The brief strokes of red dashing across the early morning sky in the mountains of Kajran District illuminate a foot path leading from a wheat field in the valley to a large village perched on the mountainside. Kandu-Ye Bala stretches along the adjacent river for nearly a mile, its two story compounds looming dominantly as the rising sun castes elongated shadows on the rain soaked earth. The snowcapped mountains in the distance are picturesque, all is calm.
As the soldiers, both Afghan National Security and Coalition Forces, reach the peak and approach the first compound, the wind settles and the sun appears. Three elderly men in traditional Afghan robes with matching white turban's approach the filing soldiers, chanting 'salaam,' the Afghan greeting, and offering their hands to shake as a heartfelt greeting.
As is the Afghan culture, hot chai was immediately distributed and lush rugs in rainbow colors were placed on the ground. Despite the possibility of insurgents in the area, the soldiers removed their body armor and stacked their weapons along the adjacent wall of the compound. The villagers were surprised and delighted as the soldiers sat cross-legged on the rugs, drinking chai and eating flat bread, demonstrating their trust in the villagers and their commitment to their own ability to provide security.
The village elder, a wise man with a calm voice, waited patiently for the soldiers to drink their first cup of chai before questioning the Special Forces commander about the events leading up to the civilian casualties suffered nearly two weeks ago.
"We are grateful you have taken the time to be here with us today," remarked the village elder, flashing a smile before continuing. This is the fourth time civilians from my village have been killed or wounded by coalition forces. This is the first time anyone has shown up to assist during our suffering, "and for that, we are thankful."
With nearly a hundred men strong, the Afghan national police commander and the Special Forces commander vowed to explain the incident and offer condolences at a later Shura when the family members of the deceased would be present.
"We are here to help you," the Special Forces commander explained as he kissed the cheek of the village elder before stepping off the woven rugs. "With your permission we have a few projects we would like to start today."
With the village elder's permission, thirty men were hired to carry the humanitarian assistance and medical supplies deposited by the aircraft upon infil from the wheat field to the village center. Another twenty men were hired to clean out a drainage canal leading into the village from the flowing river. The men were hired through a civil affairs project called cash for work, which allows the SF soldiers to hire local villagers to work on small projects for the overall improvement of the village.
With the men hard at work, a compound was rented from a local villager to host a medical outreach program, designed to provide immediate medical attention and distribute medicine as needed. Two rooms inside the compound were converted to exam rooms; one for women and one for men. Two local national doctors were in attendance as well as a coalition forces female nurse and four SF medics.
Around noon, with the temperature climbing to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the Afghan national police patrolled the village, inviting men, women and children to attend the medical outreach program. If no medical attention was needed, the villagers were invited to come out and receive humanitarian assistance, consisting of multiple items from toothbrushes, to shirts and sneakers.
For six hours, local villagers waited patiently as coalition soldiers worked arduously to examine patients, provide medicine and distribute humanitarian assistance.
"Many of the children suffer from malnourishment," explained the coalition female nurse as she distributed eye drops to an elderly woman and lotion to two small children. "Many of these women are struggling to produce enough breast milk to feed them. I've literally handed out hundreds of packets of multi-vitamins for both the moms and the babies. Even though this is a rural area and most families raise goats and sheep, they don't eat much meat, preferring to sell their livestock at market and live off rice and foot bread."
As sunset approached, the remaining men and women waiting to be seen were ushered home with promises to continue the evaluations and humanitarian assistance distribution tomorrow, at first light.
As the coalition forces gathered inside the rented compound, huddled around a fire, the village elder ushered in five men carrying huge pots of rice, potatoes and boiled goat.
"Thank you for coming here today; for being our guests," he said, motioning with his left hand as his right hand gripped his walking stick. "Tonight, we welcome you to eat this food and know you are among friends."
With the success of the first day, the Soldiers began their planned events early, hoping to beat the midday sun. At first light, shepherds herded over 1,000 animals to receive veterinarian treatment. The majority of the animals, consisting of sheep, goats, cattle and camels were de-wormed, and despite being a little under weight, appeared to generally be in good health.
"I'm exhausted," exclaimed the coalition veterinarian as he wiped de-wormer off his shirt after a baby goat spit it back up on him. "The villagers are doing a great job of helping us hold the animals but the donkeys and especially the camels are feisty and it feels like we're part of a rodeo, without the points."
The second day of the medical evaluations was a success, with the final count of total patients treated reaching 650. By noon, the humanitarian assistance was depleted, with nearly every family receiving Halal meals, the Afghan equivalent to American Meals Ready to Eat, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, various articles of clothing and shoes.
The setting of the sun also brought one final Shura with the village elders and the families of the civilian casualties. Wrapped in heavy robes and sipping chai, the men listened attentively as the SF commander patiently and calmly explained the events leading up to the death of civilians from this village in Oruzgan province.
Echoing Gen. McChrystal's speech to the people of Afghanistan, the commander offered his condolences and assurances that the pending investigation will bring changes to help prevent incidents of this type from happening again.
"I, too, am truly saddened by their deaths," he explained, speaking directly to the two brothers of two of the men killed. "Although I didn't know them, I will always remember them."
Since September 2003, the U.S. military has had the ability to give a condolence payment to families suffering a death, injury or property damage due to U.S. forces. The payments are considered a gesture of sympathy only, given to ease the pain of the family. The payments are not meant as an admission of fault or negligence.
The three brothers of three of the deceased were each given an envelope containing roughly five times the average yearly income for an Afghan citizen. The men expressed their gratitude for the payment and for the explanation regarding the circumstances surrounding their brother's death.
"This money will help us pay for food and clothes for their children," they said, explaining that the men have taken in their brothers' family and will continue to support and care for them in their brothers' absence.
During a previous Shura, the SF commander learned that a group of family members were located to the North of Kandu-Ye Bala and were unable to travel to receive their condolence payments. Hasty planning allowed a group of coalition soldiers to fly to the corresponding village to link up with the family members of the injured and deceased.
The condolence payments were distributed and the SF commander conducted a Shura to explain the circumstances leading to the death and injuries of several of the villagers. The families were very grateful and expressed their gratitude for the team travelling to their village even though it wasn't previously planned.
Back in Kandu-Ye Bala, two helicopters dropped off two young boys who were both injured during the incident. The boys were treated at a coalition hospital and then flown in to return to their families. Both fathers of the two children were given roughly three times the annual income for an Afghan citizen as condolence payments for their son's injuries. The children were healthy and in good spirits, interacting with the coalition soldiers throughout the day.
"The mission was successful," noted the SF commander after completing the final Shura before departing the village. "We came here to reestablish rapport with the people of Kandu-Ye Bala and the people of the Kajran district and this was accomplished far better than we expected. Coalition and ANSF soldiers integrated themselves within the village and took time to talk to the people. We provided much needed medical and veterinarian care and distributed humanitarian assistance. The men on the ground executed the true Special Forces mission, and the gains and rewards from this mission will be felt for months and years to come. I'm changed by this experience, and I think those villagers will experience a change too. We demonstrated we're here to help them, to encourage them and to provide for them and that's all they needed to see."
| Date Taken: |
03.11.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
03.23.2010 06:34 |
| Story ID: |
47068 |
| Location: |
KANDU-YE BALA |
| Web Views: |
154 |
| Downloads: |
72 |
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