Shona conference for Afghan army and Spartan leaders lays groundwork for next 90-day operations

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

10.29.2011

Story by Spc. Melissa Stewart 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Commanders from the 3rd Brigade, 205th Afghan Army Corps, and their partners from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Combined Task Force Spartan), participated in a joint “Shona-ba-Shona” Conference, Oct. 29, at Forward Operating Base Pasab, to meet and discuss past and future operations.

“The Shona Conference was [meant] to present to our Afghan partners the campaign plan for the next 90 days, and to get their input on the campaign plan,” said Lt. Col. Todd McCown, the stability transition team commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd IBCT. “Going into this, each battalion task force worked with their [Afghan] partner to be able to highlight how that kandak or the [Afghan National Police] will be able to support the ISAF campaign plan.”

Afghan security forces and Zharay and Maiwand district Afghan police officers have worked closely with soldiers in CTF Spartan for the past six months under the “shoulder-to-shoulder" concept, and this meeting gave leadership from both brigades, the chance to meet and discuss future plans and operations.

Soldiers from CTF Spartan arrived to Kandahar province in early April, 2011, and the conference served as an opportunity for everyone to plan for the next 90 days of operations and “non-lethal” projects, as well as the long-term planning for the region.

“We talked about the mission, and whatever we have done for the last 90 days, and we also talked about future plans,” said Lt. Col. Abdul Rahim, the operations officer for the 3rd Brigade, 205th Corps.

In the past six months, Afghan and coalition security forces have made tremendous gains in security and development throughout Zharay and Maiwand districts, particularly along Highway 1, the main thoroughfare throughout southern Afghanistan.

“It has been one-and-a-half years that this brigade has been working here, and the area is more secure, Highway 1 is secure, and things are good,” Lt. Col. Rahim said of the progress the 205th Corps has made in the area since the unit was established less than two years ago.

For CTF Spartan, the primary mission has been spent securing the area and pushing the insurgency out of the region. The goal for the next six months is transferring responsibility to the Afghan security forces, while continuing to develop the area’s infrastructure and local governing forces.

“We talked about building a combat outpost, and about taking over Highway One,” said Lt. Col. Rahim of the plans to make the Afghan Army and Police the primary security forces in Zharay and Maiwand.

At the “Shona-ba-Shona” Conference, commanders of every battalion in Task Force Spartan and their Afghan partners - both ANA and ANP – had the chance to brief the group on their individual areas and the conditions of their soldiers.

“As we have been able to see over these conferences, is that the kandaks have taken more of a proactive position with the campaigns,” Lt. Col. McCown said. “For example, when we first held the Shona Conference, they were mostly in “receive mode,” now [they] are saying ‘Hey, we are going to participate in these operations [and] this is how we are going to do it.”

• Date Taken: 10.29.2011
• Date Posted: 11.03.2011 01:49
• Story ID: 79481
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF