Korean Troops, Reconstruction Workers to Stay Near Charikar in Afghanistan
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
South Korean troops and civilian workers to be deployed to Afghanistan this year to help U.S.-led reconstruction efforts will be stationed near Charikar, the capital of Parwan Province, officials said Sunday.
Last year the Afghan government offered state-owned land located 2.5 kilometer north of Charikar, to build a base for the Korean contingent.
Korean officials recently conducted an onsite inspection of the area and concluded that the site was good for the base, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The government will soon send a team of military engineers to the area to make a final check on security conditions.
If they don't have any overriding opinions, the site will be chosen as the location of the reconstruction team, the ministry said.
``The proposed land is located between mountains and water, providing a safe place for military facilities,'' a ministry spokesman said.
Korea plans to deploy 320 troops to Afghanistan to protect 100 civilian reconstruction workers from July 2010 to December 2012. In addition, 40 police officers will be sent to help train Afghan police.
The United States is expected to pull its combat troops out of Afghanistan beginning July 2011 as announced by President Barack Obama, but the reconstruction work will go on for about two to four years.
The U.S. Bagram Air Base is close to the planned Korean base, so Korean troops could easily receive U.S. support in the event of an emergency, ministry officials said.