Reporter’s Blog - Jan Novak exclusive from Afghanistan

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The weather was luckily fine today so we happily returned (by a Russian helicopter) back to Kabul.  Unfortunately with a delay, so we missed a training of the Afghani police.  They are already in the city doing their job.

We then went to the Afghan Technical Vocational Institute which was established thanks to American help --  very interesting.  About a thousand students study at a large campus.  The school is the only one of its kind in Kabul.  It is nice to see so many girls studying at the school; especially since this was prohibited under the rule of Taliban.  There were about one million students in Afghanistan in the 1990s, however, only boys.  Nowadays, there are about six million students, one third are women.  And another interesting thing for Czech high school students – the school receives about twelve thousand applications, only fifteen hundred lucky ones are admitted.

After the “school inspection” we were received by American Chargé d’Affaires Christopher Dell and it was really an interesting interview.  The experienced diplomat, who served in Zimbabwe and Angola, spoke openly not only about the successes but also the problems of his Afghani mission.

This discussion was the final official part of our trip.  We just had time to get ready for our departure to Delhi, the last chance to walk through the American embassy in Kabul, and the last drink at a farewell party.  By the way, the very first one since we arrived to Afghanistan; all U.S. military bases are dry.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

We were woken up by strong wind and heavy rain.  It does not bode well…  sure enough, we received a call from Kabul that the helicopter cannot take off due to bad weather so today’s program was cancelled.  For me it was almost a disaster, because I had planned to spend the day with the Czech PRT in the Logar province.

Today we relaxed, walked along the base and had dinner at a local Indian restaurant.  There is a restaurant at the base with very delicious meals, but hamburgers, tacos, French fries, and cookies (i.e., food served in a regular military dining room) are not on the Indian food menu.

Tomorrow we return to Kabul, if the weather is not bad.  We should visit a training center of Afghani police.

Monday, March 2, 2009

The weather finally improved.  At 8am we learned that the weather conditions were acceptable and we could continue with our planned program.  After a quick breakfast (everything is fast in the army and must be on time), we moved to Bagram military airport.  We flew by Black Hawk helicopter, unfortunately well-known because of the book and movie Black Hawk Down – to a Polish base in Ghazni province.  The Poles together with the Americans run one of the twenty-six PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams).

The Poles prepared a perfect program.  In the morning we had an informal chat about the troops deployment in the province.  Then we had time to buy souvenirs at a local market which is surprisingly situated inside the base.  It was our first contact with local people during our trip to Afghanistan.  A moment ago, the Americans let us try to shoot their weapons.  Firing a machine gun and rifle is not that difficult.  As I left I said: “Gentlemen, should you need somebody to assist you with defense, I am your man.” Now I am leaving for a press conference.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

We had to wake up at 5:30am, depart for Kabul military airport, and eat breakfast quickly, and then we were transported by a helicopter as big as several buses.  Twenty passengers and a lot of gear were inside.

We were in Parwan province in thirty minutes, and reached Bagram base, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan.  About nineteen thousand people work there, and it is so large that they have bus stops there.  About 80 percent of all the material flowing into Afghanistan goes through this base, as well as every soldier deployed in the country.  It is the engine of American activity inside Afghanistan.  The base has fast food, cafeterias, fitness centers, beach volleyball and basketball courts, and thousands of small trailers where soldiers and civilian staff live in Spartan conditions.

We were in Bagram for only a short time and then we flew to Kapisa province where the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) is managed by the French army.  The French specialize in combat in snow and in the mountains.  They have been attacked by Taliban fighters and other extremists operating in the region.  The French have killed or arrested 24 extremist leaders so far.

We returned to the Bagram base where I met about sixty Czechs who were concluding their mission at the PRT in Logar.  They return home to Prague on Friday, and they said they were really looking forward to their return.  I will write about this base soon, since I should visit our soldiers on Monday or Tuesday.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Arrival at the French-operated base in Kapisa province. More photos you can see here. Photo Jan Novák

From the plane, Afghanistan looks really like a face of an old man.  The country looks ancient, hostile and deserted land from far above.  At the runway of the Kabul airport it is different.  In another thirty minutes, two aircrafts arrive – these are not military planes or helicopter, but passenger Boeings.  It is very busy in Kabul.

We are transported in armored vehicles to the U.S. Embassy.  After lunch, we visit a central electoral committee.  On August 20, Afghanistan will hold its second presidential elections. They are celebrating big success this year -- 4.5 million more citizens have registered than in 2004, 39 percent are women.  Photos and symbols of the candidates will be mainly on the ballots. In a country, where over two thirds of the people are uneducated, this is the most acceptable solution.

“Some time in the future, Afghanistan will be an agricultural power, not only famous for growing poppy for opium production.  Farmers will grow and export apples, grapes, and vegetables…,” enthusiastically welcomed us Director of Alternative Development at USAID Loren Stoddard at an Afghani-American farm.  About eighty percent of Afghanis make their living in agriculture.  The main aim is to provide Afghanis with an alternative to poppy growing.

Later that afternoon we participated in a conference with representatives of NATO, ISAF, and UN.  The discussion interesting and by the way, the tea they serve… Afghanis are masters in preparing it.

A visit to three PRTs is on our schedule for tomorrow.  We will be moving by helicopters.  Therefore I will be without an internet for three days.

Delhi, Friday, February 27, 2009

The flight from Brussels to Delhi took the whole day.  However, I was surprised again.  For example for the first time in my life in a plane (Indian JET Airways), I was served an ice cream on a stick; similar to the one with nuts produced by Algida.  Moreover, when our passports were checked, the computer system collapsed at the immigration office in Delhi airport when waiting I chatted with the Indian immigration officer and I did not believe my own ears – he told me he knows Vaclav Havel and Alexandr Dubcek.  Especially the second name astonished me a lot.  Everybody knows them from the media…

Now I will have four hours of sleep in a hotel close to the airport; our flight to Kabul is tomorrow early morning. Unfortunately, even here the cell phone network does not work.  I hope it will be better in Afghanistan.

We have been lucky so fur, but nobody’s luggage from the group was lost.  We were warned that the bags are not only delayed but also get lost during the flight to Kabul.

Brussels, Thursday, February 26, 2009

First Surprise: Our group of journalists participating in the “NATO Program for Multi-Country Program to Afghanistan” is formed mainly of women; and the ratio is 4:2 – Leena Sharma (Finland), Marie Simon (Francie), Gunta Sloga (Latvia), Olympia Zajac (Poland), and Julian Borger (the United Kingdom).

Second Surprise: The Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe, or SHAPE, is not only several single storey, unlovely houses located approximately 40 km away from Brussels.  Those who manage to get into this military compound can see that it is actually a small city for thousands of soldiers and their families – including fitness studios, shopping centers and seven schools.  We had a briefing on “NATO and Allied Command Operations” in one of these buildings, followed by a salutary, however “off-the-record” discussion; therefore our viewers will miss it.  My colleagues will call me “brake” or “snail” soon, because I am the only TV reporter and it takes time to film everything properly.

By the way, the main street running through the SHAPE is called Bratislava Avenue. Why? Nobody explained.

Third Surprise:  The arrival to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.  We have a working luncheon hosted by the U.S. mission to NATO on our schedule.  During our appetizer, main course, and dessert we debate positives and negatives, successes and failures of Alliance’s troops in Afghanistan.  Again, it was very open, sincere, but off-the-record debate.

We found out between the lines that so far, every journalist trip has been affected by an “accident”.  This trip will be the exception.

We’re flying tomorrow morning to Delhi, arriving at 11 p.m. Our flight to Kabul is the next morning.