FEB 6 — The next day, we all had to wake up early because our vehicles were supposed to start rolling right at dawn. We were in for another challenging journey and heading deeper into the heartland of Afghanistan. I decided to forego another shower since the temperature in the mountains of Bamiyan were in the single digit in the early mornings.

Before we headed out, we had a security briefing. This is a must since it is when everyone gets information on the journey and also to talk about any emergency plans should there be an attack by the Taliban. After the briefing, we had the mandatory prayers for a safe journey and then we headed out.

This time, the journey was almost twice as difficult. The mountain area we had to go through was higher and rougher. Security was another concern since we were moving further away from central Bamiyan and heading nearer to the border with Daykhundi province, which had a stronger Taliban presence. This time it was serious and I made sure my bulletproof vest was strapped on tighter than ever.

After a back-breaking drive and a short scare when one of the vehicles (the one I was in!) broke down, we finally arrived in Panjab right after nightfall. Since it was already night, there was nothing the troops could do and so we headed straight to the Panjab base camp, which was empty except for a few Afghan guards at the gate. Since it was night and it was cold, I decided to just brush my teeth and wash my face before going to bed.

Morning came and the team broke into two groups. The first group consisted of the commander, Lt Col Rusman Sanip, Major Dr Mohd Arshil Moideen, two security personnel and me. We left the base camp and headed to Panjab hospital where the director was expecting us. The second group stayed back to prepare for the school visit later in the morning.

We arrived at the hospital and the director was waiting for us. He had organised a meeting with several community leaders at the request of Major Arshil. The reason for the meeting was because there had been an outbreak of a disease called Brucellosis in the village. Spread by livestock, 678 villagers had already been infected and three had died. The solution that was being brought to the table was mass immunisation for young livestock in the village.

Although the doctors of MALCON ISAF 2 are the ones initiating the formation of this committee and also the immunization strategy, Major Arshil did not reveal this during the meeting. He actually introduced Dr Borhan Rahmani, an officer from the Afghan Ministry of Health, to the attendees as the initiator of the meeting.

“We need to instil confidence into the Afghan people of their own government and agencies. This is the only way to help wean them off foreign aid,” explained Major Arshil.

After the meeting, we headed to Panjab High School where the second group had already arrived and wa preparing for the talk that Major Arshil and the commander was about to give. The objective of the talk was to educate the teenagers at the school about Brucellosis and ways to prevent infection. The talk went quite well and it ended with a friendly volleyball match between the students and the troops.

After losing (graciously!) to the students, we all went back to Panjab base camp for lunch. While we were just about to start eating, one of the Afghan guards suddenly ran in and started yelling frantically in Pashto. Someone called Farid over to interpret and apparently, the guard was trying to say that there were people outside the gates who needed medical help.

A group of us rushed out to see what it was. There was an ambulance and an ANP jeep outside the gates. Major Arshil and Corp. Mohd Saiful Karim were the first to get to the ambulance and inside, they saw three injured Afghan policemen. One had been shot in the leg, another had shrapnel in his body and the third lying unconscious on the floor, had part of his skull broken. They had been attacked by the Taliban just one hour away from where we were.

Major Arshil and Corp. Saiful immediately started an IV drip and put on an oxygen mask for the unconscious policeman. The other two injured police were in relatively stable condition. Major Arshil told the ambulance driver that they had to get to a hospital as soon as possible as the unconscious man might not be able to survive for very long without the proper care.

The driver told us that they were ordered to drive to Kabul for treatment. Unfortunately, driving to Kabul meant meant going through Taliban controlled roads. So they decided to come here and see if they could find help. When they heard that the Malaysian troops were here, they immediately came to the base camp.

The commander then ordered Major Arshil to radio in to the US ISAF base for helicopter evacuation. After about 10 minutes, he came out and disappointedly announced to the Afghans that the evacuation helicopter had already left for another location and could not come here. He then told the driver to drive straight to Bamiyan city and head to the hospital there. Major Arshil personally called the hospital director and informed him of their pending arrival.

As soon the Afghans left, our group’s security leader, Capt. Mohd Faddillah Ahmad, immediately suggested that everyone start packing up and get ready to evacuate and head back towards Bamiyan city. The attack had taken place recently and was too close for comfort. It meant that the presence of the Taliban was near and no chances should be taken. Within 15 minutes, the whole group left Panjab base camp.

While we were getting ready to evacuate, Major Arshil, who had made the radio request for the helicopter evacuation, confided in me. He said that the US army had denied the use of the helicopter evacuation because it was reserved for the usage of ISAF troops only, and that included Malaysia.

“How could I tell them the truth? I just hope they get to the hospital in time,” he said.

We arrived at Kiwi base camp in Bamiyan city two days after evacuating from Panjab. We broke journey and spent the night at Yadkawlang base camp. I was due to leave MALCON ISAF 2 for Kabul in two days.

The time I spent with the Malaysian soldiers affected me in several ways. My perspective of the Malaysian Armed Forces definitely changed. Before going to Afghanistan, I didn’t have any awareness of the activities of our troops. Of course I knew that we deployed them to different countries on peacekeeping missions. But because we don’t really get any news from them, my perspective had always been very indifferent.

As a Malaysian, I was also happy of the fact that our mission to Afghanistan was strictly a humanitarian mission. This just reinforces my belief that we Malaysians are peace-loving people. If I do have any issues with our country’s presence in Afghanistan, it would be the fact that we could actually do more. As far as my observation went, the Afghans accept and appreciate what our troops are doing for them.

Stay tuned next week for Part 10 (final) of Zan Azlee’s “Guide to Afghanistan: The Adventures of a KL-ite.” View videos of his adventures here .