Joint meeting aims to increase Paktya security

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Paktya security and how to improve it was the main topic at a joint security meeting held at Forward Operating Base Gardez Jan. 23.

The newly established weekly meeting included participants from the Afghan National Security Forces, the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boesen, a native of Ankeny, Iowa, and commander of the 1st Bn. 168th Inf. Regt., known as Task Force Lethal, helped put together the joint security meeting designed to coordinate the efforts of ANSF and coalition forces in Paktya.

“It gives us a chance to come together and say, ‘Hey, we have a problem here, let’s talk about how to solve it,’” said Boesen. “The whole purpose of the meeting is to get everyone together in an effort to solve the problems of Patkya. I’ve seen this meeting in Khowst and Ghazni, and it has worked real well; doing things piecemeal does not work. I’ve seen it.”

One focus of this week’s meeting was the practicality and effectiveness of night raids performed within the province.

Brig. Gen. Abdal Rahma Safi, the Paktya chief of police, believes the increased presence of the security forces during the day and night in the past week contributed to the low level of insurgent activity in the province.

“Night raids have been very effective based on the reports I have received,” said Safi.

Col. Mahmoud Zazai, commander of the Afghan National Army’s 1st Kandak, said the shoulder-to-shoulder operations conducted at night by ANA and coalition forces in Zormat District have been successful at controlling insurgent activity.

“I think night raids work to get insurgent forces out of the area,” said Zazai. “We can go places that we couldn’t before.”

Gen. Nazar Shah Safi, the National Directorate of Security chief, spoke of the practical reasons for the ANSF and coalition forces to conduct night raids.

“Conducting operations during the day has a high likelihood of civilian casualties. If conducted at night, civilians are safe in their houses, and it is easier to capture the target,” he said.

Other topics at the meeting included the activity level of insurgent forces, the effectiveness of the ANSF and coalition presence, and the need to sustain recently improved ANSF and coalition forces communication and cooperation.

“We used to not participate in operations, night raids or air assaults,” said Safi. “But now, we cooperate with coalition forces, and civilian casualties have decreased.”

Mike O’Brien, State Department representative for the PRT, said the security meeting established by Boesen and Team Paktya has been a positive step to achieving congruency of effort by the ANSF and coalition forces in Paktya.
   
“We will always be available to conduct joint operations with ANSF and coalition forces,” said Col. Rahimi, the executive officer for the Paktya Afghan National Civil Order Police Brigade.