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PINJADOO, Helmand province, Afghanistan – The Pinjadoo Bazaar was already buzzing – hundreds of Nawa district residents were out selling and trading goods, conducting business on what seemed like a normal day. The already energetic atmosphere became even more excited when Nawa district’s governor, Haji Abdul Manaf, arrived on scene. A small crowd gathered around the governor as he shook hands and talked to people.
Afghan Uniformed Police patrolmen and Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, escorted the district governor through the Pinjadoo Bazaar as he interacted with citizens during a recent visit to view the progress the village is making to promote commerce and stability in the area.
The crowd following the governor around the bazaar grew steadily as more and more people joined him.
“He’s got a unique ability to connect with his citizens and spread the positive message of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” said Capt. Jason Goodale of Woodbridge, Va., the commanding officer of Charlie Company, 1/9. “I thought the governor was well-received and very pleased to be among his people.”
The people have every reason to appreciate their district governor. Nawa has been a shining example of success in Helmand province during the past two years, ousting a visible insurgency and installing legitimate government officials like Manaf, among others. Pinjadoo has greatly benefitted from the area’s prosperity, and today its bazaar is a major center of commerce within the district.
“Everybody’s glad. Everybody’s happy,” said Manaf. “I haven’t seen anybody (who is) going to come up to me (and) complain.”
Manaf also took the opportunity to visit the adjacent Pinjadoo Afghan Uniformed Police precinct and a school in the village. Manaf, Goodale and the local AUP commander discussed the progress in Pinjadoo and future plans while drinking chai at the precinct.
“The governor reminisced about his mujahedeen days and some of the fighting that occurred in the Pinjadoo area around the bazaar (in the past),” said Goodale. “We also discussed the fact that he wants to build a new high school in Pinjadoo on the backside of the bazaar and talked about his vision for that, as well as education as a whole in Nawa.”
Education, a privilege some Americans may take for granted, is lacking in many areas of Helmand province. Only 34 percent of Afghans are literate, and only 28 percent of children are enrolled in secondary school. Manaf wants to make sure his citizens are getting a good education – both boys and girls.
“There are still some things that (need) to happen in Nawa; we need to be honest about that,” said Manaf. “For example, girls’ school; we don’t have any girls’ school. If you’re talking about democracy, there has to be girls’ school as well.”
Manaf’s final stop was at a school in Pinjadoo where classes were packed with young boys. The students were hard at work when their district governor paid a visit.
Nawa has certainly come a long way in two years: a bustling bazaar, a legitimate and competent police force, and classrooms filled with Afghanistan’s youth would have been unfathomable as late as 2009.
“I think the situation (in Nawa) is pretty good,” said Goodale. “We’ve got a strong government. We have rapidly developing and strong security forces within Nawa. We’ve got a very hard-working populace that is dedicated and devoted to the future of not only Nawa, but Afghanistan.”
Editor’s note: First Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2011 13:20 |
| Story ID: | 77997 |
| Location: | PINJADOO, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 387 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Pinjadoo: another success story in Nawa district, by Cpl Tommy Bellegarde, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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