Subscribe
KABUL, Afghanistan - The third elder shura took place at the government centre in Marjah, southern Afghanistan recently.
Shuras, the Afghan equivalent of a town hall meeting, serve as a forum where the residents' concerns can be discussed, and proposals deliberated upon. Prior to the meeting, Haji Zahir, Marjah's district governor, presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the renovation of the town's government centre and symbolize the formal and permanent presence of the government of Afghanistan in Marjah.
"The ceremony officially marked the government centre's refurbishment after it was repainted, had new doors and windows installed, and had interior restructuring done," said Capt. Anthony F. Zinni, commanding officer for Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
"Having all the block leaders there see the government of Afghanistan slowly establishing itself presents the perception of the government improving on what it has and a sense of status that comes with legitimacy."
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony and a prayer, the shura convened under a solar shade. Roughly 200 men were present, the majority of whom were village elders, mullahs, the religious figureheads of community, or block leaders, a significant increase on the 60 elders who attended the previous meeting.
"When we first started holding the [shuras], the main concern was civilian casualties," said Zinni. "The last one was focused on accountability of block leaders. This one was aimed at establishing the structure and workings of an elder shura as a governing body."
Representatives from Afghan security forces, the regional governor and elders at the shura discussed several different topics, the foremost being how to establish a governing body of elders to work as a council for the city.
"We're trying to get them to buy into the idea of the council because it's a form of empowerment," Zinni said. "They can vote, speak up and in doing so make changes. [The elders] are on the ledge, wondering if they should take a leap of faith and put their trust in Afghan government or not. They're going to support the guy who can oust the other. In a lot of ways the Taliban have burnt bridges since they've been here."
Other key points were the recruitment of local men into the Afghan Uniformed Police and the need for the various tribes and villages that comprise the city to present a unified front against the Taliban.
"The people of Marjah like the idea of having locals police their own city, as they're not too trusting of outsiders," said Zinni. "The fact that there will be Marjah residents being police officers in their city gives them a sense of ownership over their community."
One of the final points of discussion was on tribal support, as smaller tribes and villages are at the highest risk of being targeted by the Taliban.
"A lot of villages that are farther away are isolated and are at risk of reprisal from the Taliban if they cooperate with us," said Zinni. "The Taliban aren't targeting areas that are unified, because the larger tribes are fighting back. Some of the larger tribes have been encouraged to unify with the smaller ones for security. It's possible in Marjah, which is a melting pot of different tribes and ethnicities."
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2010 11:55 |
| Story ID: | 51734 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 170 |
This work, Third elders' shura held at Marjah's government centre, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT