Canadian soldiers return to Kandahar

[paracowboy]

Enough from me...I've ranted enough and think I still have "issues" surrounding this op...

rant away, my fuzzy friend. Hopefully, others will read this as an AAR, and it will forestall such annoyances from occurring in future.

And it's cathartic.

 

[Infanteer]

- calls from NDHQ about troops camming their equipment by spraying it tan
- calls from NDHQ about troops wearing webbing rather than tac vests

WTF are they involving themselves with tactical matters for?  I'm curious of how the Staff relationship is supposed to work on this one....

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Hey Infanteer missed you in the mess.   :-*

I agree with your point as well.

 

[TCBF]

"launched three weeks later - with a totally different TO&E than was originally discussed (thankfully, the Strathconas had continued to keep Coyotes at a higher readiness level)."

- What a hoot!  We went on leave having re-orged a Recce Sqn from two 7 car recce troops and an NBC Tp to a deployable 7 car Tp with a spare veh (The LO).

Our c/s were prep for loading on a Herky Bird, by us, supervised by the pathological liars ("Your GPS Btys will be in theatre when you get there.") who have been designated such by the red arm bands and yellow wagon wheels, and who checked out the Coyotes using AVGP load sheets.  I went on leave expecting a phone call any second, and was amazed when it didn't happen.  We come back to find our vehicles painted tan (nice job, 'B' Sqn), and re-orged into two 5 car troops, with the two now surplus patrols ready to join us on order (which we thought was the plan - but it never was).  This re-org required cross loading all of the issued consumables and re-distributing our ration mix - no big deal.  

We didn't even know when we were catching the C-5B, and even which way around the planet we were going to fly.  My chalk - the first - went through Gander and landed in Ramstein.  It almost didn't leave Edmonton at all due to our bus breaking down repeatedly between the LTF and EIA, and a Canadian driving a fork lift into the Galaxy as we were emplaning. The next day at Ramstein,  we bombed up what we could - no 25mm, but lots of co-ax - and loaded into a C-17 with my Coyote (42A, CFR 767), my driver, and half of 'B' Coy 3 PPCLI.  We landed in Kandahar on 2 or 3 Feb to find a bunch of Cdn journalists waiting.  Some had 'bounced' the Pak/Afghan border to get in ahead of us.  Follow on flights came in later, though through Rhine-Main (Frankfurt a.m.), not Ramstein.  Which is why I at least got to land with lots of co-ax ammo, the rest of the Sqn landed with squat.

Tom

 

[McG]

- the "cast in concrete" 100 vehicle cap

That is as irksome as the cast in concrete manpower numbers

War-bound troops train for worst
Taliban insurgents step up attacks in Afghanistan
Terry Pedwell
The Canadian Press
(Printed: Edmonton Journal)
July 7, 2005

OTTAWA - Canadian soldiers heading for Afghanistan are being prepared for direct combat with Taliban fighters as insurgents promise more -- and more sophisticated -- attacks on foreign troops.

The 250-strong provincial reconstruction team, or PRT, being deployed beginning in two weeks, has undergone heightened training, their commanders well aware of the recent increase in the threat of violence against them.

The troops, mainly from Edmonton, will take over patrols in and around Kandahar from a U.S. team that was attacked by a suicide bomber less than a month ago. Four soldiers were injured.

Afghan and U.S. officials warn that such attacks will likely escalate in the coming weeks as the country prepares for elections scheduled for Sept. 18.

"There is an increased (insurgent) activity level in the southern provinces, there's no doubt about that," says Col. Steve Noonan, who will take on the new role of commander of Canada's Joint Task Force Afghanistan in early August.

The military doesn't want troops to be sitting ducks for would-be attackers.

Canada's provincial reconstruction team will be located halfway between Kandahar, a southern city that once was a stronghold of the Taliban, and the region's U.S.-controlled airfield.

"The provincial reconstruction team is smaller in size and it's also split in two locations," explains Noonan.

