MARAWARA DISTRICT, Afghanistan, - After a violent battle between the Taliban and a combined team of Afghan National Army forces and U.S. Army Soldiers, residents of this district were left shaken and in need of assistance.
Following a shura with Marawara District sub-governor, Pacha, and Daridam village elders, Soldiers from the California Army National Guard's Agribusiness Development Team accompanied by Afghan Border Police went to the village and began efforts to reinforce the local economy, which is almost entirely agriculture based.
First Sgt. John A. Hanson, the ADT's first sergeant, led a team to conduct a field expedient repair to a pipe, which is the residents' only source of water. Meanwhile, Sgts. Scott Flynn and Jason Stevens led a group of ABP and soldiers on a patrol inside the village to assess the health of the local livestock population and talk to residents about their needs and concerns.
Flynn and Stevens found that the livestock suffer from malnutrition and parasites, both of which are common throughout the province. They also assessed a local watershed area, which is subject to periodic flooding causing damage to the crops, and began developing an initial plan to control the problem.
"The people of Daridam have obviously been through a lot after having their village occupied by the Taliban," said Flynn, an ADT agronomist, who works with the U.S. Forest Service in northern California. "We were able to talk to a few villagers during our patrol, and they are mainly concerned about putting their lives back together and getting to planting. Our work will help them do that."
Before the ADT departed, the ABP and soldiers delivered agriculture supplies to the villagers to ensure they can maximize the productivity of their fields and livestock as they recover from the battle. Among the supplies, were high-quality animal feed, anti-parasitic medication, nutritional supplements, high-quality seed, and tools they will need for the work such as pick-axes and shovels so the villagers can re-plant fields damaged in the fighting.
"Daridam is one of the better areas of Kunar province in terms of its agriculture capabilities," said Stevens, who in his civilian life works as a horticulturalist with Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate in Virginia. "The supplies we delivered will help them recover more quickly, and strengthen their village to resist the Taliban's influence."
In addition to the supplies delivered, the ADT has coordinated with contractors for additional repairs to irrigation systems. The Afghan Veterinarians Association will also go to Daridam to vaccinate livestock against diseases as well as implement a program, which will set the villagers up in a self-sufficient poultry business, giving them additional strength to resist the Taliban on their own.