I thought Afghans were blankets...?

Afghans deliver blankets, clothes to displaced citizens

KABUL, Afghanistan -- On the surface, it appeared to be an act of good will and charity to a people who need it the most, during a season when it's needed the most. But under the surface, much more was going on. The new government was taking vital first steps to assure its people that they will be there for them, an idea that has always been foreign here.

"Afghan people helping Afghan people is the theme," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Roseman, of the Political Military Integration’s ministry engagement team.

With the Afghan flag design, 7,000 blankets and several boxes of clothing were distributed by the Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation on Monday to 3,000 Afghan families displaced to a village on the outskirts of Kabul.

The blankets were obtained by Roseman and his team. "Getting blankets is easy," he said. "Engaging the ministry to store and haul and coordinate the distribution of the blankets with the refugee families is the real success here."

The ministry engagement team's main effort is to come along side the ministry to mentor, guide and assist them in doing their job, Roseman said.

"What was good about today was the ministry really took the ball and ran with it," he said. "They planned and coordinated well, and their success is our success."

The ministry planned with the elders of the refugees to give each family a voucher for a certain number of blankets for when they returned with the supplies.

"The ministry's effort in coordinating the logistics really paid off, and the distribution went very smoothly," Roseman said.

"We are very happy to be back in our own country," said Malak Tourghul, the camps elder. "We are very proud of our ministry and hope to be working with them in the future."

That's the plan. Roseman said the ministry is preparing to help 27 different refugee camps in the Kabul area in the same way.

From a strategic point of view, an endeavor like this is crucial for the stabilization and security of the country, he said. Refugee camps typically make good recruitment camps for terrorists because they can prey on people who have been left out in the cold, literally, by their own government to get them on board with their "government."

"The Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation has taken a step in the right direction to prevent that from happening," Roseman said.

An act of good will and charity - 3,000 refugee families will be a lot warmer this winter. But as they wrap themselves with the colors of their nation's flag when the winter weather rolls in, hopefully they will remember it's their country keeping them warm.