Bagram unit opens new bridge, road

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
  • Combined Joint Task Force 76 Public Affairs Office
When local contractor Asil Khan first thought of building a bridge over the Gogamanda River, he was knee-deep in it, evading the Soviet army on a trip to Pakistan to procure weapons for the mujahedeen. 

More than 15 years later, that idea became a reality, as Gov. Jabar Taqwa officially opened the Gogomanda Bridge and the road that links Kabul with thousands of villagers who had been cut off from the capital by the river.

"Behind the mountains there are 6,000 villagers," Mr. Khan said. "They had no way to get to Kabul. Now they have the bridge."

Construction of the bridge took six months and more than 40 local Afghan workers. The road and bridge cost $225,000 apiece. 

The price was a bargain, said Army Maj. Don Johnson, the Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team commander. "Normally a road like this costs $25,000 per kilometer. It should have cost us $400,000. It was a steal."

Mr. Khan said he wanted to do his part for the people.

"I felt these people needed help, and this is the help we can do for them," he said.

The Bagram PRT provided funds for the project and some oversight.

"We would go and periodically check the work," Major Johnson said. "It's a strong bridge. We were here when it was just the foundations."

As Major Johnson's final mission before his redeployment, he took the opportunity to speak to some of the assembled local Afghans.

"In the 10 months I've been here, I've learned a lot about the Afghan people," he said. "They're generous, hospitable. They value education and they want the best for their people."

Major Johnson said a project like this would not be possible under the Taliban. He asked the Afghans, "How many bridges have the Taliban built?"

One Afghan stepped forward and answered him. "Don't ask that question," he said. "Ask how many they have destroyed." 

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