Kiwis Committed To Afghanistan
Provincial Reconstruction Team
Following the UN-mandated intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, the focus of operations broadened to reconstruction and the creation of an environment within which Afghan authorities could re-establish control and stability. A key component in this process was the establishment of provincial reconstruction teams. In 2003 the New Zealand Government approved the deployment of a PRT to Bamyan Province. New Zealand formally took command of the Bamyan PRT on 23 September 2003. This has been our greatest commitment to Afghanistan in terms of troop numbers and its value has been widely recognised by coalition partners and the Afghani population alike.
At present there are 23 PRTs operating in Afghanistan. They are designed to assist reconstruction efforts and conduct civil-military operations at a regional level and are often multi-national, inter- agency teams including military and civilian personnel. Their size, structure and role vary depending on the objectives of contributing nations, the requirements of the region, and the level of instability within the region.
Bamyan Province is a geographically remote area, which lies in the Hindu Kush area of central Afghanistan, approximately 160km Northwest of Kabul. The province covers approximately 17,400 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 350,000. The environment is harsh and poor roads add to the isolation of the area. Altitudes in the province range between 2500m above sea level to 4500m with temperatures ranging between 40 degrees in the summer and minus 20 degrees in the winter.
The population of the province is predominantly Shia Muslim Hazara, although there are some Tajik, especially in the northern area of the province. Long periods of conflict between the local people (Hazara and Tajik), and the persecution of the Hazaras by the Taliban has left the majority of the population opposed to the Taliban and receptive to the support being provided by the New Zealand PRT.
Bamyan is an underdeveloped province. The international reconstruction effort since the defeat of the Taliban has focused on rebuilding homes, providing basic infrastructure (such as electricity, roads and water supplies) and re-establishing agriculture and food production.
Activities undertaken by the New Zealand PRT include security and liaison patrols, supporting the Afghan Government; participating in the Governor’s security and reconstruction meetings; counselling adversaries and refereeing disputes; and facilitating, overseeing and advising on aid and reconstruction. Typically, patrols from the NZPRT deploy for three to four weeks at a time, basing themselves out of remote forward operating bases in each administrative region. Our PRT also assists and mentors the Afghan National Police, and has three New Zealand Police officers attached to support security sector reform.
A significant success has been the provision of security advice and assistance to the police and local officials for the conduct of the presidential elections in 2005 and national and provincial elections this year. This in no small way contributed to very good results where Bamyan stood out in terms of voter registration, participation and the highest representation of women throughout Afghanistan in the process.
The NZPRT has been successful in assisting in the extension of the authority of the central Afghan government through its work with the provincial Governor. The Governor now has freedom of movement throughout the province and the PRT has provided mentoring and assistance to the Governor and her departmental officers. This has included significant assistance with the initial preparation of a Bamyan Province Strategic Development Plan.
To date over NZS5.6 million has been spent on projects by the PRT in Bamyan on behalf of NZAID with a further NZ$ 3 million committed. NZAlD as a whole has expended NZ$15 million to date and has a further NZ$15 million committed over the next three years. This has included our contribution to the rebuilding and equipping the Bamyan University and the Bamyan Boys School, and the construction and equipping of the Bamyan Hospital maternity block. Significant effort has gone into improving infrastructure throughout the province, by constructing or rehabilitating bridges, and assisting with roading development and winterisation arrangements for keeping key alpine passes open for as long as possible.
In the security sector, the PRT, again utilising NZAlD funding, has planned and supervised the construction of five new Afghan National Police district headquarters. In addition, vehicles, communications and other equipment have been provided for the Afghan National Police.
On 5 October the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation took military operational control for international forces in Afghanistan. The New Zealand PRT has transferred from US to NATO International Security Assistance Force control and new formal agreements between New Zealand and NATO have been concluded covering all our deployed elements.
Nearly 900 New Zealanders have served or are serving in Afghanistan as part of the New Zealand PRT. The success of our PRT has been acknowledged by our international partners and when prospective coalition partners are investigating the viability of either contributing or contributing to a PRT, they are inevitably advised to visit the NZPRT as an outstanding example of what can be achieved by a small nation with a small Defence Force situated ‘half a world’ away. While our model works well in Bamyan, it will not necessarily be the most appropriate in provinces with greater security concerns.
