I got some great pictures today.

As part of my in-brief, we visited the ANA Central Work Shop (CWS). The commander of CWS is General Jawid. CWS is supposed to be the ANA central vehicle maintenance facility. Our tour guide was Captain Allen Kelly, USAF. The site where CWS now sits was originally an ordnance depot built by the occupying British in the mid 1800s. The US is rebuilding and renovating the compound. Many of the original buildings are being refaced and fitted with electricity, plumbing, etc. Most of the buildings need the floors raised because the original dirt floors are lower than the outside ground, causing water to settle inside during rains and the winter.

It was a clear day so I got some good pics of the mountains surrounding Kabul, very close to CWS.

Having been shelled by the Soviets, Taliban, and US, during excavation the workers have to be extremely careful about turning up old ordnance and/or unexploded munitions. This morning, for example, the workers found a cannonball, probably over 100 years old. They have to leave it in place until Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams can inspect and dispose of it because it could still contain explosive materials.

As part of the clean up, contractors removed truckloads of debris. Some of it had not been moved for years. In one old warehouse, they found some antique brass British cannons. Some of the cannon had regimental crests still on them. Captain Kelly did some research and was able to identify the regiment as that of Field Marshal Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts. Lord Roberts was one of the most successful British commanders in Afghanistan, having defeated the Muhammad Yakub Khan, the Afghan emir, and later became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army.

On the way back to Eggers we passed through downtown Kabul. I got some great street scene pics from our vehicle. This new camera is fantastic.

After lunch, thank Allah, we visited the slaughter house. Like the sewing factory, operating a slaughter house isn’t usually considered a military core competency, but it works for the Afghans. First we had chai with the commander, General Zaref. General Zaref is a friendly old warrior with a comb-over and the longest, bushiest eyebrows I’ve ever seen. The slaughter house purchases cows, goats and sheep daily. They butcher the animals and transport the meat to military units in and around Kabul. Because there is no refrigeration or refrigerated trucks, the slaughter house operates every day. We’re working on modernizing their facilities, but these things take time. Specifically, the Czech Republic has agreed to modernize the slaughter house. At one time the Iranians promised to help, but all they did was paint some broken refrigeration units and put a big sign over the entrance boasting about their assistance to the people of Afghanistan. I put the slaughter house pics in a separate photobucket album so the weak-stomached can avoid them if desired.

Out.