At a time when fighting is intensifying in Afghanistan, and questions are being asked about the US and NATO missions, we launch a new column. Michel Rentenaar is travelling to Afghanistan to be the civilian representative of the Dutch forces there. He'll be telling us what that experience is like first hand. This is his first column, written shortly before his departure for Afghanistan.

 
 
How does a man begin a journey to Afghanistan as the civilian representative of the Dutch troops stationed there? For me, it all started with a conversation about dreams and ambitions in a cheese bar in Kampala. Having led an itinerant life as a diplomat in the Middle East, I found myself working in Uganda as acting ambassador and head of development cooperation. It was there that news reached me of my upcoming mission to Uruzgan.

It soon became clear to me that the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made considerable advances in the deployment of diplomats in areas of crisis. As early as March, I was heading off on my first reconnaissance mission to Afghanistan. I undertook the journey together with General Marc van Uhm, commander in chief of the Dutch forces, a number of his staff officers, my deputy Jan-Willem Beaujean and my first political advisor Arjan Lucas. I had previously served in conflict zones such as Lebanon, Yemen, the Palestinian Territories and Iraq, but Afghanistan was uncharted territory for me.

Camp Hilton
The journey began in Eindhoven, with an aircraft full of Dutch troops on their way to Uruzgan, being waved off by their families. After stopping off at Dubai's aptly named military airfield Mirage, we travelled on to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan, dogged by seemingly endless delays. We flew under cover of darkness to reduce the risk of attracting fire. An inescapable hint – if one were needed – that this was not a holiday flight bound for the sunny Algarve.

Kandahar military base is a mirage in its own right. It is astounding to be greeted by the spectacle of a typical American High Street, complete with a Starbucks and a Burger King. The base is also home to an ice hockey field where Canadian and American troops play the sport with unbridled enthusiasm. All that's missing is genuine ice. We then moved on to Kabul for two days of talks at the embassy, travelling from A to B in heavily armoured cars, escorted by equally well-built Dutch guards.

After all that shuttling back and forth, we finally arrived at Camp Holland in Uruzgan. While I wouldn't go as far as to call it Camp Hilton, it is certainly a good deal more comfortable than the digs I encountered on an earlier mission in Iraq, for example, where I had to spend the night on platform 3 of As-Samawah railway station. Back then in Iraq, I was a member of the first incoming team. Now in Afghanistan, I am joining the general at the helm of Task Force Uruzgan VII.

Problems and challenges
As its name suggests, this task force has the luxury of building on the work of six previous teams in Uruzgan. Our predecessors have laid a foundation of sterling work and have established a well-appointed camp. I had the privilege of a warm reunion with my colleague and friend Joep Wijnands, the man from whom I will take over in Uruzgan. Together we spoke of his work and the mission. We chuckled at the jargon of the troops who never speak of problems but only challenges. Joep also gave me valuable lessons in what I should focus on during my preparation programme.

With a head full of impressions and a deep respect for the task that awaited me in Uruzgan, I returned to the Netherlands. Regular trips back and forth to Kampala followed, where I still had to round off my posting. At a NATO academy in the German Alps I was taught about mines, counter intelligence and protocols on the use of force. In a series of Dutch barracks, I was pumped full of the knowledge that the armed forces have now amassed about peacekeeping missions. Burning the midnight oil, we beavered away at barracks in Ede and Havelte, figuring out how we would provide support for the Afghan elections in August. Out on the Veluwe heath, we practised the reconstruction of administration and development in far-off Uruzgan. Every now and then troops also joined us at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take a class in good governance and development cooperation.

Personal contribution
In these months of preparation, a valuable bond was forged between the general and myself. Our two-headed leadership of Task Force VII has already earned us the nickname 'the Siamese twins'. In official terminology, we represent the 3D approach (defence, diplomacy and development). It stands to reason that the general's focus is more on the first D, while I will be more concerned with the other two. It is only in a spirit of close cooperation that a mission as complex as Uruzgan can be brought to a positive conclusion. That’s something we will do our utmost to achieve.

As I write, the actual moment of departure is looming very large. In only a few days' time, I will be boarding a plane bound for Uruzgan, filled with awe at the difficult task that the Netherlands has set itself there, together with the Afghan people. I hope that I can do my part, make my own personal contribution. I'll keep you posted.