Here’s a bit of a new post for me. I don’t often get to talk about our Afghan colleagues. There is certainly a deluge of negative reports concerning Afghan soldiers in the U.S. news. But when do you hear anything good? Well, quite honestly, there is a lot of good stuff out here. In fact, in the letter posted from Sam, we got some really positive stuff. So, today I will give you another. Here, in the Khost Province there is the Khost Provincial Force (KPF). They are a unique force of soldiers that have helped to changed the game in this area. For years, Khost has been a hotbed for the Taliban, Haqqani network and other bad guys, owing in part to it’s close proximity to the Pakistan border. But this year, the city of Khost and surrounding areas have remained significantly more secure because of these Afghan soldiers (along with their counterparts of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan Border Police (ABP), collectively known as the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)).
Above I stand in our operating room with one of the KPF medics. When KPF wounded come to us, we can be sure that their medics and surgeon will be with them to assist in their care. We maintain a strong and lasting relationship with them, that has been built over the last decade. When we leave, these are the people that will give Afghanistan a chance to achieve security, peace, and prosperity.
