NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - "Professionalism is very key," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrew Pekala, commander, Security Forces Advisory and Assistance Team Blue, 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Patriot. "If they're a professional force, they gain respect; people will want to call them."
Recent and upcoming collaborative efforts between U.S. and Afghan forces aim to enhance public perception of the Afghan Border Police's capabilities within the community. Pekala, of Edgewood, Md., and his team work with the ABP in Zone 1, which is comprised of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Nuristan and Kunar provinces.
The U.S. Congress sent a team of analysts to survey various government agencies and operations in Afghanistan in order to determine how American forces can better assist their counterparts in the future.
Jerry Meyerle, senior research analyst, CNA's Center for Strategic Studies, met with high-ranking ABP Zone 1 officials and SFAAT Blue team members at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Aug. 16 and 17.
"The United States Congress has asked us to come here and learn about the security situations that you face," Meyerle said to the ABP officials gathered. "[This way] they can better understand the capabilities that you will need in the upcoming years."
To this end, Meyerle asked the assembled Afghans what is necessary to prevent their country from ever again becoming a safe haven for enemies of Afghanistan and the global community.
Achieving and maintaining stable supply routes for remote outposts, safeguarding resources, and protecting the Afghanistan-Pakistan border are Zone 1's primary concerns, said Afghan Col. Wali Khan, commander, ABP Zone 1.
The border, or the Durand Line, has been disputed for more than a century, and Highway 7, the main economic corridor for the region, cuts right through Zone 1. Protecting this trade route is a key part of the ABP's mission.
Additionally, the ABP work hand-in-hand with other government agencies to ensure the community is crime-free, an undertaking with its own concerns. Addressing each of these concerns - both at the border and in the community - will not only allow the ABP to accomplish its mission, but also encourage the people to see the police as reliable and professional public servants.
Conquering this first hurdle is about getting both Afghans and Pakistanis to the table, Pekala said. Many of the grievances at the border are culturally based; once a discussion begins, however, that's half the battle won.
Going forward, the police's response to crime is changing as well.
The ABP in Zone 1 are very capable, said Pekala, but they've acted more as a military-style organization than a police force to this point. Going forward, their focus will move toward crime detection, investigation and deterrence, changing their role in the community.
In order for this change to be successful, other branches of the government, particularly the judicial and legal ministries, must develop simultaneously.
"We cannot just sit around and wait for one effort to get to maturity and then start working on the next one," Pekala said. "We've got to kind of work together on a parallel route."
This combined effort to move the Afghan Border Police and its sister agencies in the right direction is complex, but with care, Pekala said, spreading the perception of the ABP's professionalism is an achievable task.
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