Afghan army puts its first unit on patrol
by Spc. Jim Wagner
ORGUN-E, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Feb. 4, 2003) - The first operational unit in the Afghan National Army is making their presence known by patrolling local streets.
Patrols serve a dual purpose at the edge of the Afghanistan border; not only do the missions hone war-fighting skills at the platoon level, it gives local civilians the chance to see their own army in action, officials said.
For many of the surrounding villages and towns in the Paktiki Province, the ANA patrols are the only contact between Afghanistan's army and its local populace. The 3rd BANA is Afghanistan's first operational unit and officials said the community will hopefully accept the army as the future of the country's peace in the region.
At first, villagers in the more remote areas were visibly nervous to see a platoon of soldiers unload and set up a defensive perimeter around the military convoy.
For more than 20 years, Afghanistan's small towns have been caught between warring factions, from the Communists and mujadeen to the many tribal clashes with villagers appeasing all sides to stay alive, officials said.
The advent of Afghanistan's first standing army in years brings hope to many of these villagers, officials said. At the village Saheer, located on the top of one mountain range that can be reached only by a winding road with many switchbacks, townsfolk received their first visit from the ANA Jan. 21.
The platoon's commander asked for the village elder, and the trepidation slowly melted away as the two met and exchanged introductions. In the background, children ran out from alleyways and crowded close to catch a look at the new soldiers.
"When we first got there, I got the impression they were scared," said Senior Capt. Hazar Meir, acting commander of the 3rd Platoon, 2nd Company, 3rd BANA. "I said, 'I am your brother and am from the ANA. We are from your country.' After that, they were relieved to talk to us."
At first cautious, when the village elder found out the ANA was just stopping by to introduce themselves and offer assistance, he immediately listed a number of things desperately needed; wells for irrigation, schools and school materials.
"I got the feeling they will welcome us in the future (and tell us) their problems, and their sons will join the ANA," Meir said. "I told some of the people they should go to their provincial houses and talk to the officers there, to join the ANA so we can make a united Afghanistan."
Besides introducing themselves to village elders throughout the province, 3rd BANA's mission was also to collect intelligence on the surroundings to ensure the prosperity of the community. At every stop, the platoon commander asked for known mines and whether they've seen any bandits in the area.
Not everyone is as eager to see signs of a central government military force in their area, however. In the Sorobi Marketplace, a bazaar and rest area for travelers, located about 10 miles from the Pakistan border, citizens were a bit more nervous about the ANA troops.
According to Amin Muhammad, an interpreter at Camp Harriman, the U.S. Army outpost outside of the city of Orgun-E, the marketplace still houses a number of Taliban and Al Qaeda supporters. The people who live in the area, he said, are reserving judgment on the ANA until they see some positive steps.
That opinion is echoed by Muhammad Nawem, a 26-year-old resident, who saw the ANA on patrol for the first time Jan. 22.
"We're happy to have an army to bring peace and prosperity, if it's the real thing," he said. "We're not sure yet. We'd like to join the army, but we'll have to see how they act as a society and how they act in our county."
The ANA is also providing humanitarian assistance in the Orgun-E region. On Jan. 24, soldiers visited the town of Sorobi and distributed school materials to two girls' schools in the city. The headmaster from one of the schools said the pens, pencils, crayons, cardboard paper and books were a welcome addition, since many schools don't have any school materials at all.
So far, the reaction to the ANA in the Orgun-E district has been positive, officials said. While patrolling through the Sorobi Marketplace, children thronged the ANA soldiers, peppering them with questions and taking the informational pamphlets the soldiers were passing to everyone.
The biggest positive sign was the group of children laughing and waving to the ANA soldiers as they left the area.
As one of the soldiers put it, "the children are our future." In that case, many should be joining the ANA when they come of age, officials added.
(Editor's note: by Spc. Jim Wagner is a member of the 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
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