Field Artillery Soldiers welcome new Nuristan police chief

NURISTAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

08.01.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Adora Sandoval 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Staff Sgt. Adora Medina
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Buried deep within the center of mountainous terrain, lies a forward operating base, new home to the Centaurs of 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. Not far from the FOB, up a winding road, is the Nurgaram district center, where the Afghan national police train and live.

On, July 26, Centaurs and Soldiers with the 527th Military Police Company, Hohenfels, Germany, took a trip to the center, to meet the new police chief of Nuristan, Ana Tullah.

"We had a very strong relationship with the previous chief, Aktar Mohammad, who was very proactive and very helpful in terms of the counterinsurgency and the [improvised explosive device] training and identification for the local populace," Raymond Anderson, law enforcement professional, with Task Force Paladin, said.

Mohammed was respected among the Soldiers for his views and his dedication toward the cause. He worked closely with the U.S. Army and the Afghan national army to ensure continued freedom for the people of the region.

"Chief Aktar Mohammed was great. He always supported anything that we needed and vice-versa, if he needed something we tried to help him out 100 percent to make the training, as well as the relationship, with the Soldiers and the ANP go very well," Sgt. Nasico Lightner, 527th MP, said.

The last time the MPs visited the center, was to bid Mohammed farewell and welcome in Tullah. On this day, however, Mohammed would be nowhere in sight and the Soldiers would begin forging a relationship with the new police chief with hopes of continued success.

"We want to keep the same type of relationship that we had with Aktar going, so that they'll be no issues and no concerns," Lightner said. "Just like when a new unit comes, we want to get them settled in as well, we want to do the same with the new police chief."

For the past five and half months, the MPs have conducted emersion training with the ANP, teaching them law enforcement techniques to include, patrols, searches, building seizures and traffic accidents.

"The Soldiers have enjoyed going down there, training with them, and the ANP soldiers pick up a lot of new things that they didn't learn at their ANP academy," Lightner said.

Though the MPs are all too familiar with the center, this isn't the case for the Centaurs, who are just starting to familiarize themselves with the area. During the visit they were able to answer any questions and formally introduce themselves to the new police chief, as well as the ANP. The Soldiers were also given a short tour of the facility where they learned of ongoing construction projects to improve the camp grounds, and were able to personally meet both old and new recruits.

"Since it's a new chief, he's going to bring in his new administration, his new officers, so it's important for us so that we know 'A', who they are, 'B', that we can obviously check their background and make sure that they are good, upstanding officers and that they understand, basically, the relationship that we have with them in terms of them getting their resources that they need and the direction that were looking to go in terms of their training," Anderson said.

With the focus on turning the Afghan people toward the government, fighting the Taliban and winning the war on terror, working hand-in-hand with the Nuristan police chief and the ANP is beneficial to the success of the region.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2008
• Date Posted: 08.04.2008 08:29
• Story ID: 22086
• Location: NURISTAN PROVINCE, AF