PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (June 30, 2008) -- Last year, a Kyrgyzstan journalist wanted to go to Afghanistan to see how Manas Air Base, in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, fits into the picture of Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security and Assistance Force efforts.  This past week, four Kyrgyz journalists were able to do just that.

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 northeastern Afghanistan from June 22 - 25.

“This was a very important trip 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 [Afghanistan and Manas Air Base] were connected.”

The people of Bishkek know little about Manas Air Base, but they do see and hear large aircraft continuously flying into and out of the base every day.

“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 Tyanev. “It is important for us to show there is another side to the story.”

Manas 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 U.S. Air Force 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 observe education and power, two of the main reconstruction focuses for the province.

The journalists also met local leaders and interacted with Panjshiris to better understand one of the PRT’s other main tenants: governance.
They also met with the province’s executive administrator, a provincial council member, and a district’s police chief.

The journalists heard more about the importance of education, the role of the local government and the rule of law in Panjshir.  They were then able to walk through the town of Anaba, shop in the stores, and otherwise 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 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 Afghans.

“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. “Having covered these events as a journalist, I kind of know what the people here have gone through.”

The journalists also saw first-hand the history of the Panjshir Valley and the significance of the military presence over 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 Bishke.

Ahmed Shah Massoud was the leader of Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, who led the fight to keep the Soviet army from occupying and controlling the Panjshir Valley, and ultimately, Afghanistan.

“We always cover the activities at Manas Air Base,” said Kasybekov, noting most of what they cover is repetitious and relatively unimportant to the bigger picture.

Now with what they learned here and the photos they took, the Kyrgyz journalists 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 servicemembers live and work within the community and how they have been welcomed as neighbors,” Kasybekov said. “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.”

Their memories of the trip are not the only things the journalists will bring home. 

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

A fellow journalist agreed.

“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 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 okay someday.”

Speaking for the group 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.”