Daily Afghan-Iraq Update/11-01
"The conference succeeded in bringing all of these key players together into one room," said Army Maj. Jeffrey Thurnher, TF Mountain Warrior's legal officer. "This was the first time all of these police and judicial leaders have gathered together for a regional conference."
After lunch, the attendees reconvened and divided into 3 groups. One group discussed building ties between the formal and informal legal systems. In many remote areas of Afghanistan, local elders and shura members resolve disputes and pass judgement outside the formal system of law.
The 2nd group discussed improving public awareness of legal rights, and the 3rd worked on improving cooperation between prosecutors, police and courts in order to reduce arbitrary detentions.
Army Capt. Craig Scrogham, TF Mountain Warrior's rule of law attorney, said the attendees also discussed a pilot program used in Kabul to track cases more effectively. Scrogham hopes the program will be available in the area soon. "The timing couldn't have been more perfect because all the ministries joined together in Kabul the week after the conference and signed into law the use of this case-tracking system," Scrogham said.
"Although we certainly did not develop a comprehensive strategy with just one meeting, we took a great step toward increasing cooperation between the groups and developed some great ideas for making changes," Thurnher said.
(Photos by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence)
In Shajoy, AF Lt. Col. Andy Veres, cmdr of the Zabul PRT, speaks at the ground-breaking ceremony of the first all girl's high school in the prov., Oct. 22.
CJTF-82 in Afghanistan, Bagram Media Center
Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Brian Boisvert
PRT-Kunar SECFOR members from the 1-221 Cav Nevada NG and currently assigned to Camp Wright in Asadabad, take time for an Afghan lunch between security shifts at the gov's compound, Oct. 26. The security team, along with PRT leaders and civil affairs leaders, met at the gov's compound for several meetings and a provincial Shura with local area sub-govs.
Mixed Security: Army Staff Sgt. Alex Shelton (right), PRT-Kunar SECFOR member pulls security alongside a local Afghan Security Guard (left) and Afghan NP (center). The security detail was protecting a facility where Fazullah Wahidi, Kunar provincial gov. spoke to a large crowd of village elders and PRT members, immediately following a road ribbon cutting ceremony. The road was started 12 months ago and represents an investment that paves the way for increased security and commerce in the Marawara district.
Navy Cmdr. Leonard Remias, PRT-Kunar cmdr at Camp Wright in Asadabad, (left) and Fazullah Wahidi, Kunar provincial gov., unveil the plaque dedicating the opening of a new road, to a large crowd immediately following a road ribbon cutting ceremony.
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Special to American Forces Press Service
By AF Capt. Tony Wickman
KUNAR PROVINCE, Oct. 26, 2009 – The road to economic success here is paved and has bridges linking both sides of the Kunar River. The provincial govt, with the help of the Kunar PRT, is making that success a reality with the 11.25-mile Asmar to Nishigam road, and Marawara bridge span.Dan Dunleavy, USACE rep to the PRT, said the road project is well under way and will spur economic development and increased security in the prov. “I’m very pleased with what I saw. They're doing a good job getting the project on track and constructing the road,” Dunleavy said. “The road is in a tough place that is frequently attacked by insurgents. Many trucks and transportation vehicles line the riverbed, because they were destroyed while traversing this road. Once completed, the road will improve safety in the area by giving SECFOR quicker access to the area to respond to threats.” In the long term, Dunleavy said, the road will link the villages along the road to the provincial capital and beyond, which will in turn stimulate economic development.
The project was assessed at 30% complete. Dunleavy said the project got a little behind because insurgents used corn fields along the road to attack the workers and disrupt traffic. “Now that the corn is harvested, the contractor is putting his workers back on the job and protecting them and his equipment,” Dunleavy said. “Overall, there are more than 100 workers employed on this project, and we saw 8 different road crews working during the assessment.”
The PRT evaluated the progress of the Marawara truck bridge project and the approach roads. The new bridge, a little more than 3 miles north of Asadabad, will link the 2 sides of the Kunar River when it’s completed in Nov.
Pointing at the old bridge currently used to ford the river upstream, Dawood pointed out the differences between that bridge and the bridge under construction. “This is a concrete bridge and very good and stable. That bridge over there is not stable, because it shakes and is very scary,” he said. “This is a very good improvement.”
The construction project is nearly complete, and was an economic engine for the prov. because it employed about 300 people from the local area at various times during the year-long project. Dawood said once his company is done with the bridge, his workers will begin construction on a police station near the bridge.
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Corey
By Army Pfc. Bethany Little
HAIDARI – A project that began last year came to fruition here Oct. 12, when this small Iraqi village celebrated the official opening of a newly renovated school. Dammadi Radi attended the ceremony, along with local sheiks, the Babil PRT, and a crowd of supporters.
The renovation project began in 2008 with Co B, 403rd CAB. The 1411th Civil Affairs Co took over the project and worked with 3rd Plt, Co. C, 2nd Bn, 28th Inf Regt, to finish the renovations and coordinate the ceremony. “This project has been something we’ve been working on since March,” said plt leader Army 1st Lt. Joseph McCarthy. “Projects like these are the basis of change for Iraq, and I’m proud of my soldiers on the ground who are helping to shape the future of Iraq.”
About 950 students attend the school in 2 shifts. The first shift is primary school for 700 students in Grades 1 through 6. The second shift is secondary school, with 250 students in Grades 7 through 9 attending classes.
