FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERMEL, Afghanistan | U.S. media reports on Afghanistan often fail to capture the success in the country brought about by the cooperation between the military and Afghans — and the appreciation of the latter.
In the Bermel district of the eastern Paktika province — once a battleground between U.S. troops and Taliban forces — such cooperation has vastly improved security. Joint efforts by Afghan national security forces and American troops have also helped build schools and community centers.
“We always knew the Americans would come, and we hoped and prayed for that day even during the days the Taliban was in power,” said Hannif Mohammed an Afghan national in Bermel. “Now that they’re here, they’ve helped us protect ourselves and rebuild our country.”
His sentiments are echoed throughout much of the population. The appreciation for U.S. forces can be seen as patrols zigzag through the high desert valley.
“We used to not see any kids when we patrolled. Now we have kids, teenagers and adults coming out to wave at us as we go by,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Henry of the local embedded training team (ETT). “It’s a small indicator, but it’s important.”
ETTs, which operated in small numbers with the Afghan national army, have unique insight into the opinions of the population. The members of these ETTs speak with the people frequently and on an informal basis. As they patrol with their Afghan partners, these American forces are often invited to dine or drink Chai, or tea, with the locals.
This partnership was visible earlier this month when an Afghan army patrol and its U.S. counterpart participated in the opening of two schools in Shkin.
Shkin is a border crossing point from Pakistan and was previously highly influenced by the Taliban.
Now the residents celebrate the school opening under sunny skies. The school will serve the three tribes that live in the area and account for about 200 children, more than 60 percent of whom are female.
The elders of the three tribes conducted a shura, or meeting, with Afghan troops, U.S. forces and local people. They noted that none of this could have been done without the help of the central government in Kabul and the U.S. military.
“We appreciate having the Americans here to help us and show us the way” an interpreter translates for the elder from Shkin. Children from the school are on hand to demonstrate what they have learned; many of them speak rudimentary English.
“The United States has had democracy for over 200 years and Afghanistan has had it for less than eight; we can learn a lot from the Americans,” said Daud Mohammed, Mr. Mohammed’s younger brother. “They’ve come a long way to help us and we appreciate that; it’s like an older brother helping us to learn.”
As the infrastructure and the education system improves in Bermel, the locals see the benefits of the government and the downside of the insurgency. Every day, more choose to turn away from the violence and terror that has beset their nation in recent years.
• Cory Schulz is a Nevada National Guardsman who has been serving as an embedded training team chief to the Afghan national army at Forward Operating Base Bermel since October.
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