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Afghan-Bound Troops Face Two Difficulties: Drugs And Terrorists
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| Members of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-4th Infantry Division fire a mortar during training at Fort Carson, Colo., in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan next month. (Courtesy of U.S. Army) |
By Wes Rodgers, For The Bulletin
Colorado Springs, Colo. — This spring’s surge of U.S. troops into Afghanistan will focus on the northeast sector of Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan.
The region likely is where Osama Bin Laden is hiding. It is also an area prone to terrorist infiltration from their haven in northern Pakistan.
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-4th Infantry Division are training at Fort Carson in similar mountainous conditions to those found in northeastern Afghanistan. Col. Randy George commands the 3,500 soldiers in the unit.
The troops will have three main objectives after they depart for Afghanistan next month. The first will be to develop a strong counterinsurgency effort with village elders and people in the area to help them disassociate from Taliban or al-Qaida influence. The second will be to build a strong alliance and assistance program with the tribesmen in the border region. The final objective will be to dissuade the Afghans from growing poppies for heroin production while working to develop a stronger bond between the people and the central government in Kabul.
Most of the unit’s soldiers have already served three, four or five tours of duty Iraq or Afghanistan and are among the most experience in the army. It trains daily with markmanship practice using .50-caliber machine guns and high-powered rifles that can hit targets from approximately 3,900 feet away, rattling off 100 rounds per minute. Its mortar training has been intensive because Afghanistan’s mountainous nature makes accuracy a necessity.
The unit’s Iraq veterans will not have the advantage of gaining quick cover behind buildings or fortified barricades, such as those found in Baghdad and other large Iraqi cities. Instead, most of the infantry soldiers will be exposed to enemy fire during much of their deployment.
Lt. Col. Thomas Munsey, the unit’s deputy commander, emphasized the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-4th Infantry Division’s counterinsurgency efforts hopes to pave the way for more solid control of the area by the Afghan central government.
He said intelligence reports and timing indicate capturing Osama Bin Laden could be a distinct possibility along with shutting down the Taliban’s operations. Another Fort Carson unit was responsible for capturing Saddam Hussein.
Lt. Col. Munsey said the military’s policies with regard to eradicating the Afghan poppy fields could change once his troops arrive in Afghanistan.
“We will accomplish our mission and leave Afghanistan in a better situation than when we arrive,” he said.
President Barack Obama has already called for the deployment of an additional 17,000 trrops around Kabul. Military analysts and diplomats believe the current actions in Afghanistan isn’t simply about eradicating terrorism, but it is also about convincing Afghans to abandon the drug trade, which finances terrorism and making the country safer.
Wes Rodgers can be reached at west-patriot@msn.com
The region likely is where Osama Bin Laden is hiding. It is also an area prone to terrorist infiltration from their haven in northern Pakistan.
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-4th Infantry Division are training at Fort Carson in similar mountainous conditions to those found in northeastern Afghanistan. Col. Randy George commands the 3,500 soldiers in the unit.
The troops will have three main objectives after they depart for Afghanistan next month. The first will be to develop a strong counterinsurgency effort with village elders and people in the area to help them disassociate from Taliban or al-Qaida influence. The second will be to build a strong alliance and assistance program with the tribesmen in the border region. The final objective will be to dissuade the Afghans from growing poppies for heroin production while working to develop a stronger bond between the people and the central government in Kabul.
Most of the unit’s soldiers have already served three, four or five tours of duty Iraq or Afghanistan and are among the most experience in the army. It trains daily with markmanship practice using .50-caliber machine guns and high-powered rifles that can hit targets from approximately 3,900 feet away, rattling off 100 rounds per minute. Its mortar training has been intensive because Afghanistan’s mountainous nature makes accuracy a necessity.
The unit’s Iraq veterans will not have the advantage of gaining quick cover behind buildings or fortified barricades, such as those found in Baghdad and other large Iraqi cities. Instead, most of the infantry soldiers will be exposed to enemy fire during much of their deployment.
Lt. Col. Thomas Munsey, the unit’s deputy commander, emphasized the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-4th Infantry Division’s counterinsurgency efforts hopes to pave the way for more solid control of the area by the Afghan central government.
He said intelligence reports and timing indicate capturing Osama Bin Laden could be a distinct possibility along with shutting down the Taliban’s operations. Another Fort Carson unit was responsible for capturing Saddam Hussein.
Lt. Col. Munsey said the military’s policies with regard to eradicating the Afghan poppy fields could change once his troops arrive in Afghanistan.
“We will accomplish our mission and leave Afghanistan in a better situation than when we arrive,” he said.
President Barack Obama has already called for the deployment of an additional 17,000 trrops around Kabul. Military analysts and diplomats believe the current actions in Afghanistan isn’t simply about eradicating terrorism, but it is also about convincing Afghans to abandon the drug trade, which finances terrorism and making the country safer.
Wes Rodgers can be reached at west-patriot@msn.com
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