Qal´eh-ye Now, Afghanistan (September 05, 2010) – Last Saturday, Badghis Governor, Delbar Jan Arman, called for a Shura in the Hotel Marco Polo in Qal´eh-ye Now, gathering more than 200 elders representing all the population sectors in the province. During the Shura, they agreed to condemn the events happened last August 25th, when two Spanish ANP trainers and one interpreter were killed and the subsequent riots that took place.
After the Shura, the Badghis Governor informed the Commander of the ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Badghis - Colonel Luis Martinez Trascasa - about the outcome of the Shura and the agreements achieved, and summoned him for a meeting the day after, where the elders expressed their rejection to those events. Afterwards, they walked in the main streets of Qal´eh-ye Now, showing in this way the harmony in their relationships and their will to regain the tranquility in the city.
Along with the Governor and the PRT Commander, over 40 authorities attended the meeting, including, among others, the Deputy Governor and the provincial heads of Afghan National Police (ANP) and the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Two women were also amongst the participants, the Director for Women Affairs and the Provincial Council Secretary. Up to twelve speeches were delivered to reject the “deplorable events happened in the capital of the province” and “apologise for the crowds behaviour”.
The Governor, praised the Spanish troops for “not firing on the mob when they tried to break in, what can be considered an act of prudence and good sense”. After the Governor´s speech, Col Trascasa also addressed the participants stressing that “our troops did not shoot the people. We are well trained soldiers and we always stick to the rules of engagement.” Eventually, he thanked the attendees and stated that “you are men of honour and will tell the people the truth about what happened there. The future of Badghis will be better than its present.”
In the end, a manifest was signed and handed over to Colonel Trascasa. The manifest include the unanimous agreement of “not tolerate tribal divisions or based on language or nationality. To fight together against drugs trafficking to avoid violence and maintain the security. To condemn terrorism and chase those who break the laws and promote insecurity, including those involved in the events occurred on August 25th . To express the condolences to all the affected, specially to the PRT members, who have always worked for Badghis reconstruction and development and offer support to the Spanish troops”
Then, they walked through the city streets to the former PRT base, where they have dropped flowers on the place where the trainers were shot and observed one minute´s silence.
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