The ceremony began with Radi and McCarthy cutting a ribbon held by 2 students. Speeches in both Arabic and English welcomed guests and thanked attendees for their continued support and efforts to improve the school. “We're all brothers, and we all help one another,” Radi said. “We'll never forget what the Americans have done to help bring success to the future of our children.”
Village sheiks helped Radi, McCarthy and others in passing out backpacks, soccer jerseys, and soccer balls donated by the U.S. Army. “The overall mission today was a huge success,” said Staff Sgt. Magaly Santillan, civil affairs team sgt with the 1411th Civil Affairs Co. “Our goal today was to officially open the school, as well as establish credibility and good working relations with the local populous here.”
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2009 – Iraqi forces, aided by U.S. advisors, arrested 7 suspected terrorists today while searching for terrorist network leaders, military officials reported.
Iraqi SECFOR with U.S. advisors arrested 5 suspected vehicle-bomb network members while searching for a suspected AQI bomb network leader west of Mosul. The security team searched 2 buildings at the targeted location. During the search, the team encountered a suspected terrorist who became physically combative. The suspect grabbed the weapon of one of the security officials, and subsequently was shot and killed. The team apprehended 5 others who were identified as suspected members of the Mosul-based network.
Meanwhile, Iraqi soldiers arrested 2 suspects on warrants during a security op in northwest Baghdad. Iraqi soldiers and U.S. advisors searched 2 buildings for a Jaysh al-Mahdi terrorist group member wanted on a court warrant for allegedly planning homemade bomb attacks against SECFOR. The team did not find the man, but arrested 2 suspects based on evidence found at the scene linking them to criminal activity.
BAGHDAD — While many Soldiers head home in the late hours of the second shift, Sgt. Ronald Peters sits at his desk scanning over imagery, maps and the Internet, looking for answers to ancient questions. Peters is undertaking the largest mapping project of his career. His work is helping to resolve a concern shared by both the U.S. military and the GoI as troops have pulled out of cities and continue the drawdown.
"We try not to say we're mapmakers; it's more like being able to geographically depict a possible solution," Peters said. While most everything has been mapped, geospatial analysts extract certain features from one map and combine it with features from another map to make a new one. For example, a map showing structures and roads could be combined with a map showing different types of soil to plan an irrigation system for farmers, Peters continued. "What we can do is take the data that creates all the available maps and pinpoint what a customer specifically wants to create a new map that fits their needs," he said.
What was needed in this case was something that had never been done before; a complete mapping of all available info on archeological sites in Iraq. "Back in June, one of the engrs working on future ops wanted to see all the archeological sites in Iraq," Peters recalled. "Everybody knows this is the cradle of civilization. There's Babylon, Ur, some pretty famous archeological sites in Iraq."
As bases were closed and troops withdrew from cities, the existing bases needed to expand, without infringing on historical sites. "We need the GoI's permission to expand a camp to house relocated troops," Peters explained. "The govt, for a number of reasons, might say no. One of those reasons might be the presence of archeological sites in the area."
Peters volunteered for the job and began the difficult process of creating a list of archeological sites. "I started asking around for input from different people," he recalled. "The more I got into it, the more I realized there's a lot more than just Babylon and Ur."
The process was pretty straight forward. Chief Warrant Officer Jason Davis and Peters scanned imagery to identify a mound that stands out from the rest of the terrain, that could be an old city buried in the sand. Peters then examined the appropriate imagery to identify the geographical coordinates, searching online resources for references to ancient historical places in the area. "It's fun," he said. "I love doing it. Being a social science major, history and geography are 2 areas that have been 2 of my academic passions."
"The mapping software we have is a lot more accurate than what they used 48 years ago," he said. "So, I can definitely compare 2 known spots, see its 50 miles off on the old map and adjust. However, there are places out there from the older map that I have no idea where it's at. There's nothing anywhere near it on our maps."
Peters confirmed the validity of about 100 sites using the Internet, but there were still more than 150 that left him puzzled. When the project first started he spent half his day researching. At 250 sites, he cut back the hours, but continued working on tracking down sites on his own time from his trailer.
Then he came across an Arizona State University project claiming there were approx 12,000 sites to be mapped and presented to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq. After a series of phone calls and emails, Rogers linked up with Diane Siebrandt, an archeologist and cultural heritage officer at the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad. Siebrandt shared with him info from the State University of New York. "They had a project of about 700 sites," he said. "I compared that to the 300 sites I had, and most of them were confirmed by the SUNY list and other research."
After months of work, Peters has established a map of more than 800 sites throughout Iraq. "It would be nice to get all 12,000 but there's no possible way for us to do it, so right now what we're mainly concerned about is anything within where we're going to be operating, doing the best that we can not to infringe on any sites," he said.
Peter's ongoing effort to preserve Iraq's archeological sites is now part of the U.S. military's diligence in caring for the ancient sites and history of the Iraqi people, as U.S. forces withdraw from the country.
BAGHDAD – IA soldiers arrested 14 suspected terrorists associated with a Mosul-based AQI cell leader Oct. 27.
Intel reports led the IA units, with U.S. advisors, to a location in Mosul where a recently appointed AQI Wali is known to hide. Acting on a warrant, the security team searched several buildings and apprehended 14 individuals suspected of working for the Mosul-based AQI leader.
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MNF-I
Pfc. Jacob Durant greets Iraqi children while on patrol to assist IP while providing security for a nearby bridge project on the Euphrates River, north of Al Taqaddum, Oct. 5.
U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers deliver supplies to the Fetoah School near Baghdad, Oct. 21. The Soldiers distributed more than 100 book bags filed with pencils, notebooks and other school supplies to underprivileged students.
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