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 Alexander’s Castle still has military uses in Afghanistan By Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
                U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
 QALAT CITY, Afghanistan - In any other country  in the world, it would be a tourist site. A tour guide would lead people through the place local  Afghans call Ball Haizer, or simply “The Castle” and tell of its rich history. Instead U.S. Soldiers assigned to Provincial  Reconstruction Team Zabul are looking to partner with Afghan National Army  Soldiers to use the site to protect U.S. and Afghan interests in the area. “I’m not the first Soldier to walk up the hill to use  ‘The Castle’ for military purposes, and I probably won’t be the last,” said  Army Staff Sgt. Clarence Washington, PRT Zabul third squad security forces lead  deployed from the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 110th Infantry Battalion in  Connellsville, Pa. “Hopefully, we can use its vantage point to secure our  operations in this Province.” Local officials here said the fortress was built more  than 2,000 years ago by legendary conqueror and Greek military leader,  Alexander the Great during his push to India. Since then, nearly every military force has used it,  including the British, the Russians, the Taliban, and now American and Afghan  National Army soldiers. “This place gets used for military purposes a lot,” said  “Craft,” PRT Zabul’s interpreter. “Maybe one day it can be a place that people  just come to and visit.” While tourist visits are still in the future, Soldiers  here now hope to use the stone-structure, towering over the more than 10,000  inhabitants of Qalat City, to help the PRT fulfill its three goals – improving  security, extending the authority and credibility of the Afghan government, and  finally to facilitate reconstruction. “Being here can help us to better secure Highway 1, (the  main road connecting Kabul to Kandahar) and keep my Soldiers and Airmen safe  while we conduct our mission here,” said Army Sergeant Washington. “Getting  everybody home safe and protecting the local populace, while conducting this  mission is a top priority for me.” Atop “The Castle” sits a glass teahouse. From the area  surrounding the teahouse, one side offers an entire overview of Qalat City,  while the other gives an almost endless view of the desert terrain that  surrounds the city. “The view is pretty awesome, but it also gives us a great  vantage point to discourage and stop Taliban and enemy forces from trying to  cause harm to our fellow servicemembers and local Afghans,” said Pfc. Scott  Gaydos, PRT Zabul combat engineer. “Still it will be pretty cool when or if we  do get a chance to work out here.” Qalat is a Persian word meaning “faithful place.” For  more than 2,000 years, Soldiers have used this faithful place to conduct  military operations throughout Zabul province. Airmen and Soldiers at Provincial Reconstruction Team  Zabul and Afghan government officials here are working, so that one day this  can be a place tourist from all over the world can come visit. But for now, it still offers a military purpose.
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