We first landed in a C-17 in Kabul at the International Airport. There were no limos waiting; no meet and greet holding signs — just a thick haze of dust and humidity so thick you could slice it with a saif (curved, 19th century Arabian sword) and spread it on a chapati.
| Kabul International — from 1979 to 1989, the airport was run by the Soviet Union Red Army. After the invasion, the airport was used exclusively by the US Armed Forces and ISAF. After removal of the UN sanctions in 2002, the airport was opened up to civilian airlines. |
We were methodically whisked away in a convoy of Humvees sandwiched between two armored personnel carriers. NATO Soldiers with machine guns kept a vigilant watch for insurgents or anything suspicious.
We were part of an advisory group for the NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Our boss, General Craddock, as NATO’s top military commander oversaw the progress in Afghanistan. We would be receiving many briefs and updates during our short visit.
Comprised of forces from over 25 nations, the International Security Assistance Force met us at the airport. Responsible at first for the security around Kabul, their mission had now expanded to the whole of Afghanistan, a conflict that we had come to observe.
A War we Had Previously Won
In December 2001, the world looked extremely different. The US had essentially shocked, awed and terminated the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and there was talk about how the country would evolve into a pro-American nation providing access easy access for new oil pipelines.
Focus on Iraq
Meanwhile, the Bush Administration focused on Iraq and the demolition of the Saddam Hussein regime. The US wanted to put Afghanistan behind us, so they redeployed many of their forces to Iraq. Unfortunately, the real enemy and the perpetrators of 9/11 was the Taliban.
Sadly, Afghanistan had become America’s forgotten war. Currently, America was tied down and absorbed in the intricacies of Iraq. Meanwhile, in this forgotten country of the Taliban and Heroin, NATO forces had confronted a resurgent Taliban especially in the southern Helmand province where the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) were deeply embedded.
We kept our helmets strapped firmly, our body armor tight, like it was going to run away if we didn’t keep it buttoned down.
And as I looked out the blast-resistant windows, I could see concrete security barriers, blast walls, deep trenches, barbed wire — all the vestiges of war that provided some protection against the surging insurgency.
It was true that these walls added to the congestion and traffic jams. But in this high-terror environment of random and almost weekly suicide attacks, these barriers of limited but viable protection seemed called for.
They kept the coalition forces safer, they allowed aid workers to carry out their duties, but also served as a physical and psychological distance from the local population they we were deployed to work with.
I felt relatively secure, safe in a foreign land marked by discord and lurking danger.
We drove towards the city center. Normally the majority of the vehicles would comprise of NATO convoys tearing through the city at breakneck speed like it was the Santa Monica Freeway.
With all the busses, vehicles, sedans, bicycles, carts, with dozens of round abouts and absolutely no traffic lights, congestion was a grueling finger cramping nightmare.
Today, we were given top priority for safety, and ISAF would allocate all resources possible to ensure we were kept safe as we rolled down the streets of Kabul.
The Children
However, at this moment, the roads were secure and the only people we saw were busy shopkeepers and the empty look of children waving, begging and staring hopelessly into our humvees. Seeing kids was definitely a welcome sight. They were indigent, many without families or homes, some living in shelters, some not getting a proper education.
But deep down inside, I sensed that they were amazing human souls, displaced, downtrodden but full of spirit and energy.
But inside the heavily-armored Humvee, I also felt displaced, almost a world and distant land away
For a striking moment, I wished we could stop in our tracks, get out in the fresh air and give these children a warm, soft hug. Why not, without candy or change, that was the only thing I could offer or perhaps just a chuckle, a banter for hope for a brighter future one day.
I remembered poignant images of The Kite Runner and the unconditional love and commitment Hassan had for Amir, and how Amir eventually made up for his past failures and returned home to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
Video shot by Monk Films in 2006 showing the “dirt paths and wild streets” of Kabul.
The Entrance
In Kabul, speed is survival. If we are moving fast, the enemy will have less time to target us. I sat erect, scanning our surroundings intently. If we were to get attacked, I at least wanted to get a chance to see the eyeballs of the enemy.
Soon but not soon enough, we were driving through the main gate. A quick check, then we were firmly inside the Green zone where the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is headquarters.
What a sigh of relief. No where on this land was fully safe, but for now we could unshed our body armor and loosen up our chin straps.The Troops
We stayed there through dinner, and while we waited, we spoke to some young Brits about duty in Afghanistan. They shared their stories: their gripes, their victories. They missed their families, their wives and girlfriends, their country, but most ardently their alcohol. Meanwhile German troops could drink beer and wine. British and US forces had to settle for coke or red bull.