Other Operations
New Zealand has taken part in other counter-terrorism-related military operations since December 2001. At various times, New Zealand has deployed a frigate as a part of OEF Maritime Interdiction Operations and an RNZAF P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, C- 130 Hercules airlift support, and filled staff and training appointments. The professionalism of New Zealand’s Navy and Air Force contributions were widely praised.
HMNZS Te Kaha deployed from December 2002 until February 2003 when it was replaced by HMNZS Te Mana until June 2003. Core maritime interdiction tasks were investigation of vessels not responding to “radio hails” (typically non-English speaking dhows) and visits of other identified vessels. These were the primary methods deployed to detect and deter any suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban movement. Both frigates were involved in numerous interventions, some of which led to crews undertaking boarding operations.
During Christmas 2003, three vessels were tracked and reported by the RNZAF P-3 Orion, resulting in millions of dollars of heroin and hashish being able to be seized.
Since December 2001, New Zealand Defence Force staff officers have been attached to headquarters overseeing the various operations we have been part of. As well, two Non-Commissioned Officers have been attached to a British Army Team assisting in training the Afghan National Army.
Staff and training appointments provide valuable international experience for NZDF officers and NCOs. The staff appointments also provide New Zealand with insight into mission planning which affects our operations in Afghanistan, as well as access to information covering the full spectrum of international military and development engagement in the country.
The New Zealand SAS has conducted operations in Afghanistan over the period December 2001 to November 2005. The first deployment was for 12 months, with two subsequent deployments each for six months. The size of each contingent has varied between approximately 40 and 65 personnel, with all deployments working alongside other special forces as of the United States-led Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.
Missions have been conducted in all seasons on ground ranging from open desert-like expanse through to the high altitude, mountainous landscape of the Hindu Kush. Tasks for deployments have included special reconnaissance, direct action, close personnel protection and specialist search. In addition, personnel have been involved in the planning and conduct of Special Operations Force missions. Many of these missions resulted in the development of intelligence.
The NZSAS’s unique skill at long range and duration patrols has been a highly valued and significant enhancement to other special forces’ efforts during the Afghanistan campaign. Typically patrols would last for upwards of 20 days and be re-supplied by helicopter. This exceeds the endurance of many others and allowed for considerable detail to be collected and analysed for application in decisive stages of a mission.
During the first deployment (December 2001-December 2002), the NZSAS conducted operations involving both helicopter inserted foot patrols and long range vehicle-mounted special reconnaissance patrols. During the second and third deployments (May- September 2004 and June-November 2005) operations were focussed on long range vehicle-mounted special reconnaissance patrols and direct action tasks.
Throughout the deployments, the New Zealand Chief of Defence Force has retained full command of all NZDF personnel and assets through a Senior National Officer appointed by the commander Joint Forces New Zealand. This is the same for all NZDF overseas deployments.
The employment of NZDF personnel and assets on tasks other than those agreed at the outset requires consultation and approval from Wellington. Any tasks or locations considered inconsistent with the government’s policy objectives, or which may cause undue risk to NZDF personnel and assets, are declined, pending further advice from CDF.
The New Zealand SAS is held in high regard, - as demonstrated by the United States Presidential Citation awarded to the NZSAS on 7 December 2004:
‘For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy in Afghanistan Task Force K-BAR successfully executed its primary mission to conduct special operations in support of the United States’ efforts to destroy, degrade, and neutralize the Taliban and Al Qaeda leadership and military. These precedent setting and extremely high-risk missions included search and rescue, special reconnaissance, sensitive site exploitation, direct action missions, destruction of multiple cave and tunnel complexes, identification and destruction of several known Al Qaeda training camps, explosion of thousands of pounds of enemy ordnance. Task Force K-Bar set an unprecedented 100 percent mission success rate across a broad spectrum of special operations missions while operating under extremely difficult and constantly dangerous conditions. They established benchmark standards of professionalism, tenacity, courage, tactical brilliance, and operational excellence while demonstrating superb esprit de corps and maintaining the highest measures of combat readiness.’
Theatre experience, modern equipment capabilities and the high skill base of the individual soldier and the leadership and command ability of its commissioned and non commissioned officers have ensured that the NZSAS is well regarded.
On several occasions New Zealand SAS have been involved in direct action. Casualties were suffered on both sides. No New Zealanders have been killed but some have been injured and that has been made known by the New Zealand Government at the time.
