Observation .
D . Safety of Field Monitors in Insecure Environments ( Lesson # 2619 )
In areas of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban , local nationals who work for foreign contractors and partners are often targeted for their association with a foreign entity . In particular , employees of U . S . Government ( USG ) contractors and partners are at especially high risk , even if the workers were born and raised in that locality .
Discussion .
My time in Afghanistan was spent solely on managing U . S . Agency for International Development ( USAID ) -funded projects through USAID contractors and partners . The USAID mission in Afghanistan is one of the largest missions . In 2016 , USAID / Afghanistan spent $ 1 billion on development projects ; partial data from 2017 shows that it ’ s not far behind at $ 977 million .[ 1 ] The mission focuses on key sectors : agriculture , economic growth , infrastructure , democracy and governance , health , education , and gender .
In recent years , USAID has funded a number of monitoring projects in Afghanistan . The objective of the projects is to supplement existing monitoring efforts by USAID / Afghanistan staff as a part of a multi-tiered approach to verifying and monitoring USAID projects in Afghanistan ; this is done through the use of third-party monitors . The role of the field monitor is to travel out to an assigned location to verify that a project is on track by collecting data . The methodology includes interviewing beneficiaries , taking photos , and using other forms of documentation to verify ongoing activities funded by USAID . For example , if a field monitor is assigned to monitor an agricultural project , he / she will travel out to the farms that are receiving funding through the project , interview the farmers and workers , take pictures , and use satellite imaging of the farms .
As of September 26 , 2017 , the Long War Journal reported that 45 % of districts in Afghanistan are controlled or contested by the Taliban . “ The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction ( SIGAR ), the congressionally-mandated oversight body on Afghanistan , reported 11 districts under insurgent control , 34 under insurgent influence , and 119 contested .”[ 2 ] This doesn ’ t include the growing presence of ISIS .
The Taliban has shown great disdain for foreigners . In July 2016 , the Taliban leader , Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada , “ called for an end to the foreign ‘ occupation ’ of Afghanistan as a first step to a settlement based on Islamic law that he said would bring unity to a country hit by decades of war .”[ 3 ] As a country that ’ s often been governed by foreign influence since 1838 with the arrival of the British and now experiencing the longest war in modern history , the Taliban and its followers are wary of foreign interventions , whether they are military or for statebuilding .
Official activities conducted by USG-funded contractors and partners greatly endanger their local staff who live , work , and travel outside of Kabul . During my time in Afghanistan , I have heard anecdotes from local colleagues , mostly field monitors , about getting stopped at checkpoints controlled by the Taliban and getting questioned at assignment locations . If the Taliban discovered that they were on a project funded by the US Government ( USG ), they could get killed . One colleague who worked in Kandahar was targeted for his work on multiple USAID-funded projects . Recognized for his
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