At the Headquarters, there are more than 2200 service members from 42 NATO nations. Everyone seemed to work well and even socialize well together. It appeared that they were willing to set aside any cultural differences and even make a strong attempt to learn each other’s norms and nuances.The Drug Problem
We also talked informally about the drug problem — no, not within NATO. The Heroin trade was serious in this impoverished nation. Afghanistan is the world’s largest exporter of heroin. It is the country’s main cash crop. There is more heroin that is exported in Afghanistan than cocaine is produced in Colombia. There were even reports that children were becoming addicted to cocaine.
Although some of the three billion dollars annual revenues goes back to the the local economy such as jobs for farmers and reconstruction, the vast majority of the revenue is funneled to the Taliban.
Though Opium poppies grow in almost every province of Afghanistan, the problem area is the south. In the Helmand province, where the Taliban maintains a stronghold, they are said to levy a 40% tax on opium cultivation and trafficking.
In addition, many of the security forces have turned into heavy opium users.
My boss, General Craddock, firmly believed that NATO should be in the drug enforcement business.
He believed that ISAF troops should engage in surgical interdiction strikes against heroin labs.
The problem is that counternarcotics is fundamentally a law enforcement problem and no foreign military has ever been successful in counternarcotics. Colombia, for example, succeeded in gaining partial control of their drug trade only after decades of political and economic development programs. In addition, many of these facilities are embedded in complex environments near civilians.
After the meal and the chat, it was now time to check into the safe confines of the Serena Hotel.Safe and Serena
Situated amidst bombed-out buildings, the Serena is the modern symbol of capitalism and safety making a bold attempt to flee from and flaunt the suppression of the insurgency.
The Serena’s design is stylish and the service is first-rate superb. When walking in, I felt like I was in the magnanimous confines of the Marriott or a Hilton in Bahrain, Istanbul or any world-class city. The hotel is as safe as you can get. You go through a full security screening each time you enter and no one is allowed to drive straight in from the street.
Inside the magnificent confines of this 5-star hotel, hosts a beautiful courtyard and a luxurious swimming pool — the only feasible place to take a dip in the whole city of Kabul.
The price for a room averages $250 per night, which is very steep considering that Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. But it was worth every single Afghani.
The Serena Hotel is a an oasis of safety for the many UN workers, contractors, journalists and aid workers. But even this sanctuary can be infiltrated. For meals, the buffets are delicious and the fruit juices are divine. There is no alcohol, and some of the guests I talked to took an issue to that.
Earlier in the year, seven people were killed as Taliban stormed into the Serena Hotel. The attackers struck with grenades, guns and at least one suicide bomb and were targeting the Norwegian foreign minister who escaped unharmed.
An Afghan policeman stand guard after the attack. (AFP: Hossaini Massoud)
Tonight we will spend a comfortable, restful evening in the safe confines of the most luxurious hotel this city will ever offer.
Tomorrow we are off to the mountain pass that links Afghanistan with Pakistan, the ancient and strategic Khyber Pass.
My ReflectionsDuring this trip while visiting the sites and enjoying the scenery as we were transported from one location to another, I thought long and hard about what we were doing and why we were here.
Simply put, Afghanistan is critical because we must defeat the Taliban, the culprits of 9/11.
War is Winnable
Unlike Iraq, the Afghan war is the right war to fight and although extremely complex and difficult, ultimately can be winnable. We can push back the Taliban’s advances and leave the nation of Afghanistan with a government that can govern effectively and provide security to its people — people who hopefully may deem the Taliban ineffective — who have suffered painfully for so many decades.
Why Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda has used Afghanistan as a base for training and operations for attacks against the US for the last ten years. Both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban poses a huge threat to our national security, so an invasion of Afghanistan by the US and NATO was the right thing to do, and we have little choice but to succeed, or else history may prove this to be a mistake.
During our event-filled, jam-packed, three-day, cross-country marathon we would visit three diverse regions (Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar) in this rugged, landlocked, mountainous country, the crossroads between the East and the West which centuries before was part of the ancient Silk Road.
It was a pleasure meeting and seeing the Soldiers, Marines, even Sailors and Airmen working side-by-side from all 28 NATO nations and 13 others — 41 total — looking ahead and planning the way forward in unity and solidarity.
