Kyrgyz media visits Afghanistan PRT

Published July 3, 2008
By Capt. Jillian Torango
Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- One year ago, a Kyrgyz journalist had an idea to travel to Afghanistan to see how Manas Air Base, in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic [commonly known as Kyrgyzstan] fits into the bigger picture of Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security and Assistance Force efforts. Four Kyrgyz journalists recently got that chance.

Respected journalists from four major news media outlets in Kyrgyzstan, with an audience of up to eight million, traveled from their homes near Manas Air Base to visit the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team based in North Eastern Afghanistan June 22-25.

"This was a very important trip and that is because I can't hide the fact that the presence of Manas Air Base is not accepted by everyone in Kyrgyzstan," said Azamat Tyanev, Editor-in-Chief of the Komsomolskaya Pravda Kyrgyzstan newspaper.

The other journalists agreed.

"We needed to see how Manas Air Base works in relation to what is going on in Afghanistan," said Azamat Kasybekov, a reporter with the Vechernyi Bishkek newspaper which is the only daily newspaper in Kyrgyzstan. "The people in Kyrgyzstan continuously hear how important the base is but we've never before seen how the two were connected."

The people of Bishkek know about Manas Air Base but they don't know much more than what they see and hear everyday: large aircraft continuously flying into and out of the base.

"That's why I think these kinds of trips are necessary to balance the view of the role of the American Air Base in Kyrgyzstan," said Mr. Tyanev. "It is important for us to show that there is another side to the story."

The other side to that story is that Manas AB is of great importance to the coalition's operations in Afghanistan.

"Everyone on this team and every other PRT in Afghanistan came through Manas Air Base," said Lt. Col. Russell Kaskel, Panjshir PRT commander. "Having Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan is a logistical necessity to ensure we continue to support the reconstruction efforts not only here in Panjshir but throughout Afghanistan."

The PRT took the journalists on missions throughout the province so they could truly understand the importance of the team's reconstruction and development mission. The journalists observed PRT engineers' assessments of two school construction projects and a micro-hydro power plant. From this they were able to see two of the main reconstruction focuses for the province: education and power.

The journalists also spent time in Panjshir meeting local leaders and interacting with its people. This gave the journalists an opportunity to understand one of the PRT's other main tenets: governance.

They met with the Province's executive administrator, a provincial council member, and a district chief of police.

The journalists heard more about the importance of education, the role of the local government, and the rule of law in Panjshir. Then they were able to walk through the town of Anaba, shop in the stores, and interact with the people.

"When we were told we were coming to Panjshir we didn't know what to expect but this four-day trip has really shown us a lot," said Mr. Kasybekov. "Being able to see the people and how they live and interact in their country, with our own eyes was very important."

Kyrgyzstan is no stranger to conflict and the journalists were able to empathize with the people of Afghanistan.

"In our country we had [ethnic fighting] when Uzbekistan attacked southern Kyrgyzstan," said Batyrbek Mamyrkulov a reporter from the National Television and Radio Company which is the only television station to broadcast country-wide. "And having covered these events as a journalist, I kind of know what the people here have gone through."

The journalists also got the opportunity to see first hand the history of the Panjshir Valley and its military significance during the last thirty years.

One important stop on the trip was to the Massoud Foundation and the tomb of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the famed martyr and national hero of Afghanistan.

"The Panjshir Valley is a very famous place for us and Ahmed Shah Massoud is a very famous person even in the Kyrgyz Republic," said Anton Lamar, chief editor for Information Agency 24, in Bishkek.

Ahmed Shah Massoud was the leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance and led the fight to keep the Soviet Army from occupying the Panjshir Valley and ultimately subduing Afghanistan.

"We always cover the activities at Manas Air Base," said Mr. Kasybekov noting that most of what they cover is repetitious and relatively unimportant as far as the bigger picture is concerned. "But now with what we learned here and the photos we took, we will be able to show the Kyrgyz people why Manas Air Base is important."

"For me personally, what I found most interesting is how the service members live and work within the community and how they have been welcomed as neighbors," Kasybekov continued. "How that relationship helps the reconstruction effort as well as the day-to-day interactions ... these little details of daily life will be very interesting and important to the people of Kyrgyzstan."

Photographs won't be the only images of Afghanistan that the journalists will take with them.

"Our television viewers will know a lot more about Afghanistan and the coalition mission here," said Mr. Mamyrkulov, whose station reaches about five million Kyrgyz viewers.

Throughout the trip some of the journalists could be heard explaining that what they had seen here reminded them of Kyrgyzstan right after independence. They stated that Afghanistan still had a long way to go on its journey to complete independence, but they knew that it would one day come.

"During these four days I spent a lot of time with the PRT team and they have been nothing but kind and friendly, and the same goes for the people of Panjshir," said Mr. Tyanev. "From this trip my world view and my attitude on life have become enriched and I now have hope for Afghanistan that everything really will be ok someday."

This four-day media event sponsored in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State was the first of its kind for most of the journalists and each one stated that they hope it is the first of many.

Speaking for the group Mr. Tyanev stated, "We would welcome the continued openness of the U.S. Department of Defense to welcome journalists to cover the activities of the U.S. military--we are convinced that it is important, responsible and necessary."