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PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Company A, 86th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, attended a shura in the village of Bajari here, Oct. 10.
A shura is a meeting of leaders from area villages that acts as a forum to voice problems and concerns, in this case, to representatives of coalition forces stationed at Bagram Airfield.
“It’s shuras like these that allow coalition forces a way to better understand the security, governance and development needs of the locals in the area,” said U.S. Army Capt. Terrance McIntosh, a construction management officer with the Company A and native of Phoenix, Ariz.
One of the main concerns expressed at the shura was the lack of education.
Most of the locals in the area are uneducated, said Ainudin, a schoolteacher and Malik, or mayor, of the village of Deh-E Hazarah. Ainudin feels if the eyes of the locals were opened through knowledge of the world around them, then their country would be safer.
“With education, peace prospers,” said Ainudin.
“Though [coalition forces] do not exactly focus on the curriculum aspect of education (the Afghan government is responsible for this), we try to make a safe haven for education,” said McIntosh. “Through the physical action of building security walls around the schools and providing desks, to reinforcing discipline, and working with the provincial director of education, coalition forces are working hard to ensure a proper foundation for education is being provided.”
Security was another topic brought up at the shura. The overall consensus from the Maliks was that the surrounding area is relatively safe. But if something were to happen that the villagers themselves could not control, the Maliks – men in charge of villagers in the area with village populations reaching 9,500 – know that it is safe to call upon the assistance of International Security Assistance Forces.
The 3rd Platoon has a big role in this shura. Not only are they representing Bagram Airfield at this shura, they represent the ISAF.
“I’m not here to tell you just what you want to hear, and vice versa,” said U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Brooks, the commanding officer of Company A and a Walpole, N.H., native. “There are real problems in these villages, and we are here to try and fix them. Everything you say here is taken seriously.”
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2010 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 58022 |
| Location: | PARWAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Education is priority at shura, by SPC Roy Mercon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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