"So it becomes even smaller when it comes to force-protection issues. As a result, there is more of a tactical level focus on security of both patrols and their own base."

The team is designed as a first real test of Canada's so-called "3-D" foreign policy -- defence, diplomacy, development.

"Prior to the PRT, there was always a

3-D effort in Afghanistan," said Noonan. "But they weren't necessarily coalesced as closely as they will be within the PRT.

"In Kandahar, they're all living in the same compound. This is certainly the first time ... where we see the Canadian strategic outlook of how to deal with failed states being a much more co-

operative effort between the three departments."

There will, in fact, be four government departments involved -- Defence, Foreign Affairs, the Canadian International Development Agency, or CIDA, and the RCMP.

Michael Callan, who will head the CIDA portion of the team, says he's worried about deteriorating security in Kandahar and whether it will hamper his work. "The Taliban seemingly asserting itself of late is definitely a concern."

Security is so tenuous that CIDA isn't making firm commitments to the Afghan government on which development projects can be completed.

"If it deteriorates further, it will certainly hinder our progress," warned Callan. "But I don't think it will halt it altogether. We certainly wouldn't leave the country. Myself, I could draw back to Kabul, or even draw back to Kandahar airfield."

There are fears that Afghan insurgents are trying to mimic tactics used by suicide bombers in Iraq.

One Canadian military official, who didn't want to be identified, said many insurgents have adopted an insidious strategy to kill more soldiers.

"They're planting suspicious vehicles at roadsides, forcing patrols to stop well back and inspect," he explained. "(But) the bombs are being planted back where (the military convoys) stop."

In early June, five U.S. soldiers were killed in three separate attacks in Kandahar. Another suicide bomber blew himself up June 1 in a city mosque, killing 20 people at the funeral of an anti-Taliban cleric.

Should there be a large-scale attack, Canadian soldiers may be forced to directly confront insurgent forces, said the official. "It's not to say they'll be hunting the Taliban. But if they are confronted, they will take deadly action."

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Shouldn't a secure and safe environment be established before we go around building stuff.

 

[TCBF]

Concurrent.  People need water, sewage, electricity, schools, security.  If we wait for security to happen, we wait 50 years.  Yanks had probs in Iraq trying to build safety through democracy when people just wanted/needed essential services restored first.

Tom 

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

WTF are they involving themselves with tactical matters for?   I'm curious of how the Staff relationship is supposed to work on this one....

Um...(must be careful here) Well, in this instance, there was an officer on LS who had his face in a knot about equipment (I won't go any further).  He'd see something on TV he didn't like and engage us directly - over the most mundane points.  "Oh my God, your soldiers aren't wearing tac vests!!!"  All this despite the fact that we lost control of anything to do with the deployment as soon as the guys got on the plane (or didn't as TCBF points out!)...  This sort of thing happens all the time and it is up to staff guys (as I was at the time) to fend it off.

I eventually came close to going to the DB by telling him to f**k off.  Worked, though.   ;D

Thankfully, I deployed about a month later and all was forgotten...

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

This might be of interest to the warfighters out there...

Troops expecting casualties, Hillier says
By BILL CURRY

Friday, July 8, 2005
Updated at 12:10 PM EDT

OTTAWA -- Canadian troops face a "probability" of casualties in the coming months because they will engage in direct combat with the Taliban and possibly even Osama bin Laden in the lawless southern regions of Afghanistan, says Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier.

In an exclusive interview with CTV's Question Period, taped just hours after the terrorist bombings in London, Gen. Hillier spoke of the dangers ahead for Canadian troops as they move to southern Afghanistan to fight the "face" of terrorism.

Gen. Hillier added with a smile that Canadian troops are well aware of the $25-million bounty for Osama bin Laden.

With Afghanistan's capital of Kabul relatively secure, Canadian troops will soon move south to the more dangerous centre of Kandahar and the surrounding area.

Small provincial reconstruction teams totalling about 250 soldiers will be the first to head south this month and will help local citizens with basic needs such as digging wells and creating goodwill. Canadian troops will set up in larger numbers in Kandahar in January or February.

