1st Bersaglieri Regiment transfers authority to 3rd Alpini Regiment in Shindand

HERAT, Afghanistan (Apr. 27) – The Italian 1st Bersaglieri Regiment in Shindand, responsible for Task Force Center, transferred authority with the Italian 3rd Alpini Regiment after a six-month deployment in Western Afghanistan during a ceremony today.Col. Francesco Maria Ceravolo, the Bersaglieri Regiment commander, and Col. Giulio Armando Lucia completed the tranfer at the forward operational base 'La Marmora.' Several district authorities and Brig. Gen. Claudio Berto, Regional Command West commander, attended the ceremony.

Throughout their time in theatre, the Bersaglieri Regiment troops worked with Afghan forces to improve security conditions in one of the remotest districts of the region. Until recently, international forces were virtually absent in the region. Today, the districts of Adraskan and Farsi Shindand are considered among the most secure of the region.

The presence on the ground was widespread, with a platoon of the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment stationed in the Zirkoh Valley - one of the most sensitive areas of the region - and two companies always on patrol. During the patrols, Italian troops were regularly integrated with Afghan Army units and the American task force operating in the same area. Six members of the task force were wounded during operations against insurgents.

Ceravolo spearheaded the creation of numerous projects by the Italian Provincial Reconstruction Team. Each project was designed to meet needs of the communities of the Shindand district. The PRT met with community members 182 times over the last six months.

With funds provided by the Italian Ministry of Defense, the PRT contracted with local firms to build two schools, dig 15 wells for drinking water and complete the bridge that connects the two shores of the Shindand Rud. The river once separated two most populous regions of the Zirkoh Valley. The new bridge removed an obstacle to economic development for more than half a million Afghans.

For the 3rd Alpini Regiment of Pinerolo, this deployment is the sixth in Afghanistan and the first in the area of Shindand.

With today's ceremony the deployment of Alpine Brigade Taurinense is fully underway in Regional Command West. This will be the first time an Italian Army Brigade will operate with all its regiments outside its national territory. In addition to the 3rd Regiment, four other regiments from the Mountain Troops will be deployed across the region.