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Canadian troops join American-led training program for Afghan soldiers
at 13:29 on October 30, 2003, EST.
STEPHEN THORNE
Lieut. Tim Partello of Guelph, Ont., (left) and MCpl. Jamie Lewis of London, Ont., watch as a blindfolded Afghan national army soldier disassembles his AK-47 assault rifle at the presidential palace in Kabul. (CP / Stephen Thorne)
KABUL (CP) - A small group of Canadian soldiers has been seconded to the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom to help turn Afghanistan‘s disparate, fledgling army into a cohesive fighting force.
Dressed in desert tan combat fatigues instead of the army green worn by most other Canadian troops in Kabul, the members of Combined Joint Task Force 180 live at an American base in northern Kabul and spend their days with Afghan national army troops mentoring veteran fighters and raw recruits on the finer points of combat.
They still wear the green patch of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, but fall under the day-to-day command of the U.S. general in charge of the continuing war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
They have been assigned about 300 members of the elite unit of the newly formed Afghan army, the 1st Battalion, based at the sprawling presidential palace compound in downtown Kabul.
The number of Afghan trainees varies because troops keep bleeding off to combat assignments in the south or take leave to hand-deliver their monthly pay to their families, distributed all over this bankless country.
ISAF restrictions prevent the Canadians from accompanying the Afghans to the front.
Instead, Canadian soldiers with specialities in areas like combat arms, operations planning, supply, signals and mortars take their assigned companies of Afghan soldiers on ranges, training exercises and other drills.
And in many cases, it‘s like teaching an old dog new tricks.
"It‘s very much a work in progress," said Maj. Cameron Ellis of Sidney, B.C.
"They have a lot of very experienced warriors but as far as conducting complex operations during all times of year, all weathers, they still have a lot of technical lessons to learn."
Twenty-five years of guerrilla warfare and Soviet-taught tactics and command structure test the training team‘s mettle - and patience.
An American trainer who handed over his Afghan company to the Canadians told the story of a veteran fighter participating in an exercise in which he and his troops had to low-crawl several hundred metres to an objective.
When it was over the Afghan stood up, disgusted, and declared he hadn‘t gotten so dirty in nine years of warfare.
"Well maybe if you had, you wouldn‘t have had to fight for nine years," the American told him.
Ellis said the Afghans lack infrastructure - things like a supply system and personnel management - and their non-commissioned officers, traditionally the backbone of any army, have been relegated to backseat positions while officers micro-manage details.
"There‘s a lot that‘s not really happening and they have a lot to learn at that level and what a sergeant does to get his men ready, whether it‘s training or preparing them go out on operations," said Ellis.
"You look into a crowd of Afghan soldiers and you‘ll see a lot of senior NCOs (non-commissioned officers) sitting on the grass with the peanut gallery while they have officers directing literally everything, which is anathema to us."
He said their biggest challenge is getting Afghan NCOs to start taking responsibility for nut-and-bolts, day-to-day issues while getting officers direct their attention to fundamental, bigger-picture issues like tactics.
Lieut. Tim Partello, a native of Guelph, Ont., said the company armoury was a mess with boxes and weapons of every shape and description piled haphazardly before the Canadians suggested the Afghans empty it out, catalogue its inventory and reorganize its layout.
As they restocked, the company executive officer, a first-lieutenant, was taking inventory, while the supply sergeant was doing nothing.
Partello took the clipboard from the officer and gave it to the supply sergeant, then said to the officer: "Let‘s go have tea."
"The supply sergeant had this look of panic in his face because all of a sudden he realized he was responsible for all the equipment," said Partello.
Canadian NCOs coached the sergeant through the task and now the armoury - its AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and host of other weapons neatly shelved - is catalogued and a model of orderliness.
"It‘s fascinating," said Partello. "These guys all come from a wide, very diverse background. There are guys who fought with the Russians, guys who fought with the mujahedeen, guys who fought with the northern alliance."
