This research analyses the narratives surrounding the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) by the Swedish military personnel who participated in the mission. ISAF was a NATO led operation between 2001 and 2014, with the objective to support and train Afghan security forces following the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sweden, who at the time was not a NATO member and had not faced direct threats from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, participated throughout the mission and experienced the deadliest military intervention indecades as a result. When looking back at ISAF and what was said about Swedish participation,there exists a large discrepancy between the development and humanitarian-focused narratives told to the public and the de facto mission of ISAF. Through a Communication forDevelopment lens, it appears that certain narratives were used based on notions of developmentand humanitarian aid to appease certain groups, whilst the reality in Afghanistan looked very different. The narratives surrounding their role in Afghanistan were analysed using semi structured interviews with Swedish officers and soldiers who participated in ISAF. The data was analysed using thematic analysis to see whether the grand and strategic narratives based on helping the Afghan population through humanitarian and development interventions could be reflected in what the military personnel stated.