BALA MURGHAB, Afghanistan - Afghan National Army soldiers and White Platoon, Bulldog Troop scouts patrolled Nawbor Village, Jan. 16, to assure local citizens that the ANA and coalition forces are committed to keeping them safe.
Nawbor Village lies in southern Bala Murghab district, Badghis province. The scouts are deployed from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, Colo.
During the demonstration of presence, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, the patrol leader, saw a military aged male he didn't recognize.
After separating the man and talking to him, the scouts discovered he had recently relocated to Nawbor, and he came from an extreme southern village in Bala Murghab, outside of the security bubble.
The man said insurgents took over his house, and his family wasn't safe. After hearing about a more-secure life in the security bubble, the man felt it was best to move north.
Village elders substantiated his story.
In addition to meeting the newly arrived villager, the White Platoon scouts greeted scores of villagers they already knew.
According to Lewis, the presence patrol was another successful operation for White Platoon, who performs frequent foot patrols in southern Bala Murghab.
The key to assuring coalition commitment is to be out and among the population, said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Costello, White Platoon leader.
“Getting out on foot patrols and walking among the Afghans shows them that we are human beings too,” said Costello.