FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2008
Release Number 20083012-05
KABUL,
Afghanistan – Afghan
dignitaries and Gen. David Mckiernan, Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan
participated in a ceremony to open the recently completed Chutu bridge, today,
in Deh Rawod district, located in Uruzgon Province, just over 100 km north of
Kandahar.
Local dignitaries participating in the
ceremony included Sayeed Uzman, the Deh Rawood district chief , District Police
Chief Omar Khan and Dr. Sorghab Ali Safari, Afghan’s Minister of Public Works.
In 2006, Coalition forces, working with local
Afghan officials, identified a need to construct a bridge across the Helmand River. The newly completed bridge will
serve to connect central Uruzgon province with the western half of the province
as well as Helmand
Province.
The old bridge was catastrophically damaged
during the spring flooding season in 2007.
“The completion of Chutu bridge serves as a
symbol for local success, being built by Afghan hands to join Afghan
communities,” said Col. O’Hara, a U.S. Forces spokesperson. “The bridge sends a
strong message to insurgent strongholds in the region that the security and
economic development of Afghanistan
will not be stopped.”
The building of the bridge began September of
this year and was completed Dec. 27. The estimated cost for building the bridge
was just over $850, 000. Over 300 local residents were on hand during the
ceremony today.
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