KEY POINTS:
Guarding Bamyan Province is one of the least dangerous postings in one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Perched in a river valley of a mountain range, it is largely free from the violence besetting other parts of Afghanistan. In Bamyan, the job of the New Zealand Defence Force is rebuilding.
But now the Army faces a job of re-building confidence in its own forces amidst allegations of drug taking.
The New Zealanders are young - most would be under 30 and some under 20. They will be the best our forces have to offer, and have been trained in their specialties to a high degree. Generally, they are strongly focused on their military careers. They are led by experienced senior officers who are deeply sincere about making a success of the posting.
There are strict rules about leaving the Kiwibase compound, long stretches of day and night duty with few days off and a strong focus on the purpose of the deployment - which is simply to help as best they can.
Base commanders keep the roughly 120 troops busy with a never-ending rota of duties. Nobody wants idle hands - and the best of training is underscored with common sense. Kiwibase is a dry base - the only things there that even look like beer are awful, cans of non-alcoholic beer that taste more like lemonade gone off.
As non-combative as Bamyan is, it is this harsh environment that means the distance between extending a helping hand and losing it is slim. The troops must be alert at all times; a principle hammered into them from the start of their pre-deployment training in the South Island.
It's a harsh land and there is little forgiveness. The Taleban used to keep the locals in line through terror. There are fathers who talk of their baby sons being bayoneted by Taleban commanders before the United States-led invasion.
When the Hazara people rose up against the Taleban, they did so with weapons carried to Bamyan inside shipping containers. They rounded up their oppressors, forced them inside those same shipping containers and buried them alive.
There is no shortage of drugs on the road through Bamyan. It is one of the main routes to get opium and hashish out of the country. How - or even if - it got inside Kiwibase will be decided in the court martial of the six young soldiers accused of using hashish.
They have been brought back to New Zealand. Their mates are still in Afghanistan and will be for another month to hand over control to a fresh contingent of Kiwi troops.
The public will be shocked and defence bosses will be furious at the black mark left on a mainly blemish-free record.
But it is the returning soldiers who are likely to be most upset. They have spent six months giving their all, with little recognition at home.
And now, what is likely to be the pinnacle of their careers so far will be remembered for the wrong reasons.
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David Fisher travelled to Bamyan, Afghanistan, in 2005 to report on the New Zealand Defence Force efforts for the NZ Listener, Weekend Herald and the Herald on Sunday.
He has investigated the allegations of drug taking in the latest issue of the NZ Listener, which is out today.
SIX NZ SOLDIERS FACE DRUGS COURT MARTIAL
Six New Zealand soldiers have been sent home in disgrace from Afghanistan to face a court martial for allegedly using hashish - a potent form of cannabis.
The New Zealand Defence Force said the six were part of a 107-strong Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) made up of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. All of the accused are junior Army personnel based at Linton Camp in Palmerston North.
They are alleged to have used the Class B drug hashish at the NZ PRT base in Bamyan Province.
Defence Force spokesman Captain Zac Prendergast said yesterday the six had been pulled out early. They were on leave and would return to normal duties at the base in about a month as they awaited their court martial, in about August.
NZ Army Land Component Commander Brigadier Dave Gawn said if found guilty they could face a fine, a sentence in an Army jail or dismissal.
- NZPA
