Lithuanian camp in Afghanistan comes under fire

  • 2006-05-24
  • From wire reports
VILNIUS - The Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Chagcharan, capital of the Afghan province of Ghor, came under missile fire late on May 19. No injuries were reported.

Two Chinese-made missiles were fired in the direction of the PRT camp at 11:12 p.m. local time on May 19, the Defense Ministry said. The impact point of one of the missiles was not determined, while the second flew above the camp and failed to explode after landing some 50 meters outside the camp's fence. The missile was rendered harmless by mine-clearing specialists of the Lithuanian group. The incident marked the first attack against Lithuanian troops since the Baltic state launched its PRT mission in Ghor. It also indicates that widespread unrest in other provinces of Afghanistan, particularly the southern and eastern, may now shift to Ghor, which, until recently, was a sanctuary of stability.

PRT commander Colonel Vilmas Satas said that either the people who fired the missiles didn't know what they were doing or the missiles were damaged. "We have three versions of why the missiles did not explode: the persons who fired them were not professionals, the missiles were past their expiry date, or they were faulty," said Satas. In his words, troops have discovered a missile-launching site on one of the near-by hills, which is being investigated by Afghanistan's national police and security service.

There is no proof that the attack was organized by supporters of the overturned Taliban, which opposes the Afghan administration and international forces, Satas said. The attack has so far been treated as an "isolated incident."
In Satas' words, certain additional security measures have been taken following the incident, but the combat readiness level had not been upgraded. The PRT is performing all ascribed functions, said the colonel. Lithuanian military intelligence is in possession of data about small Taliban groups visiting Ghor districts bordering with Helmand, though the purpose of their trips was recreation. Five suspected Taliban supporters were detained in Chagcharan last year on suspicion of attempting to liberate one of their fellows from local custody. Earlier this week, the third turn of the Lithuanian PRT started its six-month mission in Afghanistan. The 120-member team is mainly comprised of troops from the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Motorized Infantry Battalion, also including war doctors and cargo-handling and engineering specialists.

Established as a part of the NATO-led ISAF, the Lithuanian PRT started its mission in the province in the northwestern part of central Afghanistan in June 2005. The PRT's main tasks are to reinforce the influence of Afghanistan's central government, promote good relations between central authorities and the region's political, military and religious leaders, help create a safe environment and stability, and create proper conditions for the reconstruction of the province and the state.