Gen. Hillier said the fact that Canada can move its troops out of Kabul is a sign of success for the mission.

"It allows us to confront terrorism right at the face, if you will. It allows us to help to extend the government of Afghanistan's authority to support the development from a failed state, which is what Afghanistan was, to something that is much, much better," he said in the interview, which will be broadcast Sunday.

The hunt for Mr. bin Laden is likely to intensify after yesterday's attacks in London. The al-Qaeda leader is thought to be in northern Pakistan or southern Afghanistan. Pakistan's interior minister said this week the possibility that Mr. bin Laden, his close aide Ayman al-Zawahiri and former Taliban leader Mullah Omar are hiding in southern Afghanistan "cannot be ruled out."

While the odds that a Canadian soldier will take down the world's most wanted terrorist are "slim," Gen. Hillier said Canadians still could take on Mr. bin Laden as part of the mission.

"If we come across or know where Osama bin Laden is, and if he should be anywhere in or around or near or close to the region where we operate, we certainly would be involved [in the search for him]. That's obviously not what we would go deliberately out and seek, because he does hide himself pretty well. Of course, we all bear in mind that he's got a $25-million bonus on his head too," he said.

Attacks on U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan have intensified in recent weeks, and Gen. Hillier said the troops have been trained and equipped to make the odds of casualties as low as possible.

 

[McG]

Personally I think we just found a great role for reservists - PRT security forces - while the regs play hunter killer.

While I recognize you are advocating the "sexier" role for the regs, is there any other circumstance when you might recommend the reserves for the job that will requirer the more capable soldiers?

 

[civvy3840]

Shouldn't a secure and safe environment be established before we go around building stuff.

I agree with that 100%

 

[KevinB]

While I recognize you are advocating the "sexier" role for the regs, is there any other circumstance when you might recommend the reserves for the job that will requirer the more capable soldiers?

Not until I go back to the reserves  ;D


Right now we have troops in our BN's who have not had a tour in 7 years - simply due to the Ad Hoc deployments we have had -- I dont see a reason to employ reservisits when we have regulars drawing breath and pay sitting around.  Its not a good use of resources.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

They haven't been on a tour in 7 years 'cause your too damn sexy.

 

[from darkness lite]

Taleban behead Afghan Police in Helmand Province (part of TF Bayonet's AO).   Although this did not happen in our AO, part of Security Sector Reform is to equip and train the ANP so these incidents will become less frequent.   I agree with previous posts that hunting them down would be ideal, however as long as they can cross the border with impunity, and the allies cannot, the ANP will in many cases be the first to confront these "animals".   One of the roles of PRT's is to equip/train the ANP to operate more effectively.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4668747.stm

FDL  

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Sounds a lot like Cambodia/Vietnam with re to border issues.

 

[paracowboy]

Sounds a lot like Cambodia/Vietnam with re to border issues.

precisely. And the local troops in that area are either scared to act against the tribes, or are more loyal to the tribes than to the Pakistani government. Musharraf is in a tight spot. He can't rely on his army to quash the northern border tribes, and he can't invite foreign troops in to do it for him, without massive civil unrest. Actually, it's worse than that, because he can't rely on his Intelligence service either.

The tribes along what is now the Afghan/Pak border have never acknowledged any subservience or loyalty to the rulers of any neighbouring power, whether the local Grand Poobah was from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan or England. They've always been independent, extremely conservative, xenophobic, insular, and violent. (Kinda like my family, only with more facial hair.)

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Anyway to get these independents seeing things our way?

 

[Old Sweat]

The British used to gain their co-operation by a combination of bribes and force. Neither option worked very well, except in the short term.

 

[KevinB]

Anyway to get these independents seeing things our way?

I have an idea...

Some SR mission combined with precision and low key DA's from the resultant int.  Act like the Israeli's pick up your brass and admit nothing...

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

oh you cad!