This visit confirmed for me that this was not just an ad hoc coalition, but an alliance that had were closely-knit and had great staying power.24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)
The Helmand province in southern Afghanistan is where over 50% of Afghanistan’s opium is produced. Thus this became a vital area for ISAF to maintain security and stability.
By the end of December 2007, the situation in the Helmand Province reached a stalemate. In early 2008, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived to reinforce the ISAF fight.
Gamsir Province
Fighters and weapons from Pakistan funneled through Garmsir, which became a stronghold that allowed insurgents to push their logistics.
That is why the bad guys refused to concede. But the US Marines were a notch tougher and a lot more sophisticated. With their eyes turned to Garmsir, the Marines’ first task was to secure key routes in an area that NATO had not had a presence in years.
In April 2008, the 24th MEU sent a battalion of Marines to Garmsir.
Why Garmsir is Important
In Afghanistan, people live, grow crops and conduct trade within walking distance to the river. Beyond that, it is a barren desert. The Helmand River which cuts through the heart of Gamsir, is the longest river in Afghanistan and the major source of water in the desert.
The Battle BeginsThe Marines seized Garmsir and the Taliban forces easily withdraw and take up positions further south. After seizing the stronghold, the Marines continued south into an area where the insurgents had built bunkers and tunnels capable of withstanding coalition airstrikes.
Marines Encounter ResistanceOne early morning, the sound of automatic weapons crackled through the air. For the next 48 hours, Charlie Company fought aggressively against relentless Taliban fighters. Within a day, the Marines penetrated the enemy and held the territory.
The 24th MEU CO, Colonel Peter Petronzio captured the Marine’s toughness precisely, “The Marines are as tough as woodpecker lips.”
But this was not the last engagement — the Marines would encounter many, many more over the next month.
After seizing Garmsir, the Marines pushed further south where the Taliban had built bunkers and tunnels.
Clear
Insurgents fought hard from several fortified positions including civilian homes. They also dug trench lines and bunker systems. Surprisingly, they stayed and fought fiercely for more than a week rather than retreat. After the Marines cleared the insurgents, they held the ground by securing the area.
Hold
This incident alerted Marine leadership that the town was a critical logistical hub for insurgent operations, so the Marines were ordered to remain in the area.
Rebuild
On 8 Sept, 2008 the 24th MEU returned control of Garmsir to British forces after securing in for six months. The plan now is for ISAF forces to pass along the mission of “holding and rebuilding’ to the Afghan army (with assistance from ISAF)
What I Like about COIN: “Clear, Hold and Build”
The strategy is not on seizing terrain or destroying insurgent forces. The objective is the population — clearing the insurgents (just as the 24th MEU did in in Garmsir) and providing the population with security.
The emphasis should also be along the border with Pakistan where many Taliban fighters are crossing over.
The Challenges of Counter Insurgency
COIN may very well be the key to victory in Afghanistan. But in order to be successful, the initiative requires time and an extensive amount of manpower. It also requires the local population to be loyal to the local government which takes patience and peserverance.
The PRTs
This is where PRTs really come into play with the implementation of Counter Insurgency. PRTs area critical because they support the military commander and lessen the impact of military operations on the civilian populations.
The PRTs act as a critical liaison between the civilian population near a war zone and the military commander, both serving as a conduit for information and providing critical assistance and support (training, security, logistics, governance).
I was also particularly impressed with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams built as a means of facilitating reconstruction efforts in provinces outside the capital of Kabul. The PRTs in essence improves security, provides governance and spurs development.
The PRTs (used to be US-led) but now some PRTs are under the control of ISAF.
A PRT could include Civil Affairs as well as a member of USAID, the Department of State, Dept of Agriculture and DoJ. The amazing thing, is that the PRTs work in very remote areas in 19 PRTs across the country (There are 26 total PRTs in Afghanistan).
What is incredible about the whole concept is that the civil affairs teams work with the local Afghans to determine their specific needs. The Afghans are encouraged to route their requests through their local governments. Thus the PRTs have created an enterprise system and promoted trust amongst the tribal, village and religious leaders in the service and reliability of the government. When the PRTs win support of the Afghan people, they undermine the credibility of the Taliban.
But one of their main goals is to create self-sufficiency and self-sustainability. The more the Afghan people can rely on themselves and less on outside help, the better off we all will be for our mission and our country.
I was impressed and left with a thankful heart and I am grateful for their service, sacrifice and commitment for all those serving.