"There are young kids who never fought with anyone at all. There are a lot of stories out there and a lot of experience - not necessarily the right kind of experience to develop a western-style professional army, but it‘s all experience at some level."
Lieut. Gulam Farooq, executive officer of the 2nd Rifle Company, 1st Battalion, Afghan national army, spent five years at military college in Moscow, finishing in 1990. Age 40, he began fighting 21 years ago.
"When the Turkish and British training groups started training, I learned more than I learned in all my time in Moscow," said Farooq, a native of Fara province in western Afghanistan, near the Iranian border.
"There are big differences between the military training. The tactics are different because the tactics we learned in Moscow were very old tactics and the tactics we are learning now, these are the new tactics."
Farooq said forming a cohesive national army in Afghanistan, where warlords and ethnic differences still rule and money is in short supply, will be no small feat.
"During 25 years of war in our country our army was destroyed," he said. "To start now to rebuild our army, it is very difficult for our country."
"This costs money and we should buy weapons, we should buy uniforms and they must build accommodation for our units. Twenty-five years is a big period and to rebuild . . . will take years and years."
Meanwhile, the Canadians are learning things, as well.
During live-fire exercises of platoon attacks on the range last week, they saw the firing of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless anti-tank weapons. For some, it was their first taste.
"The soldiers are very motivated," said Capt. Phillip Breton of Cambridge, Ont. "In fact, if I didn‘t know better, I would think that the soldiers were just like Canadian soldiers on average."
"They certainly have a great deal of willingness to form a cohesive army."
Moral among the Afghans appears good. They keep their kit immaculate - their green-and-brown uniforms, black boots and some personal equipment donated by the Turkish army.
And they love competition. During weapons training this week, the Canadians pitted Afghan against Afghan in assembly drills, and even got into the act themselves, winning some head-to-head competitions disassembling and reassembling Soviet-made machine-guns.
"I love it," said Canadian Capt. Mike Chagnon, who manages a training team that includes three Canadian NCOs. "I love this opportunity.
"So far, they have been really receptive."
at 13:29 on October 30, 2003, EST.
STEPHEN THORNE
Lieut. Tim Partello of Guelph, Ont., (left) and MCpl. Jamie Lewis of London, Ont., watch as a blindfolded Afghan national army soldier disassembles his AK-47 assault rifle at the presidential palace in Kabul. (CP / Stephen Thorne)
KABUL (CP) - A small group of Canadian soldiers has been seconded to the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom to help turn Afghanistan‘s disparate, fledgling army into a cohesive fighting force.
Dressed in desert tan combat fatigues instead of the army green worn by most other Canadian troops in Kabul, the members of Combined Joint Task Force 180 live at an American base in northern Kabul and spend their days with Afghan national army troops mentoring veteran fighters and raw recruits on the finer points of combat.
They still wear the green patch of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, but fall under the day-to-day command of the U.S. general in charge of the continuing war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
They have been assigned about 300 members of the elite unit of the newly formed Afghan army, the 1st Battalion, based at the sprawling presidential palace compound in downtown Kabul.
The number of Afghan trainees varies because troops keep bleeding off to combat assignments in the south or take leave to hand-deliver their monthly pay to their families, distributed all over this bankless country.
ISAF restrictions prevent the Canadians from accompanying the Afghans to the front.
Instead, Canadian soldiers with specialities in areas like combat arms, operations planning, supply, signals and mortars take their assigned companies of Afghan soldiers on ranges, training exercises and other drills.
And in many cases, it‘s like teaching an old dog new tricks.
"It‘s very much a work in progress," said Maj. Cameron Ellis of Sidney, B.C.
"They have a lot of very experienced warriors but as far as conducting complex operations during all times of year, all weathers, they still have a lot of technical lessons to learn."
Twenty-five years of guerrilla warfare and Soviet-taught tactics and command structure test the training team‘s mettle - and patience.
An American trainer who handed over his Afghan company to the Canadians told the story of a veteran fighter participating in an exercise in which he and his troops had to low-crawl several hundred metres to an objective.
