Afghan police seize weapons cache with Airmen support

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs
PANHJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  Members of the Afghan National Police recently took control of a weapons cache discovered by the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team during a construction site inspection here recently.

It's a perfect example of the teamwork occurring between the Afghans and the Americans working in this region of the Hindu Kush Mountains, said Lt. Col. Chris Luedtke, PRT commander who is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

"We were very pleased by the quick response of the ANP," he said. "The Afghans are ultimately responsible for all the munitions found in the province, so it was really just a matter of notifying them when the munitions were discovered. They took it from there. We are very pleased that more rocket-propelled grenades and mortars are now secured by the Afghan government."

The weapons were found when American PRT engineers, based out of nearby Forward Operating Base Lion, conducted a routine inspection of a recently-built medical clinic in Dara, a local village. A few weeks before, heavy rains saturated the area, creating landslides near the clinic, which washed up old munitions buried decades ago.

"The Afghan police moved very quickly to secure the munitions in a safe place," said Staff Sgt. Andre Sanchez-Romero, a PRT security forces Airman who works as a mentor with the local police. "The clinic is used by women and children, so it was important to remove that threat to them."

A few days after the cache's removal, Colonel Luedtke met separately with Khalil Rahman, Dara's police chief, and Malam Sorab, Dara's district manager, to congratulate them on a successful mission. Drinking chai (tea) and eating sweets shared by the hosts, they also discussed topics such as security checkpoints, areas destroyed by the flooding and potential development projects in the village.

"Khalil was only on the job for two weeks when the munitions were found," said Colonel Luedtke, "and that meeting was the first time I'd met him. He's highly regarded by his superiors and I've heard good things about him, so I have no doubt that he and his men can handle any situation."

Establishing such good relationships with local leaders is vital to the success of the PRT's mission, he said. That's why he makes it a priority for his team to meet with the various village leaders whenever possible.

Mr. Rahman, who grew up in the valley and is a former Northern Alliance mujahideen commander, said he appreciates the outreach as well and pledged continuing support to the PRT as long as they are in Panjshir.

"Once your team crosses the bridge into Dara, they are mine," he said to Colonel Luedtke during the meeting, causing a few chuckles in the room. "Wherever you go, I will go with you. Whatever you need, supplies or soldiers, I will send them. We have a good partnership and we take the PRT's security as a personal responsibility."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view the comments/letters page