TIRINKOT (PAN): The acting governor on Monday laid the foundation stone for a civil airport, a project which would be completed at an estimated cost of 17 million euros in the central province of Uruzgan.
Funded by the Dutch government, the airport would take one year to complete, the acting governor, Haji Khuda-i-Dad Rahim, told a ceremony in the provincial capital, Tirinkot.
Present on the occasion were Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) officials, representative of the Australian government and other provincial Uruzgan government servants.
"The airport will be unforgettable assistance from the Dutch government to the people of Afghanistan," Rahim said of the project, south of Tirinkot.
Dutch soldiers, expected to leave the restive province in August, will move to another part of the country.
"Uruzgan residents will be able to use the airport for travelling to other provinces or countries," said the Dutch PRT commander, Jaemes Demol. "I am very glad that we are launching an important project before we leave the province."
The Dutch soldiers in Uruzgan will be replaced by Australian soldiers. Twenty-four of the 1,800 Dutch soldiers have so far been killed in operations against insurgents.
Also in Tirinkot, the foundation stone of a vocational school was laid.  The 22-room building will cost about 2700,000 euros, provided by German and Dutch governments.
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