A beacon of progress: new bridge highlights development in Helmand

CAMP LEATHERNECK, HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

12.09.2011

Story by Cpl. Jeff Drew 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Afghanistan – An opening ceremony for the newly constructed wadi crossing in Musa Qal’eh, Helmand province, today serves as a shining beacon of the progress evident throughout Helmand province. The wadi crossing is a bridge across a riverbed that is often impassible in the rainy season, and it connects the district center with neighboring communities, opening access to local markets and towns, improving commerce and facilitating travel year-round.

The crossing, composed of two 60-meter spans, is considered vital for surrounding towns. Its completion exemplifies the partnership between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and International Security Assistance Force agencies working together to provide local solutions, and GIRoA’s growing capability in governance and development, according to Maj. Frank Diorio, executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, which is currently located in Musa Qal’eh.

The wadi crossing is the most recent in a series of successes throughout Helmand province, made possible, in part, by sustained improvements in security via a growing and confident Afghan security force and a determined GIRoA working with local elders, all of which supported by U.S. Marines and other coalition forces. This continued progress of critical infrastructure development contributes to the ultimate goal of transitioning the reigns of security to Afghan forces.

Security

“Security comes first. It is important for (Afghans) to take care of themselves, and it is vital that when there are no coalition forces assisting them (in the future), they are able to protect the local people who live throughout the region,” said 1st Lt. Chiraag Dave, Afghan National Security Forces coordination officer for 2nd Marine Division (Forward).

Security provides a foundation which allows for the development projects to occur. Without a capable and confident security force, insurgents use intimidation and violence to prevent contractors from completing development projects, as was the case at the Kajaki dam before Afghan and U.S. forces pushed insurgents out of the area to allow workers access to continue repairs.

Afghan National Security Forces progress each day, assisted and mentored by U.S. Marines and other coalition forces, to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens, according to Dave. Newly graduated Afghan Local Police units patrol the streets providing security and keeping insurgents from infiltrating their homes and villages, while Afghan National Army soldiers rely less and less on coalition forces for aid, preferring to take responsibility for the safety of their own people.

“We want them to be successful and be able to protect themselves, said Dave, a Dacula, Ga., native. “They are starting to take ownership and responsibility. If there is an incident, they are starting to rely less on Marines and use their own judgment and intuition when reacting to different situations.”

Progress doesn’t come without challenges, however. The low literacy rate among military-age men often proposes a test of creative teaching techniques for Marine mentors.

“We have to use a visual concept because a lot of (Afghan soldiers and policemen) can’t read or write,” explained Dave. “They learn a lot faster if we show them and then they do it themselves, using a hands-on approach.”

With a solid foundation of security, GIRoA will be able to build a future, a future that begins with education, a solution to the low literacy rates which makes progress challenging in Afghanistan.

Education

“One of the basic functions the people want from their government, just like in the United States, is education. They want their kids to be educated, and they want their families to have a better life than they have now,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Spencer, education and development officer for Civil-Military Operations, 2nd Marine Division (Forward).

The growth of the education system in the last ten months has been immense. The division and other coalition forces have assisted GIRoA in completing construction on seven new schools throughout Helmand since March 2011, with 19 more schools currently under construction. The schools’ sizes range from four to eight classrooms, able to house 45 students per classroom. With the integration of a morning and afternoon class, these schools will be able to teach up to 10,000 students once they are all completed.

“The community will go to their development (shuras), where they will meet with elders from their area and present their projects to GIRoA – to the district governor or the education director,” said Spencer, a Roy, Utah, native. “The people are constantly bringing forward the need for more schools.”
The insurgency has also begun to change its tactics of preventing education through intimidation, as local residents express the importance of educating their youth.

“Insurgents have stopped intimidating the education program because the people of Afghanistan, and especially Helmand province, want it,” said Spencer. “(Insurgents) have no way to provide this for them; only GIRoA has the capability to provide education, so they have backed off quite a bit.”

As the insurgency’s grip on the citizens of Helmand falters, the children show a more consistent presence at school. Attendance has improved, and the number of programs for female students have increased, offering the female population a greater opportunity for education. Improved security in the division’s area of operations has also allowed for many schools to re-open their doors.

