troung

Afghan army still needs mentoring by Cdn troops

By BILL GRAVELAND


LACOOKHAL, Afghanistan (CP) - There is a pride and fearlessness in the Afghan soldier honed over centuries of feudal warfare. But there is also an impulsiveness and devil-may-care attitude that sometimes makes their modern-date Canadian mentors cringe.

"Maybe a little careless," allowed Master Warrant Officer Richard Gosselin of Quebec City, his unit's regimental sergeant major. And it starts at the top.

On a foot patrol in this region last week, which ended in a 45 minute firefight with about 20 Taliban, Lt.-Col. Shirin Sha Kowbandi, commander of the local Kandak battalion of the Afghan National Army, didn't carry a gun or wear a helmet.

One of his company commanders decided to fire an RPG from the top of a wall at a time when the Taliban were blasting away with rockets and mortars.

His soldiers called out words of encouragement, cheering him on as they sat holding their outdated AK-47s and smoking in the furrows within the grape orchards.

All ANA companies are assigned a group of Canadian soldiers to help train them to the point that they can eventually take over security by themselves.


There is no questioning the bravery or commitment of the ANA according to members of OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Team), mostly made up of members of the Valcartier, Que.,-based Royal 22nd Regiment, commonly called the Vandoos.

"I think what could really be improved with the ANA is the officers and NCO's should go on courses to polish the way they do their tactics," said Gosselin, 46.

As for taking over sole responsibility for security: "Not yet," Gosselin said.

"First of all they don't have enough soldiers in their forces and it's going to take a while. They have to improve too, and be in all provinces and I think this will take a while."

Another Canadian mentor, Capt. Josh Major, said he has seen an improvement, but that the ANA still has a way to go.

"They're already good fighters and now it's just transforming them so they are more technically sound and better with the preparation and the follow up preparation," said Major, 31 of Chelmsford, Ont, with the 12me regiment blinde du Canada (12th Armoured Regiment), also based in Valcartier.

"But the Kandak commander had good control of his men. Our guys are really switched on and we're doing more of the liaison aspects between us, the artillery and the jets, all that good stuff," he added.

The Kandak commander, Lt.-Col. Shirin Sha Kowbandi, acknowledges his men have a way to go but believes it comes down to a lack of weapons and vehicles.

"We have (Ford) Rangers. The truck is not enough for our army," said Kowbandi. "If the rain starts our Rangers get stuck in the mud. We need good vehicles like the Canadians have, like a LAV (light armoured vehicle)."

There is also a need for more soldiers and better weapons said Kowbandi, who spent years fighting against the Taliban while with the Northern Alliance.

Major has hopes that the ANA will be able build up to the point that it will be totally independent.

"I think it's going really, really well and it has to go well," said Major. "That's the only way we're ever going to eventually leave here is if they can take care of themselves."

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To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

Archer

The Canadians are training the ANA. The Pakistanis are training the Taliban..

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Karmani Vyapurutham Dhanuhu

My bow is stretched for its task

MarquezRazor

So actually the war is between Canada and Pakistan..I guess.

Archer

War is between any nation that is against extremist Islam, and Pakistan. The latter wants to use it as and when it wants to- whether it be Kashmir, or Afghanistan. The victims- whether it be ISAF or India or Afghanis want it stopped.
Clash of cultures, belief, idealogies and national interests.

Officer of Engineers

It's the Afghan fight. Truth be told, NATO has to win it by 2009. The 3 combat forces (Brits, Dutch, Canucks) will be spent by that time - the problem with small forces. We can fight tough but we cannot fight long. Unless other NATO members step up into combat, the fight will have to be entirely ANA. We just hope that we can weaken the Taliban enough and strengthen the ANA enough by then.

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Chimo

MarquezRazor

Is there any chance of India getting seriously involved in it?I guess India would want that isnt it?

Ray

India wants, Pakistan doesn't.

Bush thus is up a gum tree!

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

Archer

Sir, are you serious? Why 2009, anything of significance?

If ISAF withdraw, theres no way ANA can hold up vs the Taliban and the ISI. All ethnic rivalries will be exploited to the hilt, and thats that.

akhiluppal

The war is losing popularity with the people of Canada, the NDP want Canada to do more recontruction then actual fighting. Plus the soldiers from other NATO allies like Germany, France and Denmark are deployed near the north part where there is not much action. I heard the Germans and French don't share their choppers with the others (against some rule)

Officer of Engineers

2009 represents the end of the current deployment cycle or we will have to strip the battle schools again of their instructors just to man a new deployment. We can still maintain a presence but most likely be less than half of what the current British, Dutch, and Canadian deployments (in the Canadian case, best case scenario is a single battle group, more likely a company group). Men and machine will have to be repaired at that time.

It the ISAF withdraws, then it will be the fault of the Italians, Germans, and French. While they're doing extremely good work, they're not in the same operational tempo as the combat engaging forces.

Officer of Engineers

The politicians never seemed to care before about popularity on any given military mission. The worst it will come to is that we will start hiding the info (or rather stop publicizing the events) as we did before. If the people knew what we were doing in Yugoslavia, they would've not supported it as well.

The NDP is not qualified nor in a position to make policy.

We're not acting as a single cohesive force, that's for sure but they're good soldiers.

akhiluppal

NDP usual makes demands under the threat to 'bring down the government'

Officer of Engineers

And loose their only leverage? They ain't going to trade health care for Afghanistan.

Ray

The ISAF has to pull in one direction or else it will be a total waste of effort and lives.

Because of the move to confront the Taliban head on and not 'hunt' for wayward warlords, results are showing. Of course, such deliberate confrontation head on means lives lost, but at least it is moving towards the aim of the mission.

Unfortunately, politics is playing a major role in skewing the show. On the one hand, Pakistan has to be kept happy and on the other hand, Afghanistan is to be cleared of the Taliban! The soldiers are caught in between and they pay their heavier price!

Alas, that is the story everywhere.

Politicians want political mileage and the soldiers lay their lives!

Officer of Engineers

Not as heavy a price as the ANA is paying, Sir. They're not ready but they're taking the lead with the Canadians and the Brits taking the supporting role.