Meanwhile, Afghan Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi credited Allen for a drop in civilian casualties in Afghanistan, saying it helped to restore public confidence in the government.
As she showed me how to write a version of the Bismillah - the declaration "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" - she revealed something astonishing.
In June, 2010, President Hamid Karzai removed General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi from his post as chief of staff of the Afghan Army, and transferred him to the Ministry of Interior.