BAMIYAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- In Bamiyan Province, the Afghan National Police are supposed to be the first line of defense against insurgents. Problem is, they are often out of gas, short of ammunition and in need of basic supplies.
On a recent patrol, a group of U.S and New Zealand troops attached to the New Zealand-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamiyan happened on half a dozen Afghan National Police officers stranded by the road. They were on their way to Sayghan, farther north in the province. But their Ford Ranger ran out of gas shortly after they crossed over the pass from Bamiyan Valley.
The PRT convoy was already limping along with vehicle trouble. One of the Toyota 4x4s had a blown clutch -- a casualty of Bamiyan's primitive mountain roads -- and it was being towed back to base. Still, the New Zealanders could spare a can of fuel. After filling up, the Afghans were back on their way.
Keeping the ANP properly equipped and supplied is one of the obstacles to maintaining security in Bamiyan Province. Warrant Officer Class One Ian Lawrence of the New Zealand Army described the challenges the PRT encounters when working with the local police.
"We're supposed to train them, but they don't even have training rounds for the weapons," he said. "It's a bit frustrating. When we take them out on joint patrols, we have to feed them, give them water, provide the diesel. They give them nothing, they have no supply system."
Bamiyan's police aren't the only ones strapped for cash. The local government has a similar lack of resources. District sub-governors, who are the central government's representatives in district centers like Sayghan, often have few funds at their disposal. The district sub-governor in Sayghan is described by PRT members as "very proactive" – he helped organize relief after spring floods devastated the area in back May – but he has no government resources to allocate.
That’s where the PRT steps in: By funding small community projects, and giving the district sub-governor a say in steering them, it gives the sub-governors just a little bit more power. They may not have a budget, but U.S. and coalition funds give them legitimacy and stature.
This is not, of course, development for development's sake. This approach feeds the basic counterinsurgency aim to shore up the weakest link of the central government, at the local level.
[PHOTO: Nathan Hodge]
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