base October 31, 2004 near Fallujah, Iraq. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Reportage by Getty Images)

Ten Years in Iraq - FALLUJAH - OCTOBER 2004: A U.S. Marine from the 1st Expeditionary Force sings a song and plays the guitar during a Protestant religious service at the chapel on their base October 31, 2004 near Fallujah, Iraq. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Reportage by Getty Images)

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Ten Years in Iraq - SAN ANTONIO - AUGUST 2006: PFC Josh Stein, 22, at home with his new-born daughter Jasmine on August 23, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. Stein lost his legs to an EFP explosion in Iraq on Easter Sunday 2006, and is now a double-amputee rehabilitation patient at Brook Army Medical Center. The explosion that took his legs ripped through the Bradley armored vehicle he was driving. Stein had the presence of mind to drive the vehicle out of the attack zone and park it before passing out. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)

Ten Years in Iraq - SAN ANTONIO - AUGUST 2006: PFC Josh Stein, 22, at home with his new-born daughter Jasmine on August 23, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. Stein lost his legs to an EFP explosion in Iraq on Easter Sunday 2006, and is now a double-amputee rehabilitation patient at Brook Army Medical Center. The explosion that took his legs ripped through the Bradley armored vehicle he was driving. Stein had the presence of mind to drive the vehicle out of the attack zone and park it before passing out. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)

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Ten Years in Iraq - SADR CITY, BAGHDAD - MARCH 2008: Pieces of scrap metal and boxes mark graves in a makeshift cemetery for victims of sectarian killing, on the eastern outskirts the poor Shia slums of Sadr City. The bodies, shot by Shia militiamen, are collected from a nearby killing ground called al-Sadda, and buried by locals. (Photo by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad/ Reportage by Getty Images). See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

Ten Years in Iraq - SADR CITY, BAGHDAD - MARCH 2008: Pieces of scrap metal and boxes mark graves in a makeshift cemetery for victims of sectarian killing, on the eastern outskirts the poor Shia slums of Sadr City. The bodies, shot by Shia militiamen, are collected from a nearby killing ground called al-Sadda, and buried by locals. (Photo by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad/ Reportage by Getty Images). See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

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Ten Years in Iraq - BAGHDAD - NOVEMBER 2006: Seigtz, a soldier from 28 Combat Service Hospital (CSH), is in charge of transporting bodies from Baghdad CSH to checkpoint number 1 of the International Zone. This photo was taken during his first trip, of which he said: ‘It was the hardest experience of my life, the smell of death was terrible.’ (Photo by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala/Reportage by Getty Images). See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

Ten Years in Iraq - BAGHDAD - NOVEMBER 2006: Seigtz, a soldier from 28 Combat Service Hospital (CSH), is in charge of transporting bodies from Baghdad CSH to checkpoint number 1 of the International Zone. This photo was taken during his first trip, of which he said: ‘It was the hardest experience of my life, the smell of death was terrible.’ (Photo by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala/Reportage by Getty Images). See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

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Ten Years in Iraq - ISKANDARIYA - 2007: An Iraqi woman holds a sleeping child as US soldiers record her biometrics and interrogate her during a raid on July 15, 2007 in Iskandariya, Iraq. The raid was a search for suspected insurgents and targeted IED production. (Photo by Benjamin Lowy/Reportage by Getty Images)

Ten Years in Iraq - ISKANDARIYA - 2007: An Iraqi woman holds a sleeping child as US soldiers record her biometrics and interrogate her during a raid on July 15, 2007 in Iskandariya, Iraq. The raid was a search for suspected insurgents and targeted IED production. (Photo by Benjamin Lowy/Reportage by Getty Images)

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BAGHDAD, IRAQ - FEBRUARY 2005:  First Sgt. Troy Hawkins falls wounded to the ground during a firefight in the troubled Haifa Street area February 16, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Hawkins was wounded in the leg and shoulder but continued to direct troop movement before walking out of the fire zone. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - FEBRUARY 2005:  First Sgt. Troy Hawkins falls wounded to the ground during a firefight in the troubled Haifa Street area February 16, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Hawkins was wounded in the leg and shoulder but continued to direct troop movement before walking out of the fire zone. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)

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IRAQ - 2003: Thick smoke from oil pipeline fires obscures the sun as British Royal marines advance on Basra in southern Iraq during the invasion of 2003. (Photo By Tom Stoddart/Reportage by Getty Images).  See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

IRAQ - 2003: Thick smoke from oil pipeline fires obscures the sun as British Royal marines advance on Basra in southern Iraq during the invasion of 2003. (Photo By Tom Stoddart/Reportage by Getty Images).  See more iconic images from the Iraq War here.

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We’re pleased to announce that Jason Jia has joined the Emerging Talent roster of Reportage by Getty Images. Jason, who was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1988, received a BA in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University and an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography from University of the Arts London. Throughout he has told stories about his homeland, including “The Forgotten Soldiers,” about veterans of the Sino-Vietnamese war. See more of his work on the Reportage Web site. Jason is currently based in Guangzhou, China, working on personal projects and accepting assignments. Caption: Zhou Ting Feng, Second Class Merit Citation. His right eye was wounded and blinded, which is categorized as a fourth-degree disability, China, 2011. (Photo by Jason Jia)

We’re pleased to announce that Jason Jia has joined the Emerging Talent roster of Reportage by Getty Images. Jason, who was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1988, received a BA in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University and an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography from University of the Arts London. Throughout he has told stories about his homeland, including “The Forgotten Soldiers,” about veterans of the Sino-Vietnamese war. See more of his work on the Reportage Web site.

Jason is currently based in Guangzhou, China, working on personal projects and accepting assignments.

Caption: Zhou Ting Feng, Second Class Merit Citation. His right eye was wounded and blinded, which is categorized as a fourth-degree disability, China, 2011. (Photo by Jason Jia)

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…talk to any coalition troops on the ground and they will tell you the Afghans can fight, but only after they have been fed, clothed, armed and delivered to the battlefield by NATO.  Chief Warrant Officer Klaus Augustinus is a Danish mentor/advisor to the ANA and is on his third tour in Afghanistan. He openly admits that he was unimpressed with the ANA in the past, but now he feels they are making real progress. However, he says, it is the insistence on viewing the ANA through the prism of a Western army that leads to many problems. “Always keep in mind that the Afghan way is the right way,” Klaus says. “We’re not going to do it any faster than they can cope with it. Otherwise we’re going to lose.” -Filmmaker and photographer John D McHugh.  Read more and watch the film, Afghanistan: An Army Prepares, here.

…talk to any coalition troops on the ground and they will tell you the Afghans can fight, but only after they have been fed, clothed, armed and delivered to the battlefield by NATO.  Chief Warrant Officer Klaus Augustinus is a Danish mentor/advisor to the ANA and is on his third tour in Afghanistan. He openly admits that he was unimpressed with the ANA in the past, but now he feels they are making real progress. However, he says, it is the insistence on viewing the ANA through the prism of a Western army that leads to many problems. “Always keep in mind that the Afghan way is the right way,” Klaus says. “We’re not going to do it any faster than they can cope with it. Otherwise we’re going to lose.”

-Filmmaker and photographer John D McHugh. 

Read more and watch the film, Afghanistan: An Army Prepares, here.

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