Wing Commander Logan Cudby
As former war torn Afghanistan gets back on its feet after decades of oppression and poverty, Wing Commander Logan Cudby is becoming immersed in his role as liaison between the United Nations and Afghanistan authorities.
The RNZAF officer’s role in Afghanistan is new, and he began working as a military adviser to the UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) in mid-December.
Essentially UNAMA’s role is to help the people of Afghanistan build a peaceful, democratic and stable government, governed by the rule of law.
“The UN has also picked up the role of coordinating humanitarian relief and monitoring and reporting on human rights issues. Notably this does not include any responsibility for security operations or pursuing Taleban and Al Qaeda. These roles were assigned to the US-led Coalition Force and ISAF. There is good cooperation between the different agencies but they do have distinct tasks.
” The Bonn Agreement , under which UNAMA was established, lays out a very careful process for the establishment of Government. Afghanistan has had its transitional government and presidential elections, and the parliamentary elections are to be held in June this year. “This election is expected to be more troublesome than the Presidential one, as it will directly effect the power base of many of the regional warlords, who have managed to run a largely feudal system, independent of central government until now.
" Wing Commander Cudby is based in Jalalabad, in Nangahar Province.
“The area is strategically critical for Afghanistan because of both the road through to Pakistan and its proximity to the border and Peshawar, a large Afghan refugee town notable for having many of the Islamic Schools (madrassas) that were identified as the breeding grounds for the Taleban. Remote areas in the mountainous Nuristan Province to the north and the border regions of Kunar Province in the northeast are still used as hideouts for a lot of the anti-coalition and anti-government groups. Rockets and improvised explosive device attacks still occur at least weekly within the region.
“The eastern region is also infamous for poppy growing. Last year this region produced 24% of Afghanistan’s opium crop, or 21% of total world production. Seizures occur weekly and are measured in tonnes of hashish and hundreds of kilos of opium. A network of very powerful warlords runs the industry. These guys have always run a pretty much feudal government system that has existed independent of whatever central government was in power in Kabul.
“My role is to provide advice to UNAMA on all military activity in the region. At present, most of my time is taken up with ensuring the military in the area can be used to create an environment in which a democratic parliamentary election can take place. However, with heavier than usual snow this year I have also been involved in coordinating humanitarian relief to isolated communities in the mountains. A highlight of the humanitarian work was last week’s helicopter and ground patrol in the Tora Bora Valley, which was the scene of Osama Bin Laden’s last stand against the US-led coalition force in 2002.
“As part of developing the security situation we are presently making a big push on disarming the locals. Left over jihadi and Taleban weapon caches are taken out of this area by the truckload. What isn’t useable by the Afghan National Army is destroyed. Last year the local Provincial Reconstruction Team alone destroyed 800 tonnes of weapons and ammunition. There are 79 tanks and hundreds of artillery guns parked in a field on the outskirts of town. Last week, in a five-day operation, the Afghan National Army collected 28 truckloads of weapons. There is still plenty where that came from too.
” Wing Commander Cudby also liaises with the Coalition Forces, local Government officials and the various local warlords, many of whom currently occupy senior positions in local Government.
The official handover ceremony of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZ PRT) Crib 4 to NZ PRT Crib 5 was held on February 4. This ceremony marked the formal transition of command and the responsibility for NZ PRT day-to-day functions, to Crib 5 members.