CIMIC: Building Bridges, Building Trust
Story and Photos by Transition Support Team Mazar-e Sharif Public Affairs
Workers dig out a kanda in the Alburz mountains, April 13, 2012. The kandas will help provide fresh water for the local Afghan population. International Security Assistance Force Regional Command North supports Afghan National Security Forces in close coordination and collaboration in providing security and disrupting insurgent activities in order to protect the Afghan population.
MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan – Since the end of 2011, Provincial Reconstruction Team Mazar-e Sharif (now Transition Support Team MES) has actively emphasized the importance of Civilian and Military Cooperation (CIMIC) throughout all operations performed by Afghan security forces and supported by the International Security Assistance Force.
In line with the overall transition process, it is vital that the Afghans understand the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the primary provider of security and basic services instead of the international forces currently present in the country.
Thus, CIMIC activities do not merely aim at building infrastructure in the country; they enhance Afghans’ trust in their own government and institutions.
“We are not running the projects. All projects are run through local authorities. This allows the district governor and others to show the Afghans that they, and not the insurgents, are trustworthy and able to provide security and development,” said Maj. Tomas Nilsson, CIMIC officer, Transition Support Team MES.
The Swedish and Finnish PRT MES conducted a long-term operation from October 2011 until March 2012. CIMIC was an essential element in the operation. Through CIMIC involvement, the local infrastructure within the PRT MES operational area was improved in many ways. Three projects related to schools were carried out, including building toilet facilities, repairing the roof of a building and constructing a wall around a building in order to keep flood water from getting in. Moreover, four water reservoirs were built in valleys using sand to filter the water from the Balkh River.
The Head of the District Development Assembly, Mohammad Amir, climbs down into a kanda being built in the Alburz Mountains, April 14, 2012. The kandas will provide fresh water for the local Afghan population. International Security Assistance Force Regional Command North supports Afghan National Security Forces in close coordination and collaboration in providing security and disrupting insurgent activities in order to protect the Afghan population.
In addition to the water reservoirs in the valleys, construction work was also started on nine water reservoirs in the Alburz area of Balkh province. All nine reservoirs are currently under construction and are anticipated to be finished by the end of the spring 2012. Following a traditional local method, these reservoirs are being built in the mountain slopes and they will get their water from the rain and the melting snow in the mountains in the springtime. The water gathered in the reservoirs will provide drinking water for nearby villages for about two or three months after spring, roughly until July. Unfortunately, the snows of the winter 2012 melted away before the construction was finished, so the reservoirs will be put to use in 2013.
The reservoirs, also known as kandas, are dug in the limestone bedrock. They only have a very small entrance hole on the surface, but on the inside they expand to a cave with a capacity to hold approximately 200 cubic meters of water each. The excavation for each reservoir has already been completed, but they still lack the cement lining inside.
The local people in the area decided the locations of the reservoirs so that they might best benefit the nearby villages. Locals are also employed in the work, which provides an economic boost for the area throughout the construction phase. The Chemtal district governor, along with his staff, are directly involved in the process, which enhances the locals’ trust in GIROA’s ability to provide support and development to its people.
NTM-A is a coalition of 38 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014. For more information about NTM-A, visit www.ntm-a.com.
Category: News - General
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