Building goodwill in Gereshk

[Batgirl]

3 Jul 08

As jobs go, running a joint coordination centre in a small Afghan town might not be everybody's idea of fun. But for one Army officer the challenge of ensuring the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are capable of providing security to their own people is one to be relished.

Captain Brian O'Neill, 28, of The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS), is one of approximately 30 plus UK troops working in and around the Helmand province town of Gereshk. As the Officer Commanding the Operations Coordination Centre-District (OCCD), Capt O'Neill has been in Gereshk since mid-March. In fact in that time he hasn't even left the town.

His job is challenging but he's enjoying it. Although he is a member of 16 Air Assault Brigade for this deployment, in Gereshk he is also part of a Danish Battlegroup. In addition he works alongside soldiers from the 1 Royal Irish Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team as well as the 2 SCOTS Force Protection team who provide close protection to the reconstruction teams working in the town. As if that were not enough, Capt O'Neill also has a platoon (60 odd) of US Marines working for him. Oh, and he's responsible for mentoring and training 200 Afghan police officers:

"My job is to oversee the mentoring effort for the Afghan National Police, of which there are around 200 based here," he explains. "At the moment 125 of them are just about to complete their training at the regional centre in Kandahar. When they return we'll oversee their mentoring to ensure they are a credible police force.

"I also run the joint Afghan National Security Force operations room which is at the OCCD. I liaise with all the ANSF local commanders and local leaders, I try to establish what the problems are and work to resolve them."

Capt O'Neill's work is varied and often takes him out into the town and surrounding areas:

"We regularly mentor the local police and army as they conduct joint framework patrols. We go out with them, conducting vehicle checks in and around Gereshk. To me this is a great achievement because a couple of months ago it wouldn't have happened; back then the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police would not work together, there was a lot of animosity between them.

"But now they run joint patrols together in Gereshk as well as the rural areas, talking to local people, gathering information and providing security."

And it's not just patrols that the local security forces have been involved in:

"They have also conducted a number of joint operations," Capt O'Neill continued. "The operations have been carried out using Afghan intelligence and they have all been Afghan-led. One resulted in a large ammunition find, that was their first operation. They are going from strength to strength."

One of the most successful elements of the UK presence in Gereshk has been the introduction of the 'radio in a box'.

"The radio in a box enables key leaders to record a message. We also have Gereshk 100 FM which local radios can pick up broadcasts from. This enables leaders to get their messages out to the local community, reassuring local people that they are here to provide security for them.

"The radio in a box is complemented with leaflet drops and Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) teams who are out on the ground. Messages are advertised, which are not just about the security measures, but also about providing information about reconstruction projects, and they also publicise shuras which help local people to put their views forward about what they would like to see being done.

"Local tradesman are also encouraged to come along to Forward Operating Base Price and register themselves with us thereby enabling them to be considered for involvement in local projects. So the benefits are numerous."

Capt O'Neill has seen a real change in Gereshk since he arrived in the town three months ago:

"The atmospherics are very good in 90 per cent of Gereshk at the moment. When Taliban attacks have happened local people have come to us offering their condolences. They recognise that ISAF troops are here to help them and they don't want to see us being attacked.

"The local security forces have also done lots of outreach visits to local schools, reassuring people that they are here to provide security. They are making themselves visible and winning hearts and minds, proving to local people that they really are there to help."

Physical signs of progress are also beginning to become visible in and around Gereshk, a sure sign that Capt O'Neill and his team are starting to make a difference:

"There's a new ANP Headquarters being built, there is five kilometres of road resurfacing going on, the Danes have brought in garbage trucks and employed local people to help clean up the refuse in the town, new schools are opening, a Shura hall has been opened. All of these projects are for the long term benefit of the community and are helping to build a secure future for the people of Afghanistan."

While progress is being made in some areas, attacks from enemy forces continue to be a threat to all the ISAF troops operating in Gereshk:

"The main threat here is Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), suicide-IEDs, and shoot and scoot tactics, that sort of thing. It's a big threat but we have robust force protection measures. The important part for us is the going out on patrol - the local security forces can sense from local people when things are not right.

"They can tell if the ground has been disturbed, or if a local national is not from the local area. They pick up on the atmospherics much better than we can, so they are a real help.

"This has been a good experience for me, very challenging. We've had a lot of success but the next challenge will be to see how the Gereshk police perform when they return from training. We need to ensure they get the best possible support so they can continue to build on the success of the OCCD."

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