With the responsibility of security and education transitioning to GIRoA, United States and other coalition members continue to mentor Afghans on the importance of agricultural development, with the goal of converting the growth of poppy, a plant used in illicit drugs and directly tied to supporting terrorist activities, to safer and more economical licit crops.

Agriculture

“Agriculture is the most important thing they have; it’s 80 percent of the country’s economy, not just the crops, but the businesses that support the crops – the bazaars, the service centers, and seed markets – everything feeds into it,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 William Lathery, agriculture development officer for Civil-Military Operations, 2nd Marine Division (Forward).

The Afghan government has made great strides taking the initiative in the fight against poppy cultivation in Southwestern Afghanistan, supported by Marines and other coalition partners. In the last nine months 2nd Marine Division (Forward) has led the ground combat element in Helmand province, GIRoA- and Marine-led programs, including wheat-seed distribution, have affected more than 50,000 farmers within the area.

The Afghan government has met several challenges, however, in its efforts to convince farmers to switch crops from illicit poppy to more productive and healthier crops. Afghan farmers fear retribution from insurgents, who force them to grow poppy to support insurgent activities. They also fear the risk of attempting to grow new crops, worrying they may grow them incorrectly or be unable to sell them at local markets. Without a guaranteed source of income, the farmers cannot provide for their families.

As a way to combat these challenges, Afghans are working with Marines and other coalition members to develop three district agricultural training centers, which will have a broad impact in the areas of Marjah, Nawa, and Gereshk.

“They will be places where farmers can come and see crops growing; they don’t have to be convinced to grow it themselves,” said Lathery, a Germanton, N.C., native. “(The farmers) will come out to the farm and see how something is done, how something is grown better, and the workers there will teach them how to grow it the way they grew it. They are showing them what the markets want.

(The farmers) grow things too small, and they will be taught to grow for optimal, premium markets.”

Marine mentors are predicting farmers will begin to create co-ops once they realize they can grow and sell crops other than poppy at competitive prices. These cooperatives offer opportunity for farmers to work together and operate around the rise and fall of market prices, as well as use volume buying and selling power to their advantage.

“They will get all their seed and fertilizer cheaper because they are buying in bulk, and then they can sell at a better price because the buyer doesn’t have to go all over the place wasting his gas and time,” said Lathery. “(The co-ops) connect farmers to the markets, farmers to the government, and connect farmers to each other, and I see that as the biggest thing we can do.”

Once the farmers have harvested their crops, they must bring them to market in order to provide for their families and contribute to the growing Afghan economy. For farmers in the Musa Qal’eh district, this will no longer be a problem, as a project that began in September is nearing completion.

Commerce

“The construction of the wadi crossing bridge has been noted as being rather vital. Hopefully after construction we will see a lot more commerce in the district center,” said Gunnery Sgt. James Flaherty, the chief of the civil affairs team in support of 2/4.

During the high-water season, the Musa Qal’eh district center is separated from the majority of the district’s residents. Many farmers try desperately to ford the torrents of water in small cars in an attempt to get their crops to market, only to be washed downstream, losing their harvest and endangering their lives. For three months of the year the people are separated from their government and market, until now.

The opening of the Musa Qal’eh wadi crossing is a project spearheaded by the 4th Civil Affairs Group in support of 2/4, with support from 2nd Marine Division (Forward), and built by Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4. The crossing also connects a road from the town of Gereshk to Musa Qal’eh and allows for Afghan residents to reach markets year-round. The bridge is expected to drastically improve the economy in the region.

“It really adds to the value chain,” said Spencer. “If someone is growing strawberries in Musa Qal’eh and can’t get the strawberries out of Musa Qal’eh, and there are only a certain number of people who want them there, and if they can get them to Gareshk, then they can sell a whole lot more at a better price. It’s going to have a huge impact.”

The construction of the wadi crossing, as with all development in Southwestern Afghanistan, is made possible through the progress of Afghan and coalition forces within Helmand province. The advances in security, education and agriculture are just the beginning, as GIRoA continuously improves its ability to support the Afghan people, working toward a safe and prosperous future.

Editor’s note: Second Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8 in 2nd Marine Division (Forward). The division heads Task Force Leatherneck, which serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.

• Date Taken: 12.09.2011
• Date Posted: 12.09.2011 07:35
• Story ID: 81108
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF