Civil affairs team facilitates Afghan governance, development

Date written: March 1, 2009
Story by Lance Cpl. Brian D. Jones

DELARAM, Farah Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Friend or foe? This is sure to be a question many Afghan people think of as they witness U.S. forces operating in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. One group of U.S. Marines helps ensure U.S. forces and Afghan security forces aren’t seen as an enemy of the people but as allies, defending Afghanistan and its way of life.

Reserve Marines with the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 3rd Civil Affairs Group, operating in support of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan, work closely with the people of southern Afghanistan. Their goal is to build working relationships that ultimately lead to successful counterinsurgency operations, a stronger economy and a more capable government.

Part of a small civil affairs group, the smaller civil affairs team operates with situational awareness and respect for Afghan cultural standards, said Capt. Anthony R. Ward, a team leader with 3rd CAG.

The team’s primary job is to facilitate and conduct key leader engagements with Afghan government officials, village elders and prominent community leaders. As the team works with these Afghan leaders, they learn more about their culture, systems of commerce and traditional ways. This knowledge is critical in facilitating governance.

Ward’s team is comparatively small given the size of the area of operations in which it works. He credits the success of his team to the strong, mature and independent noncommissioned officers who serve with him.

“We are trying to build relationships with the people, winning hearts and minds, so that they will actually be on our side,” said Sgt. Jesus O. Luna, a civil affairs NCO with the team. “We already have some villages trying to side with us to keep anti-alliance forces out.”

A recent example of a civil affairs operation occurred in the community of Delaram, Farah Province, one of many areas in which Ward’s civil affairs team operates. In Delaram, his team has provided loads of material assistance items, such as food and clothing, to the district sub-governor to distribute to the Afghan people there. The goal is simple – promote local government and encourage Afghans to address their government officials with problems and solutions.

A previous civil affairs team operating in Delaram dug wells in the city, built a wall around the boys’ school and conducted road repair projects in the area. Ward’s team follows up on those projects and a few of their own that are underway. City projects like these are requested by the Afghans.

Ward’s civil affairs team traveled into the city of Delaram Feb. 19 to check on the progress of projects it’s facilitating. In support of the city, Ward’s team has arranged a renovation of the city mosque and the digging of a new water well. His team is also overseeing the cleanup of a bazaar and landscaping by pouring new gravel throughout the bazaar’s grounds.

“(Delaram) is in a better state than when we first started,” said Cpl. Steven W. Mootz, a civil affairs NCO with the team.

The renovation of the mosque was the first project the Delaram district sub-governor insisted on having completed in Delaram. The completion of the mosque will not only please the locals but help draw more people to the area.

“Doing things like this shows good faith toward the city and Afghanistan with respect to their religious culture,” Mootz said. “The bazaar is the life blood of the city. That is what we have to focus on and try to improve with our influence.”

The majority of the employment opportunities within the bazaar consist of shopkeepers and laborers.

“We talked to the people of the area about what they thought of the projects and they all seemed to be happy,” said Mootz. “The sub-governor is pleased, the mayor is pleased and we are all working together on this.”

The gravel for the bazaar was a major request of the shopkeepers. The roads were filled with potholes and the uneven ground created huge puddles, making it difficult for pedestrians and local traffic.

“It caused a lot of unsanitary conditions and trucks to get stuck,” said Mootz. “It was an all-around bad situation. We were able to flatten it out with some gravel to eliminate puddles and make it a little easier to drive through.”

Whenever possible, the civil affairs team hires local Afghan contractors for such projects and asks that any additional laborers also be hired from within the city to stimulate the local economy.

“A lot of people in Delaram are unemployed,” said Mootz. “A lot of people come here because it is a safer area, but there are few jobs to support them. One of our efforts is to hire local people, so they can get money back to their families.”

The team also focuses on surrounding villages.

“(Villagers) are telling us that they like us and that they know we are here to help them,” Luna said.

Luna explained the importance of the “fence-sitter theory,” which he believes is key to the success of U.S. forces. He said, in theory, approximately 10 percent of the population believes in NATO’s International Security Assistance Forces and another 10 percent dislike ISAF. The remaining 80 percent are sitting on the fence – those who can be swayed to either side.

“It’s those fence-sitters we want scooted more to our side,” said Luna. “Not exactly on our side but (neutral) to the point they’re not helping the bad guys out.”

The team makes visits to villages with the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army leading the way. Often, they load ANA trucks with material assistance supplies for the ANA soldiers to hand out to the villagers.

