KABUL, Afghanistan – Furthering their development, Afghan National Police led a key-leader engagement operation, with coalition force support, in the Towp Kalay village of the Sayyidabad District, Wardak province, Dec. 27.
Training Afghan forces has been the focus for U.S. Army Maj. Roy Miller, team chief of 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division’s Task Force Warrior Security Forces Advisory Team. Miller advises the national police about security matters and what they need to do to take the lead during operations such as the joint key leader engagement just conducted.
“The ANP ... understand the mission of why coalition forces are here... and they know that they need our help in order to become better,” Miller said. “We train them on how to do movements and how to interact with people; and then people see the police out there talking to key leaders and local villagers to find out their issues and actually just taking the time to talk to them.”
With the ANP leading the way, the U.S. soldiers made their way to Towp Kalay. Upon arrival, they immediately went to work listening to villagers’ concerns.
Afghan National Police officer Buhramudin Amiri, the top police representative talking to the elders during the key leader engagement mission, sat down and listened to villagers. Amiri said he was happy with his opportunity to take the lead and ask the villagers important questions.
“I was asking people questions. I was feeling really good,” Amiri said. “We want to solve the villagers’ problems.”
After all the talking and listening, Amiri got the information he needed to try to make things easier for locals living in Towp Kalay.
“[Right] now, we don’t have too many checkpoints,” said Amiri. “But now, we are going to make checkpoints everywhere, and we are going to help the people. It is very good.”
Just being in the village shows the progress the Afghan police are making to be more efficient. Villagers remarked about their surprise at the police coming to hear their concerns.
“I talked to the village elders, and one of the things that came out of it was no one could remember the last time [Afghan security forces] had come to the village to talk to them to see what their issues were [and] to see what their problems were,” said Miller. “So they are very grateful that the [Afghan National Security Forces] showed up today to talk to them – to take the time out of the day to come listen to them about their problems and show that they care.”