By Fisnik Abrashi
The Associated Press, 26 November 2006
PANJWAYI, Afghanistan - Bandoliers draped over their chests and rocket-propelled grenades slung on their backs, Afghan soldiers venture slowly out of their base of mud huts and green tents for a patrol with Canadian troops through this restive southern town.
Such operations are at the heart of efforts by the United States and
NATO to bolster Afghanistan's security forces and open the way for the departure of Western troops.
"They are our exit strategy," said Maj. Francoise Bisillon, who is part of the Canadian team that lives with, trains and mentors Afghan soldiers in Panjwayi.
Their short morning patrol might not seem like dangerous work, but the area is NATO's front line against Taliban militants. Clashes erupt in nearby fields almost every day.
This year alone, 34 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Kandahar province, most of them in insurgent attacks near the Argandab River, a fertile valley of orchards and vineyards that is a green oasis in an expanse of brown desert and barren mountains.
Close-quarter fighting over the summer in the province's Panjwayi, Pashmul and Zhari areas killed hundreds of militants, but dozens of civilians also died — deaths that have soured relations between locals and Western troops.
Few children wave as the patrol passes through the town, and local men sipping tea in front of shops offer only a steely gaze.
Despite the summer offensive designed to root out the Taliban, militants remain active in this area, firing rockets and mortars one minute and mingling with civilians the next.
Relying on local soldiers who know the terrain and can tell a farmer from a militant is vital to NATO's two-pronged approach in the south: restoring security by driving off the militants while kick-starting long-promised economic development to improve the lives of poor villagers in hopes of bolstering loyalty for Afghanistan's government.
"They are good fighters and they know the ground," Warrant Officer Daniel Parenteau, 38, said of the Afghan soldiers leading the foot patrol past farm fields and into town.
The Afghan troops deployed here with the Canadians have fighting experience but are still a young force and can't yet be trusted with some of the more sophisticated weapons, their Western mentors say. The Afghans also lack experience in planning and logistics.
More than 35,000 Afghan soldiers are working around the country alongside Western troops — who "lead them from behind," Bisillon said.
Lt. Col. Shirin Shah Kowbandi's chin and right palm bear scars from clashes with Taliban militants in the country's north in the 1990s, when the hard-line Islamic militia ruled most of Afghanistan.
A towering man in green fatigues, he has spent most of his adult life fighting the Taliban, first as a member of the Northern Alliance and now as commander of the Afghan National Army's 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 205th Corps in Kandahar province, the militia's former heartland.
When the Taliban ruled, the lines of battle and combatants were clear, he said.
"Now, there is no front line," Kowbandi said. "Four or five guys will attack and then run into the village where they hide their weapons."
Kowbandi complains that his unit has only half the men required, few weapons and old equipment. Some of their assault rifles jammed during the summer offensive, while barrels on others were bent. Recent rains left their dun-colored pickup trucks bogged down in thick mud.
"If we have better weapons and equipment, we can beat the enemy faster," Kowbandi said, before turning his gaze to some Canadian armored vehicles.
"If I only had those," he said.
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Citation: Fisnik Abrashi. "Afghanistan's fledgling army joins fight," The Associated Press, 26 November 2006.
Original URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061126/ap_on_re_as/afghan_southern_front
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