District support teams partner with Afghan government for progress

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

12.19.2010

Courtesy Story

ISAF Joint Command

KABUL, Afghanistan – Clean water, reliable sanitation systems, increased police presence, and even local sports fields will be coming to the citizens of Paktiya in the near future, thanks to the partnership between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and members of the Zurmat District Support Team.

Soldiers of the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion joined U.S. and Afghan civilian experts on support teams located at Combat Outposts Zurmat, Wilderness, Chamkani and Herrera to help make these civic improvements a reality.

Military members of the support teams at these locations are assigned to the Paktiya Provincial Reconstruction Team and assist GIRoA in providing services to the people.

“One of the PRT's main roles here is to connect the government of Afghanistan to its people, and the key is knowing what is happening down at the grassroots level,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Reid Smith, reconstruction team civil affairs commander. “This is where the civil affairs team comes in; providing the PRT commander with the ground truth so that he can mentor provincial-level government officials to better serve the needs of their people.”

The district support team working in the Zurmat District has recently taken on two major projects; the clean water initiative for the Tamir Bazaar and the Zurmat sports field initiative. The U.S. Agency for International Development has funded the sustainable water supply and sanitation project in support of the clean water initiative.

“I would say our team has made some serious progress during our first month on the ground,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Tristan Boddicker, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion. “We have made ourselves available both in town as well as here at the [combat outpost], in order to facilitate the local population and expand the reach of the Afghan government.”

Working on large projects with GIRoA is a challenge for the two civil affairs soldiers normally assigned to each DST, but a challenge they’re equipped to handle, even if alone.

“Despite being the only PRT civil affairs soldier on site, [U.S. Army] Sgt. 1st Class [Eric] Conover is still responsible for both the Jaji and Ahmad Khel districts, an area of over (310 square miles) 500 square kilometers,” Smith said. “His current priorities are the opening of the recently completed Jaji District Center and a road project that will connect the three main villages in the district to the Shista Bazaar. This bazaar is a primary center for commerce in the area and will allow farmers in this agriculturally based community a better opportunity to get their crops to market.”

With the combined efforts of reconstruction team civil affairs team members on each district support team, GIRoA officials in Paktiya’s major population centers are able to work toward providing services to the citizens of the region, said Smith.

The reconstruction team continues to build on the foundation of successful relationships which they’ve cultivated in their first month in the province, allowing progress to continue, he added.

• Date Taken: 12.19.2010
• Date Posted: 12.19.2010 09:22
• Story ID: 62275
• Location: KABUL, AF