“We have lots of (capabilities),” said Luna. “They can put us anywhere, and we can do many different things. We get to go with the infantry, and we get to be everyone’s friend. Everybody waves, smiles and gives us a thumbs up,” said Luna. “It gives you a really good feeling, and we know that we are doing our job.”

Post Exchange opens on Camp Barber

CAMP BARBER, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Lt. Col. Michael Jernigan and Joe Escobar cut the ribbon as Gunnery Sgt. Brian Scarborough observes during the grand opening of the new Army and Air Force Exchange Service base exchange March 5, 2009, at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Jernigan is the commanding officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 3, the logistics combat element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan. Escobar is the store manager, and Scarborough is the base exchange manager.
The base exchange offers U.S. service members a host of necessities and comfort items that were not previously available in southern Afghanistan’s remote bases.
(photo by Lance Cpl. Monty Burton)









CAMP BARBER, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Sgt. Benjamin Chesterbristow glances over potential purchases during the grand opening of the new Army and Air Force Exchange Service base exchange March 5, 2009, at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Chesterbristow is a bulk fuel specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion 3, the logistics combat element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan.
The base exchange offers U.S. service members a host of necessities and comfort items that were not previously available in southern Afghanistan’s remote bases.
(photo by Lance Cpl. Monty Burton)

ANP, Marines execute cordon and search in southern Afghanistan

Date written: March 5, 2009
Story by Lance Cpl. Monty Burton


FARAH PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Members of the Afghan National Police and U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (Reinforced), successfully completed their first major mission in support of Operation Pathfinder Feb. 9, 2009, in Farah Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

With the ANP in the lead, the two forces conducted a cordon and search of a high-interest village along southern Afghanistan’s Route 515.

Elements of 3/8’s Company I and Weapons Co. executed the cordon and search after receiving intelligence that the village may be harboring weapon caches and insurgent supporters. During the course of the mission the Marines found numerous weapon caches containing more than 150 pounds of explosive material, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive device-making materials. Co. I also found other evidence that provided names and confirmed the identity of several individuals with suspected ties to insurgent cells in the area. The ANP and Marines executed the mission professionally and efficiently.

The Marines of 3/8 dispatched the Biometric Automated Toolset outside of a forward-operating base for the first time since they deployed to the country. The BATS system uses fingerprints, portraits, background information and iris scans to identify individuals and log them into an international database, which can be accessed by any federal agency.

“The BATS system is a way for us to identify the Afghans in a Department of Defense-wide database,” said Capt. Mike Hoffman, Co. I commanding officer. “This information helps us to identify the criminals and insurgents without a problem. If we were to find fingerprints on a weapons cache or an IED, we could pinpoint exactly who it was.”

Sgt. Nick Bender, the Company-Level Intelligence Cell chief, said the system will also help Marine units in the future.

“With the system, the Marines in the future will be able to identify people of interest without a problem,” Bender said. “They will be able to not only identify these individuals, but also access their family information and where they live.”

The cordon and search mission, which began before dawn, involved the blocking of the roads leading to and from the village, and the hasty construction of a processing center to enter all of the villagers into the BATS system.

As the sun began to rise, the ANP and Marines got to work. They started by escorting the Afghan villagers to the processing center to be entered into the BATS system. After the villagers were cleared, Co. I, with the ANP leading the way, began searching every building in the village.

The mission gave the Marines a chance to work in combat operations with the ANP. As the ground combat element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan, 3/8 works hand-in-hand with the ANP to conduct counterinsurgency operations while training and mentoring them. By conducting partnered operations with the ANP, SPMAGTF-A and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force provide the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with a professional police force able to keep the Afghan people safe.

“Although it was long and tedious work, we knew it not only had to be done, but done thoroughly,” said Cpl. Zach Switzer, an assault section leader with Co. I. “With the ANP leading the way and the village elders supporting the mission, things ran very smoothly and we were able to uncover numerous weapons and explosives.”

Insurgents use these weapons to attack alliance forces that support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with no regard for the lives of Afghan civilians.

The cordon and search also marked the use of Team Lioness for the first time in Afghanistan. Based on a concept used successfully in Iraq, Team Lioness is a group of female Marines trained to engage the female population.

“Team Lioness is a huge asset and definitely contributed to the successful completion of our mission,” Switzer stated. “Now the women know that we are here to help them.”

Hoffman said overall the mission was extremely successful, and it helped his Marines build a positive relationship with the local Afghan population.

“We are here for the Afghan people,” he said. “It is our mission to build and maintain the faith of the people we are here to serve.”