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02/10/2004: "Kandahar Chronicles #68 - 08/02/2004"

The Zhare Dasht explo mission. A rather dramatic definition for a trip I’ve made too many times to count. I jumped into a land cruiser with Jan Peter, Wali and Dr. Maboobshah and with Jawed and Sadiqullah in another we took off for the IDP camp. We want to get the medical services running again so it was time to get up there and do a security assessment. In thirty minutes we arrived at our first destination, the compound of Commander Habibullah Jan in Senzari village. Habibullah Jan is security responsible for the area around the road leading to Helmand province west of Kandahar. His private army patrols the tracks and valleys of this region, often coming into conflict with destabilization forces. He was holding court in front of his compound with a group of elders as a smartly uniformed guard with a handlebar moustache waved us in. I’ve seen him many times but this was the first time that I would have an opportunity to speak with him.

We were ushered into his meeting room and offered sweets and chai. After pleasantries (chai is fine, yes isn’t it cold but the rain yesterday is good), we got down to business. JP began by questioning him about his views of the security situation. He’s an impressive man, strongly built and well dressed. He assured us there was no problem along the road to the camp and that he had many patrols in the surrounding area. I explained our hopes for an overall improvement in security that would allow us to operate effectively while benefiting the population. There have been some suggestions from some of the IDP population about providing armed guards. This is not good idea. The last thing we wanted was over zealous, untrained, armed IDP’s running around. He assured us he also against this idea. JP finished the meeting with a quick explanation of the new Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward, highlighting the high infant mortality rates in Afghanistan.

After a quick visit to the BHU, JP and Dr. Maboobshah drove over to settlements one and two to meet with some elders and discuss their impressions of the state of security. I did the same with Jaweed in settlements three and four. Intersos provides vocational training in various fields and instead of discussing security, I found myself putting in an order for chairs and cabinets some young guys were building. As it is a training workshop, the furniture is not really showroom quality, but it is strong and functional. A bicycle maintenance workshop occupied the back of the large tent. Settlement four was a lot more productive in terms of security discussions. Half a dozen elders were already gathered around a table drinking chai and were very willing to tell us that things were quiet. Of course, it is in their best interest to do so as it will speed up our return time but as there had been very few incidents reported to us lately there was no reason to doubt them.

From there I drove out to our health posts to chat with the IDP chowkidors, check the state of repair of the tents and took a look at a checkpoint located near the cemetery before returning to the BHU. It had been a productive day so far but not complete without a proper Zhare Dasht (Yellow Desert) sandstorm. In the nine months I’ve been here I have never seen anything quite like it. A cold wind drove visibility down to less than ten meters. Powder and grit found its way into my ears, nose and eyes. My teeth crunched and my hair felt like tree bark. We drove slowly out the access road to the highway; tractors loomed out of the dust like ghostly aberrations, the drivers bundled and squinting against the storm. We could have driven past a battalion of Taliban without seeing them (good thing it would have been vice versa), which makes it tough to observe checkpoints. The stabilizer section of a mortar round lay beside the road. The storm reached all the way to Kandahar. Air filters will need a clean.