7/19/2017 Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN

07.19.2017

Story by Cpl. Fletcher King 

Resolute Support Headquarters

With approximately 4,700 kilometers/ 3,000 miles bordering neighboring countries and more than 34.6 million people, Afghanistan is a vast country with many aspects worth protecting. Three men of the Afghan Border Police, 1st Sgt. Shafiqullah Safi, 2nd Sgt. Ziauddin Nekzad, and 2nd Sgt. Nasratullah Ibrahimkhail, saw a need and answered their nation’s call.

According to 1st Sgt. Shafiqullah Safi, who has seven years’ experience in the police force, he joined the Afghan police because he wanted to make Afghanistan a better place to live. In order to best serve his country, Safi decided to become a policemen, and recently, joined two other policemen, Nekzad and Ibrahimkhail, to attend a course where they became certified to teach future police officers in their respective locations.

Over the course of three days, Safi, Nekzad, and Ibrahimkhail learned various skills and tasks required to better understand policing. One of the skill sets they tested on was emergency medical training, a useful skill for this dangerous job. Often, they will be posted at checkpoints to inspect vehicles entering the country, and some of the people in these vehicles have violent intent.
The gentlemen trained their newly-learned skills with a practical exercise. The exercise began with a mock vehicle checkpoint, where the policemen stopped a vehicle to conduct a search of its contents. As they approached the vehicle, two notional suspects fled the car, leaving one in the vehicle, and the policemen were ready to respond accordingly.
Using tactics from their course, they apprehended one of the suspects for questioning, tracked the other two suspects who fled the scene, and discovered that the notional suspects led them to a building filled with jugs and bags, components indicating IEDs might be made inside. The practical exercise ended with a notional firefight, where Ibrahimkhail becomes wounded but was able to neutralize the threat from the suspects.

Safi and Nekzad quickly go to their comrade’s aid and assess that he has been wounded in the leg and arm. The men apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and call in support. Overall, the notional mission was a success.

The instructors have a quick sit down with the border police and talk about what they did well and where they need to improve. After a few more times, the Afghan police were more confident and looking more like the experts. For their hard work and dedication to serving their country, Safi, Nekzad, and Ibrahimkhail earned certificates for completing the course. The men were very proud of this achievement and were excited to bring back what they learned in the field to their future students.
“These men are the bricks that will continue to build up the Afghan police force,” said training advisor Maj. Edward Strzalkowski, from Train, Advise, Assist Command- South.

Because of Safi, Nekzad, and Ibrahimkhail’s determination to help Afghanistan, future Afghan border policemen have the potential to truly make a lasting, positive impact in their homeland. All three men fully understand the risks of the job and accept that the security and prosperity of their country is worth risking life and limb.
"I joined the police force to help people and keep people safe," Said 2nd Sgt. Nasratullah Ibrahimkhail “I love this country and will serve even if it means I lose my life to protect my people." He continued, “I told my wife and children that if I die, do not cry for me because I am proud of what I do, and I died for my country.”

• Date Taken: 07.19.2017
• Date Posted: 07.23.2017 06:18
• Story ID: 242160
• Location: AF