NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN

I thought I would post this as so little is being reported about what is going on in Afghanistan these days & yes, there is still a war there. It seems to be forgotten by our media.

No Mountain Too High, No Bridge Too Far for Afghan Reconstruction Team
By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein,
USAFSpecial to American Forces Press Service

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2007 – Whether crawling over dirt mounds to inspect a school, hiking mountains 9,000 feet above sea level, or handing out stuffed animals, members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team are pushing progress in Afghanistan.

“It’s a very unique job,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Luedtke, PRT commander who deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. “No day is ever the same here in the Hindu Kush (Mountains).”

A combined team of airmen, soldiers, U.S. civilians, and Afghans make up this team north of Kabul. They support the construction of micro hydro plants for electricity generation, new roads, bridges, wells, schools, district centers and even a radio station through Task Force Cincinnatus, Combined Joint Task Force 82 and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. Since 2005, a Panjshir PRT has delivered radios, cement, humanitarian and medical aid throughout the province.

It’s a job that requires lots of energy, said Teresa Morales, an Army Corps of Engineers civil engineer, who visits various construction sites. She climbs over piles of bricks and bounds up partially constructed stairs to conduct inspections of PRT-funded projects.

“I try to be as thorough as possible during the inspections,” she said. “Sometimes that takes up a lot of time, but it’s important because the earlier you spot potential problems, the easier it is to fix them.” (read more)


Army Engineers Work to Connect Afghanistan One Road at a Time
By Sgt. David E. Roscoe, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2007 – U.S. Army engineers in Afghanistan are doing their part to restore security and the country’s economy by building roads, bridges and levees to connect Afghanistan’s people.

Afghanistan’s rugged terrain and mountainous landscape isolates most of the population from the country’s major cities and industrial area. Lack of funding, harsh seasonal weather and flash floods have made it almost impossible to maintain a lasting road system within the country. Only about 35,000 kilometers of roads connect the country’s economic centers. This explains why one of the main goals for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other engineer units is to build and repair an efficient road system in Afghanistan. (read more)