Living with an eerie silence
At a base near Kandahar City, does the quiet mean the Taliban are gone? Or lying in wait?
GRAEME SMITH From Tuesday's Globe and Mail May 8, 2007 at 2:19 AM EDT
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Sperwan, Afghanistan — Last year, the biggest secret in Canada's artillery regiments was their shortage of ammunition. The heavy guns west of Kandahar city pounded Taliban bunkers with so many shells that their supply lines couldn't keep up with the demand, and soldiers asked reporters not to reveal how dangerously low they were running.
But this year, things are very different. Posing beside their silent hulking gun, the troops ask a photographer to overlook the fact that the weapon hasn't fired at enemies since they arrived at this hilltop a few months ago.
“Don't tell them we aren't doing any shooting,” a soldier said. “It's just embarrassing.”
The artillery isn't the only thing that's quiet here at Sperwan Ghar, a forward base in the heart of Panjwai District, southwest of Kandahar city. Some of the infantry platoons that patrol the fields and villages around this base haven't fired a single shot. Even the dog seems tired, lolling in the shade beside a neatly constructed dog house.
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At a base near Kandahar City, does the quiet mean the Taliban are gone? Or lying in wait?
GRAEME SMITH From Tuesday's Globe and Mail May 8, 2007 at 2:19 AM EDT
Article Link
Sperwan, Afghanistan — Last year, the biggest secret in Canada's artillery regiments was their shortage of ammunition. The heavy guns west of Kandahar city pounded Taliban bunkers with so many shells that their supply lines couldn't keep up with the demand, and soldiers asked reporters not to reveal how dangerously low they were running.
But this year, things are very different. Posing beside their silent hulking gun, the troops ask a photographer to overlook the fact that the weapon hasn't fired at enemies since they arrived at this hilltop a few months ago.
“Don't tell them we aren't doing any shooting,” a soldier said. “It's just embarrassing.”
The artillery isn't the only thing that's quiet here at Sperwan Ghar, a forward base in the heart of Panjwai District, southwest of Kandahar city. Some of the infantry platoons that patrol the fields and villages around this base haven't fired a single shot. Even the dog seems tired, lolling in the shade beside a neatly constructed dog house.
More on link
