Guardians of Torkham Gate

Photo By Sgt. Hillary Rustine | A U.S. Army soldier from 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Steel, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, takes fingerprints for the Hand-held Interagency Identity Detection Equipment at Torkham Gate, May 21. U.S. Army soldiers process the foot traffic coming from the Pakistan side of Torkham Gate with the HIIDE system.  

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

05.21.2011

Story by Spc. Hillary Rustine 

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In the cool of the morning, Tahveed Jan wakes up in Pakistan. He makes his way to the local taxi station to find one that will take him to Torkham Gate. After riding to the gate, he gets out to walk across the bridge from Pakistan through the dusty, smog-covered road to Afghanistan. Avoiding Jinga trucks and honking cars, Afghan border police and U.S. Army soldiers work together to process Jan, a long and grueling procedure.

Every month Jan, a tailor from Pakistan, makes the arduous journey to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, through Torkham Gate. The gate is the busiest conduit between Afghanistan and Pakistan for people and goods. Each truck carrying cargo, each car carrying people and each person walking across the bridge must be checked.

Security of the boarder is a considerable concern for all International Security Assistance Forces.

“Security is getting better,” Jan said. “This is the first time I’ve been put into the HIIDE system. A few days ago I went through the gate and was not put in the system. Security has improved over the time I’ve been coming to the gate, the HIIDE system is making it safer for all.”

The Hand-held Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, or HIIDE system, is a method for documenting and identifying through biometric readings. The local population is agreeing to documentation, an important step toward generating a database of credentials.

The soldiers guarding the gate assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Steel, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, said they believe documenting is working.

“The HIIDE system is already doing its job,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Richard A. Johnson, a cannon crewmember from Greenville, S.C. “We’re catching bad guys with it. If an improvised explosive device is found with fingerprints we can identify that person … We’re like cops out here, making sure bad people aren’t doing bad things”

More of the population is filtering through the HIIDE system daily, which is a vast improvement from the past. According to the U.S. Department of Defence website, starting in April 2006, the Afghan border police started requiring travelers crossing the border to possess valid travel documents. This has been a slow but ongoing process being helped by the HIIDE system.

The ISAF is partnering with the ABP to ensure proper processing and searching techniques are used. This has lead to a better understanding of cultural differences said Whitworth.

“Gate guard is all muscle memory and attention to detail,” said U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan D. Smith, a cannon crewmember from Owen, Ky. “I think the interaction is good. The more we show that we aren’t here to take their land from them but to make it more secure, it will help with understanding each other better.”

This understanding, coupled with better security, is showing how important partnering is. With less threat to shipping and foot traffic, commerce between the two nations can continue unhindered.

“I’m stuck at the gate where they are pissed off because they are in traffic for hours, but we’re trying to make a difference, so it’s good,” said Johnson, who is on his third deployment. Johnson said he understands the long wait can wear on traveller’s patience but security is the most important part of his job.

The soldiers that wish to learn more about the culture they are defending have not overlooked the understanding of the local population.

“I get to see how people here really live. The kids are always good to talk to, some of them can speak English,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Michael A. Whitworth, an infantryman from Splendora, Texas.

With security become a matter of fact, not an unattainable dream, people like Jan can make the trip through Torkham Gate. The extra time it takes to be searched and put into the HIIDE system is paying off with less danger to the local population.

• Date Taken: 05.21.2011
• Date Posted: 06.05.2011 11:42
• Story ID: 71627
• Location: NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF