Bahrain military bringing security to Afghan bases

By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition

Afghanistan − To Lance Cpl. Antonio Kirby, the object found in the pocket of a delivery driver hardly looked like something to smoke.

“What is it, a rock?” Kirby asked.

“No, no, this weed. This weed,” answered Bahraini Pvt. Abdulaziz Alqahtani, using language he picked up from Marines.

The rocklike hashish, a small amount for personal use by the driver delivering supplies to Camp Leatherneck, didn’t raise any security red flags. But the incident is an example of how 125 guards from Bahrain are helping secure the headquarters for U.S. military operations in volatile Helmand province, where more than 10,000 Marines are stationed and more are on the way.

Bahrain deployed members from its special security force to Afghanistan in December. It joins several predominantly Muslim countries that have contributed troops to the war, including the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Jordan.

“The Bahrainis are the first line of defense to get into Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck. They are on the front line, making that happen,” said Marine Lt. Col. Chris Naler, commander of brigade headquarters at Camp Leatherneck.

Under Bahrain’s deployment agreement, reached last year following a visit to the country by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the special security troops are in Afghanistan for two six-month deployments. The nation has the option to do two more six-month deployments after that.

At Camp Leatherneck and at neighboring Camp Bastion, which is the British headquarters and logistical hub for operations in Helmand, each morning starts with the arrival of one supply-stacked delivery truck after another.

The Bahraini troops work alongside the U.S. Marines, who lack the language skills to interrogate the delivery drivers. And while the Marines have translators, they can’t always be relied on. During a recent search, a Bahraini caught a translator advising a driver how to smuggle contraband on base.

In addition to narcotics, the Bahraini forces look for anything that could be used to make a bomb or detonate an explosive: wires and cell phones are confiscated. Occasionally, the investigators also come across and seize photos of the World Trade Center.

“They’re fully integrated into what we do,” said 2nd Lt. Jared Gastrock, who commands the Marines working with the Bahrainis. “We were expecting hiccups with the language barrier, but it hasn’t been a problem. They know what to do and they go out there and do it.”

Up to 20 members of the Bahrain force speak between five and seven languages, including Farsi, Dari and Pashtu. Bahrain’s official language is Arabic but English, Farsi and Urdu are also commonly spoken.

For the Bahrainis, the deployment is something of an adventure.

“We are new out here, but it is quite good,” said Bahraini Lance Cpl. Ismail Mukhtarv.