SALERNO (PAN): Change-of-command ceremonies for Provincial Reconstruction Teams in southeastern Afghanistan's Regional Command-East took place last month, the US-led coalition said on Thursday.

The four PRTs aiding Paktika, Paktia, Ghazni and Khost governments were relieved after spending a year in Afghanistan by incoming groups, which include a new one under the Czech leadership in the central Logar province.

The teams promised to press on with efforts to provide governmental mentorship, construction projects, and infrastructure building. "We will continue this momentum," vowed Navy Cmdr. Tom Peters, who replaced Edwardo Fernandez of the Sharan PRT in Paktika.

Of the four PRT's, the coalition said in a statement, three were currently under Navy Command and one under Air Force, each with a security force company previously provided by the Arizona National Guard - replaced by soldiers from the Pennsylvania and Guam National Guard.

The most effective weapon the PRT wielded against insurgents was not force, remarked Army Col. Martin Schweitzer, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. "The greatest threat to the Taliban is not the Coalition, he said.

Addressing the attendees of the ceremonies, the commander explained: "It is the leadership of (these districts) who have been mentored and supported by these teams."

"The PRT has always answered any and all questions I've had," said Paktika Governor Akram Khpalwak at the ceremony in Sharan. "They've helped me with everything I've needed. I know this new team will do the same to help me build our country."

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