July 11, PRT-9 conducted a foot patrol in the provincial capital Chaghcharan. Peacekeepers talked to locals, took interest in their complaints, distributed news and publications.
As usual, foot patrol attracted major attention from children who followed the soldiers all the way and tried communicating in English despite their age. Peacekeepers cheered children up with gifts - exercise books, writing means, Lithuanian folk tales in Dari, balls, and kites - a very popular toy in Afghanistan.
According to mullahs and seniors of villages the patrol visited, two main problems of local residents' daily life are shortage of food and fresh water. Many people have recently moved from surrounding regions to the provincial capital Chaghcharan: they are still unemployed and short of food, besides, extra wells have not been dug yet.
Local people were especially quick to take newspapers that soldiers had for distribution, some of Afghans come from the most remote parts of Chaghcharan to get a newspaper. People of Chaghcharan, just like of the entire Ghowr province, lack information about life in the country and province because there are few local newspapers released in a small circulation. PRT-9 members also distributed locals publications informing about activities, tasks and plans of PRT.
PIO for PRT-9 1st Lt. Marius Varna.