NZSAS troops have also been involved in actions where individuals were temporarily detained in order to capture Taliban and for Al Qaeda suspects believed to be among them. On two occasions during the first deployment New Zealand SAS elements were involved in operations during which they temporarily detained individuals for up to five hours. The number detained was in the range of fifty to seventy in total. The NZDF understands that no person who has been held, even temporarily, in New Zealand custody is currently in the hands of the United States or other nations represented in the international forces.
The Chief of Defence has put in place procedures for the notification of the International Committee of the Red Cross of the fact that persons have been captured and/or transferred to another power, but not the details of the operation in which that occurred. Wherever possible, that notification is to include details identifying the individuals captured or transferred. New Zealand has, from an early stage, made clear our expectation that all detainees would be treated humanely and in accordance with international law.
FLTLT Wayne Thomas gives us a personal view of the Afghanistan province of Bamyan and the work of the NZ Provincial Reconstruction team.
Using an interpreter is an experience in itself, and I will never truly master it during my time here. In October 2006, 108 Defence Force personnel deployed to Afghanistan as the latest rotation of New Zealand’s commitment to the rebuilding of this war- torn country. The vast majority of these troops, myself included, are situated at the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) in the Bamyan Province. We are the ninth rotation of Kiwi troops to Afghanistan, and are responsible for a multitude of tasks; from actively maintaining security in the province, capacity building and reconstruction, to the smooth running of our camp.
WN 07-0075-03-tn.jpg: FLTLT Thomas standing at the opening of the Bamyan Boys School, on an extremely cold day
Bamyan is situated in the Central Highlands of Afghanistan, and is pretty much smack bang in the middle of the country. After years of war and internal conflict, the entire nation and its infrastructure has suffered greatly. Bamyan in particular is a very poor province, and the Hazaren people (the ethnic majority of Bamyan, but a minority in Afghanistan) endured a great deal under the Taliban regime. In a way this is lucky for us, as the people of Bamyan are very welcoming to the security we bring, and for the opportunity for reconstruction. Bamyan consists of seven districts; Bamyan Central, Shibar, Sayghan, Kahmard, Yakawlang, Panjab and Waras. During winter the NZPRT has patrol teams that live within their respective Areas of Operations, consisting of one or more districts. The NZPRT itself is situated in Central Bamyan, within sight of the famous Buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban.
About now you may be wondering where I fit in to this mission. My official title is ‘S5 Planning Officer’ and I am the Staff Officer responsible for identifying, organising and implementing the NZPRT’s reconstruction efforts in Bamyan. This is a complex and multi-faceted position, and has given me ample opportunity to encounter the many experiences involved in an operational deployment.
As one of only a handful of Air Force personnel working in a predominantly Army operation there have been many culture shocks, the biggest and most obvious is working with the Afghan people. The people of Bamyan primarily speak Dari, which is very similar to Persian. As such, the majority of my conversations are through one of our locally employed interpreters. Using an interpreter is an experience in itself, and I will never truly master it during my time here. Conversations through an interpreter aren’t really conversations, each party must wait its turn to talk and there is no opportunity to interrupt. It’s not until you lose the ability to interrupt that you realise just how much we do it in normal conversation. As a result it is hard to steer a conversation and you quite often end up having to cover completely irrelevant topics. Another problem is the subtleties of conversation are lost when someone else is conveying the message. As a result you often have to be quite blunt and there is definitely no opportunity to hint at something.
Another shock, particularly to us Kiwi blokes, is the affection displayed by Afghan males. It’s not uncommon to see two men holding hands, and it’s more than a little off putting having a conversation while a big man with a beard is holding your hand. While to us this would have a certain connotation, in Afghanistan it is a sign of great respect, so you have to swallow your pride and fight the nagging urge to pull your hand away. Another sign of respect is to touch cheeks when shaking hands during a greeting. Unfortunately no one warned me about this before my first encounter and I ended up leaning well out of the way, to both my and Sultan Hussain’s embarrassment. On my second encounter I was better prepared, but this time the second party was thanking me and threw in a sneaky wee kiss on the cheek. To my dismay one of the PRT mechanics was standing next to me when this happened, and he takes great joy in reminding me of this encounter.
