ISAF Regional Command West commits to security and development in Kushk-e-Kohnah

An important Shura, with more than 250 elders and village religious leaders was held in Kushk -e- Kohnah district, 130 kilometers north of Herat. The aim of the Shura was to discuss, with ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces officials, the district development plans and the problems that affect its execution, namely the lack of adequate security conditions.

Brigadier General Claudio Berto, ISAF’s Regional Command West Commander, and Colonel Emmanuel Aresu – the head of the Provincial Reconstruction Team based in Herat - attended the meeting.

Kushk - e – Kohnah is located in the extreme north of Herat province, on the border of Turkmenistan and Badghis province. This area has one of the highest levels of poverty in the country and the insurgency´s presence is very extended, hampering local development and the establishment of legitimate government authorities.

General Berto, while addressing the attendance, confirmed the commitment by ISAF and the International Community for a development plan throughout the district, when security conditions allow it. The RC-W Commander urged the village leaders to encourage insurgents to rejoin the Community, upholding the government's reconciliation plan.

As a demonstration of respect for local traditions and customs, at the end of the shura, some presents were offered to the religious leaders, 11 amplification devices, to be installed in the main mosques in the district villages.

The Shura was planned and prepared in advance, through numerous meetings held in the days before the event, in the villages of Daham Koklani and Bazaar-e-Kohn, between representatives of the Italian PRT and the main local institutions authorities. Through these meetings, a district assessment was conducted and goods worth 50,000 Euros were donated to the communities most in need.

The district governor, Mr. Abdul Ghader, after the great Shura, thanked General Berto and the PRT, for their work to benefit society and the commitment undertaken for the improvement of living conditions in the area.