Written by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey TF Duke
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - (from left) Maj. Eid Khan, Afghan Uniformed Police, U.S. Army Capt. Chris Smith, Company C., 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division commander from Spokane, Wash., and Afghan Border Police Col. Gul, watch as Gorbuz District Gov. Mohammed Akbar Zadram digs the first shovel of dirt during a ceremony signifying the start of the Bowri Tana bypass project at Combat Outpost Bowri Tana Feb. 20. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey, Task Force Duke)
Monday, 21 February 2011 KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Soldiers from Company C., 1st Battalion 26th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, along with Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police hosted the Gorbuz District Governor, Mohammed Akbar Zadram, at a ground-breaking ceremony for the Bowri Tana bypass at Combat Outpost Bowri Tana Feb. 20.
The bypass is being built to enable travellers to navigate a stretch of road that has been closed because it passes too close to the COP and poses a security risk.
“Last year a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device hit the outside barrier, breaching the compound, so we were forced to close the road,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kent Ryan, a civil affairs team leader with the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion from Hartford, Iowa.
The closure forced people travelling through the region to use rougher, unpaved roads. Trucks hauling supplies and goods can be damaged travelling across the unpaved areas.
With a new road, goods can flow more easily through the district, said Ryan.
“After this road is finished, it will allow for quicker travel and bring more business to the Gorbuz District,” said U.S. Army Capt. Chris Smith, commander of Co. C., 1st Bn., 26th Inf. Regt., and a native of Spokane, Wash.
With faster travel and more business comes a chance to boost the economy of the Gorbuz District.
“Our economy will be able to move forward after this project is finished,” said Zadram.
Though the road is one of the largest ongoing projects in the area, there are also plans to build wells around the Afghan National Security Forces compounds and construct a new cell phone tower.
“We wouldn’t be able to do these projects without the assistance of the U.S.,” said Zadram.
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan – (from left) Maj. Eid Khan, Afghan Uniformed Police, U.S. Army Capt. Chris Smith, Company C., 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division commander from Spokane, Wash., and Afghan Border Police Col. Gul, watch as Gorbuz District Gov. Mohammed Akbar Zadram cuts the ribbon during a ceremony signifying the start of the Bowri Tana bypass project at Combat Outpost Bowri Tana Feb. 20. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey, Task Force Duke)
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Capt. Chris Smith (left), Company C., 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division commander from Spokane, Wash., meets with Gorbuz District Gov. Mohammed Akbar Zadram (right) and Afghan National Security Forces to discuss security in the area and decide what assistance is needed during a meeting at Combat Outpost Bowri Tana Feb. 20. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey, Task Force Duke)
Stumble It!
