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BADGHIS PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Village elders from Darrah-I Bum, Qadis district, agreed to initiate a permanent security program, with assistance from the Afghan government leadership, the Afghan National Army and coalition special operations forces.
On the morning of Aug. 16, the leaders from the Darrah-i Bum village held a validation shura with up to 85 candidates for the program present.
In a showing of unity and force, the validation shura was attended by Abdul Sabiri, Badghis deputy governnor; Gen. Abdul Mohammad, provincial chief of police; Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmadzai, Ministry of Interior ALP commander, and senior leadership from coalition special operations forces. Several of the key GoA representatives spoke to the villagers during the validation and justified their commitment to the ALP.
“The ALP is for the people, from the people,” said Col. Israil Ibrahim Khan, district chief of police. “The government will be here for the village, but now they can defend themselves.”
Prior to the establishment of an ALP program, Darrah-I Bum citizens faced constant intimidation from insurgents operating in the area without the presence of a dedicated security force.
Approximately one month ago, following a meeting between the Qadis district governor, Mohammad Hashim Habibi, Afghan Peace and Reconciliation Officer, Khalil Amhad, and representatives from the Afghan National Army and coalition SOF, the villagers received news that village elder Hajji Hakim, had been murdered and his nephew sustained a grazing gunshot wound to the face. Hakim was a very popular elder throughout the area and was an advocate to anti-insurgent sentiment in Darrah-I Bum.
In response to this tragedy, village elder, Habibi, met with ANA forces and coalition SOF team members to discuss a positive way to move forward in the wake of Hakim’s assassination.
“It is essential to utilize Hajji Hakim’s martyrdom to quickly stand up ALP and secure the area, while popular anger towards insurgents for the murder of a respected village elder remains strong,” Habibi said.
At the conclusion of the meeting, village elders agreed to hold the ALP validation shura on Aug. 16, and the five recently-appointed ALP officers swore to present new recruits on the following day to immediately begin the screening process and conduct training.
Training for the recruits is a three-week course and consists of various classes and exercises, including: weapon fundamentals and marksmanship, first aid, personal hygiene, and an overview of the Afghan government. The recruits also learn how to handle improvised explosive devices and react to insurgent activity. Training continues for the local police after graduation to maintain their skills.
During their training process, the ALP recruits also patrolled the village bazaar to interact with the local populace and build a positive rapport for future support. SOF team members were present during the patrol, but remained in an advisory role only, allowing the new ALP to take the lead and network with the villagers.
Several days into their training, the recruits were called to respond to an insurgent attack on the edge of the village. Nearby ANA also came out to defend the area, but arrived on the scene and found that 15 of the new ALP recruits were already prepared to fight using their newly issued AK-47 machine guns. The two forces quickly pushed the insurgents back into the mountains.
An SOF member reported that the ALP reacted with, “an astonishing amount of foresight and initiative.”
Over the next week, another 63 men joined the ranks of the new ALP, and agreed to work with ANA and SOF forces to successfully repel more insurgent attempts to intimidate and harm the villagers of Darrah-I Bum.
On, Aug. 19, the first 22 recruits will graduate their ALP training, with the remaining 63 recruits set to graduate shortly afterward.
| Date Taken: | 08.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2011 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 79175 |
| Location: | BADGHIS PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Darrah-I Bum village elders commit to ALP program despite insurgent attacks, by SSG Dayan Neely, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
