Story by: U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Nicholas Mercurio
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team made the most out of a patrol to Khas Kunar by meeting with district officials and conducting quality checks of several school projects in the area Jan. 8.
Khas Kunar, located on the east side of the Kunar River in the southernmost corner of the province, has been identified by the Afghan central government as a key terrain district, critical to linking the population centers of the Kunar River Valley to the Jalalabad-Kabul economic corridor.
During the patrol, the PRT visited the Zagrano Bando School, Khas Kunar District Center, Khas Kunar Afghan Border Police and Afghan National Police stations, and the Arazi School.
Together, the Arazi and Zagrano Bando schools will educate more than 500 students at the primary level in each of their 14 classrooms and carry a price tag of slightly more than $500,000 combined. The Arazi School is projected to open in the beginning of February and the Zagrano Bando School in early May.
At the Khas Kunar District Center, the PRT commander, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brian Goss of Annapolis, Md., had an in-depth conversation with District ANP Chief Maj. Abdul Kadeer about the current security situation.
“Khas Kunar and Nurgol are very important districts to Kabul,” Goss said in a mixture of Pashto and English. “It is very important that you are patrolling the roads, especially at night.”
“We believe in the ANP and try to partner with you every chance we get,” Goss said. “We always take two ANP vehicles with us on patrol to show the people our continued cooperation.”
During their discussion, Kabeer informed Goss that his ANP officers are in the midst of a training program at nearby Forward Operating Base Penich, which will be completed in two weeks.
“The training involves basic marksmanship and tactical movements [and is] making my men much more confident in their abilities,” Kabeer said.
“We are almost there,” Goss assured him.