News

On Monday, 20 June 65 Lithuanian troops arrived in Chakhcharan in Afghanistan, where they are to lead one of the North Atlantic Alliance’s reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Ghor province with a base located in the provincial capital of Chakhcharan.

The first group of the Lithuanian-led provincial reconstruction team came from Herat to Chakhcharan by vehicles. Their mission will be to ensure security in the local airfield and provide conditions necessary for a smooth airlifting of military personnel and cargo from Herat airfield.

Redeployment of troops from Herat to Chakhcharan constitutes the second stage of the deployment of Lithuanian military personnel to a permanent site of the Ghor provincial reconstruction team. Firstly, Lithuanian troops landed in aircraft at the NATO – led International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) Forward Support Base in Herat. In the period from 6 to 16 June an aircraft transported 92 military and 1 civilian personnel from the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai to Herat after having made 10 flights in total. From Heart, the Lithuanian troops will deploy by groups to their permanent base of the provincial reconstruction team in Chahkcharan.

The first group which arrived on 20 June at Chakhcharan had to face a great challenge – a column of vehicles consisting of 21 cars had to overcome 500km distance under severe road conditions caused by narrow and difficult to pass mountain roads. Furthermore, the travel was aggravated by hot weather of Afghanistan with temperature reaching up to 40° C in day hours. “But the most important thing was that no damage was made to our vehicles”, Lieutenant Colonel Gintautas Zenkevièius, Commander of the Lithuanian Force in Afghanistan, said by telephone. “Military transport made no problems. We had to pause twice while overcoming steep mountain passages because the engines of rented out civilian jeeps became almost overheated.”

Upon Lithuanian military group arrival at Chakhcharan, Colonel Zenkevièius met with local Ghor Provincial Governor to discus urgent issues and agree on further meetings. The official’s conversation was broadcast on Chakcharan radio station.

While sharing his first impressions on Chakhcharan, Colonel Zenkevièius noted that local residents met Lithuanian troops in a warm way and were eager to communicate with them.

The Lithuanian-Provincial Reconstruction Team’s mission is part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The mission of the Ghor Provincial Reconstruction Team is to strengthen influence of Afghanistan central local authorities, help with reconstruction necessary for restoring of the province and the whole state.

The present mission in Afghanistan is the largest Lithuania’s military engagement abroad so far.