When it was over the Afghan stood up, disgusted, and declared he hadn‘t gotten so dirty in nine years of warfare.
"Well maybe if you had, you wouldn‘t have had to fight for nine years," the American told him.
Ellis said the Afghans lack infrastructure - things like a supply system and personnel management - and their non-commissioned officers, traditionally the backbone of any army, have been relegated to backseat positions while officers micro-manage details.
"There‘s a lot that‘s not really happening and they have a lot to learn at that level and what a sergeant does to get his men ready, whether it‘s training or preparing them go out on operations," said Ellis.
"You look into a crowd of Afghan soldiers and you‘ll see a lot of senior NCOs (non-commissioned officers) sitting on the grass with the peanut gallery while they have officers directing literally everything, which is anathema to us."
He said their biggest challenge is getting Afghan NCOs to start taking responsibility for nut-and-bolts, day-to-day issues while getting officers direct their attention to fundamental, bigger-picture issues like tactics.
Lieut. Tim Partello, a native of Guelph, Ont., said the company armoury was a mess with boxes and weapons of every shape and description piled haphazardly before the Canadians suggested the Afghans empty it out, catalogue its inventory and reorganize its layout.
As they restocked, the company executive officer, a first-lieutenant, was taking inventory, while the supply sergeant was doing nothing.
Partello took the clipboard from the officer and gave it to the supply sergeant, then said to the officer: "Let‘s go have tea."
"The supply sergeant had this look of panic in his face because all of a sudden he realized he was responsible for all the equipment," said Partello.
Canadian NCOs coached the sergeant through the task and now the armoury - its AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and host of other weapons neatly shelved - is catalogued and a model of orderliness.
"It‘s fascinating," said Partello. "These guys all come from a wide, very diverse background. There are guys who fought with the Russians, guys who fought with the mujahedeen, guys who fought with the northern alliance."
"There are young kids who never fought with anyone at all. There are a lot of stories out there and a lot of experience - not necessarily the right kind of experience to develop a western-style professional army, but it‘s all experience at some level."
Lieut. Gulam Farooq, executive officer of the 2nd Rifle Company, 1st Battalion, Afghan national army, spent five years at military college in Moscow, finishing in 1990. Age 40, he began fighting 21 years ago.
"When the Turkish and British training groups started training, I learned more than I learned in all my time in Moscow," said Farooq, a native of Fara province in western Afghanistan, near the Iranian border.
"There are big differences between the military training. The tactics are different because the tactics we learned in Moscow were very old tactics and the tactics we are learning now, these are the new tactics."
Farooq said forming a cohesive national army in Afghanistan, where warlords and ethnic differences still rule and money is in short supply, will be no small feat.
"During 25 years of war in our country our army was destroyed," he said. "To start now to rebuild our army, it is very difficult for our country."
"This costs money and we should buy weapons, we should buy uniforms and they must build accommodation for our units. Twenty-five years is a big period and to rebuild . . . will take years and years."
Meanwhile, the Canadians are learning things, as well.
During live-fire exercises of platoon attacks on the range last week, they saw the firing of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless anti-tank weapons. For some, it was their first taste.
"The soldiers are very motivated," said Capt. Phillip Breton of Cambridge, Ont. "In fact, if I didn‘t know better, I would think that the soldiers were just like Canadian soldiers on average."
"They certainly have a great deal of willingness to form a cohesive army."
Moral among the Afghans appears good. They keep their kit immaculate - their green-and-brown uniforms, black boots and some personal equipment donated by the Turkish army.
And they love competition. During weapons training this week, the Canadians pitted Afghan against Afghan in assembly drills, and even got into the act themselves, winning some head-to-head competitions disassembling and reassembling Soviet-made machine-guns.
"I love it," said Canadian Capt. Mike Chagnon, who manages a training team that includes three Canadian NCOs. "I love this opportunity.
"So far, they have been really receptive."
