Troops caught in Taliban trap
By RICHARD LATENDRESSE September 18, 2007
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I was hoping it would never happen to me. But it did. And I'm alive to tell the tale.
It was an ambush with the works: machine gun fire, grenade launchers, mortars and smoke bombs, along with back-up fire. And of course, an improvised explosive device, or IED, which sparked the whole thing.
But the more it sinks in, the more I realize that the fear, the brutality, and the lack of respect for human life in those moments truly epitomize the things I've seen here in Afghanistan over the past few weeks.
Here's a blow-by-blow of how it went down.
Canadian soldiers were heading for the tiny villages near enemy lines to explain to the locals that military attacks on the Taliban and extremists are to help villagers.
Crushing the extremists would help them live in a safer place, with thriving villages and better lives.
To achieve this improved protection, Canadians were teaming up with a convoy of American militia and Afghan police. The Americans are burdened with the task of training the local police, who are seen as corrupt and incompetent.
About half-way there, the head of the Afghan police, Colonel Aka, informed us that a few hundred metres ahead of us, the Taliban were waiting. He's in the know, this Aka guy. But that's par for the course in Afghanistan, where people know more about their enemy than they do about their friends.
In keeping with the Canadian mission here, it was an IED holding us back. On a daily basis, IEDs are the biggest threat to our troops, and today was no different.
More on link
By RICHARD LATENDRESSE September 18, 2007
Article Link
I was hoping it would never happen to me. But it did. And I'm alive to tell the tale.
It was an ambush with the works: machine gun fire, grenade launchers, mortars and smoke bombs, along with back-up fire. And of course, an improvised explosive device, or IED, which sparked the whole thing.
But the more it sinks in, the more I realize that the fear, the brutality, and the lack of respect for human life in those moments truly epitomize the things I've seen here in Afghanistan over the past few weeks.
Here's a blow-by-blow of how it went down.
Canadian soldiers were heading for the tiny villages near enemy lines to explain to the locals that military attacks on the Taliban and extremists are to help villagers.
Crushing the extremists would help them live in a safer place, with thriving villages and better lives.
To achieve this improved protection, Canadians were teaming up with a convoy of American militia and Afghan police. The Americans are burdened with the task of training the local police, who are seen as corrupt and incompetent.
About half-way there, the head of the Afghan police, Colonel Aka, informed us that a few hundred metres ahead of us, the Taliban were waiting. He's in the know, this Aka guy. But that's par for the course in Afghanistan, where people know more about their enemy than they do about their friends.
In keeping with the Canadian mission here, it was an IED holding us back. On a daily basis, IEDs are the biggest threat to our troops, and today was no different.
More on link
Still doesn't sit right though.
