Nangahar public affairs shura includes ANSF pillars and provincial government

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

11.14.2014

Story by Maj. Vance Trenkel 

3d Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Capt. Matthew Kukta of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Police Advisor Team hosted the first Nangahar province public affairs shura at Operation Base Fenty Nov. 12, 2014.

Afghan representatives in attendance were Maj. Hazraf Hussain, public affairs officer with the Afghan National, Ghulamullah Habibi, spokesman for the 2nd Brigade Afghan Chief of Police, Ahmadzia Abdulai, spokesman for the Nangahar provincial governor, Col. Neman Hatefi, PAO with the 201st Corps, Capt. Abdul Assad, PAO with the Afghan Border Patrol, and Maj. Sheren Aga, PAO with the 4th Brigade, 201st Corps.

U.S. advisers in attendance were Kukta, Maj. Vance Trenkel, 3rd Cavalry Regiment PAO and military adviser team member, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Marcus Cornelius, Afghanistan - Pakistan Hands member, and Capt. Brit Waters, police advisory team member and squadron surgeon.

Abdulai, the P-Gov spokesmen, began the shura by suggesting the meeting be a monthly occurrence.

“I want to create a press hall at our facility in Jalalabad,” he said.

The press hall would serve as a centralized location for media conferences where different members of the Afghan National Security Forces, government spokespeople and local journalists could meet.

He said the idea behind having a centralized location would be to increase the ability to synch messages and create togetherness among the different pillars and create more transparency among the different government agencies. Consistent media conferences would give a steady flow of information to all of the different media outlets and journalists would know directly where to go for queries, he added.

The ANSF pillars addressed many similar issues they are facing.

In Nangahar many do not have access to unfiltered internet, making social media interfacing next to impossible, said Newman, the 201st Corps PAO.

“Afghans first get their news through the radio, then TV, then social media like Facebook or Twitter,” he said.

The pillars were also concerned about their recent loss of “Radio in a Box,” portable radio stations recently transferred and under complete control of the information operation officers.

“This will reduce our ability to share information with the people of Afghanistan,” said Capt. Abdul Assad from the ABP. “Feeding the people information about their respective units is the best way that public affairs officers can complete their mission to build the peoples’ trust and confidence in the Government and ANSF.”

• Date Taken: 11.14.2014
• Date Posted: 11.17.2014 02:45
• Story ID: 148006
• Location: LAGHMAN PROVINCE, AF
• Hometown: FORT CAVAZOS, TX, US
• Hometown: KILLEEN, TX, US
• Hometown: ONTARIO, OR, US