B*N*S*N3

British troops help Helmand community reopen school

A Military Operations news article

6 Dec 10

Children in a settlement just south of Nad 'Ali in Helmand province are receiving education for the first time in more than three years after British troops facilitated the refurbishment of a derelict school.

Corporal James Hopkins with Afghan children in Kushal Kalay
[Picture: Lance Corporal Fox, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

The school in Kushal Kalay closed more than three years ago when insurgent fighters wreaked havoc in the area, killing and harassing locals. The school was ransacked and vandalised and, such was the ferocity of the attacks, that large numbers of locals fled the area.

Only recently have people started moving back, taking advantage of improved security brought about by British troops, most recently Shropshire-based 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment and their Afghan National Army partners.

As the population grew, security patrols identified the need for a school, with up to 200 children observed in the area. Some were receiving basic lessons in the mosque, but many were going without any education at all....

Much more here.