While Afghanistan is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, the Afghan people’s generosity is astounding. I have been invited into people’s homes for meals and have had some of my best experiences in Afghanistan as a result. Undoubtedly these invites are a result of my position within the NZPRT, but the underlying generosity is genuine. While you have to be careful what you eat, (dairy products are a huge risk) I have had some delicious cuisine during what can only be described as banquets. Where as in New Zealand it is polite for a guest to bring a gift or plate, in Afghanistan this borders on insulting. Instead it is the custom for the host to present gifts to their guests, even to the extent of giving a gift to the Afghan National Policeman who stood guard outside during the meal. According to the interpreters (who double as my cultural advisors) to decline these gifts would be seen as a huge personal insult. It is a truly humbling experience to receive such generous hospitality in such an impoverished country.
If you think the drivers on the Auckland Motorway are bad, you should experience Afghanistan. Although there isn’t a single sealed road in Bamyan the drivers all think they are Michael Schumacher. Much like the Motorway, indicating appears to be optional and a roundabout can be negotiated in any direction the driver wishes. Occasionally drivers will check for traffic before entering an intersection but in general it pays to steer clear of any other vehicles on the road. Additionally all pedestrians seem to have right of way and prefer to walk in the middle of the road, even when there is a sidewalk.
There are many other cultural differences that are obvious when you visit a country like Afghanistan, but they all pale in comparison to the breath taking beauty of the country and the people. To quote the NZPRT Logistics Officer, ‘Afghanistan is a beautiful country, with simple plumbing’.
FLTLT Wayne Thomas, currently serving in Afghanistan, has a constant reminder of home by 
way of a hand stitched wall hanging that tells an extensive story.
His mother, Mrs Marg Thomas of Te Puke, was at a loss as to what to send her son for Christmas. ‘What do you send a grown son when there is a weight limit on the gift and he’s on the other side of the world? I saw the Kiwi emblem on the cover of The Bugle, the little magazine that is sent to the families of deployed personnel, and I decided I’d make him a wall hanging. I wanted the hanging to remind him of home, and how much we miss him, but also to represent what he is doing, and the reasons why the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team is in Afghanistan.’
FLTLT Thomas had already sent some photos home, and, armed with knowledge she had about the deployment, Mrs Thomas started stitching.
The first panel bears the name of the deployment, and shows the Kiwi and a Silver Fern. The second represents the Afghanistan landscape. The small panels on each side were made from scraps of fabric, usually discarded by quilters. ‘I incorporated these scraps to show my concern for the poverty that people endure in other parts of the world.’
The next panels are reminders of New Zealand, and the tri-service nature of the deployment. They incorporate the sky, land and sea, including the four stars of the Southern Cross, lush native bush, and waves rolling in to a beach. A tukutuku panel acknowledges the Maori aspect of New Zealand’s culture.
Mrs Thomas said she included a plain backing to the wall hanging so members of the PRT can sign it.
‘Who knows, maybe it will be something of a keepsake in the years to come, and will remind Wayne of his time in Afghanistan.’
A quilter for three years, Mrs Thomas says she enjoys the handcraft, and always has ‘something on the go.’
The explanation the Afghanistan landscape and expressing her concern for people’s poverty.
On 13 March the Defence Minister the Honourable Phil Goff confirmed that New Zealand’s contribution to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan will be expanded and extended until September 2008.
The government’s announcement was welcomed by the New Zealand Defence Force’s Commander of Joint Forces New Zealand, Rear Admiral Jack Steer.'
‘The New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) has been in Afghanistan for over three years.
‘Based in the Bamyan Province, the NZPRT has developed an excellent rapport with the locals and made a significant contribution to reconstruction efforts in the region. ‘
‘The announcement of a further deployment of a frigate to support Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) in the Arabian Gulf further highlights the ability of the NZDF to make a meaningful contribution in a number of contingencies.’
At the request of the Canadian government, the NZDF will also supply two medical specialists to a Multinational Medical Unit at Khandahar Airfield in Southern Afghanistan.
The NZDF currently has 105 personnel serving with the NZPRT in Bamyan.
Singapore’s Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean has announced that Singaporean Armed Forces (SAF) personnel will join the NZPRT in Afghanistan. The SAF will undertake two humanitarian reconstruction projects: .
- A five person SAF dental team will bring in specialist equipment and establish the dental clinic. The Singaporean team will operate the clinic and provide training for local Afghans to enable them to eventually take over the clinic.
- Five SAF engineers work alongside NZDF engineers and local contractors on the ongoing construction and maintenance of bridges in the province.