bobdina
10-09-2009, 03:46 PM
Counter-insurgency work can be summed up in three little words: Clear, Hold, Build. It works neighbourhood by neighbourhood in the city, village by village in the countryside. First, it takes military action to clear insurgent fighters out of the area. Then the security forces, both military and police, work to establish a secure environment for the civilians — that’s the Hold piece. But the biggest commitment comes in the third phase, Build. That’s when the Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) teams arrive, closely followed by engineers, development workers and governance experts. That’s when a new community emerges, with accountable leadership, infrastructure that works, and families going about their business in peace.
Deh-e-Bagh is a village of about 900 souls in Dand District south of Kandahar City. Some of the people work in the village itself, some work in Kandahar City, some farm the surrounding fields, and some are unemployed. Slightly northeast of the village lies a bright yellow compound where Dand District Leader Amadullah Nazek and the elders of Deh-e-Bagh have conducted many, many shuras with Canadian Forces and Government of Canada development coordinators. The village needed help, and its people were known to support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force. Also, it lies in the approaches to Kandahar City, where insurgents gather to prepare attacks in the city, and rest and hide after conducting their operations. Mr. Nazek and the village elders probably didn’t know it at first, but Deh-e-Bagh would be a perfect spot to start implementing a new Canadian counter-insurgency effort.
In February 2009, when he took command of Task Force Kandahar, Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance knew the approach he would take to the insurgency in his area of responsibility. With U.S. forces scheduled to surge into Kandahar Province during the summer, the Canadians would be able to change their focus. BGen Vance believes that a concentrated counter-insurgency effort is crucial. That means developing relationships with both the Afghan government and Afghan citizens by helping them rebuild their country into one of peace and prosperity — one village at a time, if necessary. “We’re trying to go from security at the end of a gun, which is defence, to human security,” he explained. “Broad security means re-establishing the economic, political and social fabric.”
The objective of Operation KALAY I (‘village’ in Pashto) was to focus the full effects of all lines of operation on the task of making a visible, tangible difference in the lives of a specific group of people in the places where they sleep, work and raise their families. Instead of scattering aid projects across Kandahar Province and struggling to hold areas against the Taliban, it made more sense to start at one point and work outward.
This could not happen overnight; it had to be done slowly and in many steps. Deh-e-Bagh, a previously unheard-of village south of Kandahar would be the starting point, and epicentre of this new approach.
Through Clear and Hold to Build
Working with the Afghan national security forces, Task Force Kandahar began by securing the village against the insurgency. Once the insurgency was separated from the population, the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police (supported by their Canadian military and police mentors) held the village boundaries, preventing insurgents from terrorizing the population and allowing Canadian development and reconstruction teams to come in and help the people get started on the Build phase.
The improvements in the village were chosen through exhaustive analysis and many shuras in which village elders were asked for ideas and requests. To ensure pride of ownership, investment and a sense of self-betterment and hope for the future, all the work was done by the citizens of Deh-e-Bagh, with the technical assistance and encouragement of stabilization teams from the Canadian Forces, the Canadian International Development Agency and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
The Build phase of this much-discussed counter-insurgency approach, therefore, meant building relationships, building support, and building confidence as much as it meant paving roads and digging canals.
By 23 June 2009, Afghan national security forces were in place to protect the village and change was taking shape. Solar-powered lights lined the roads, irrigation canals were cleared and deepened to improve the flow of water to farmers’ fields, and the local bazaar was open for business. Initial success was clear at the shura that brought District Leader Nazek, BGen Vance, and village and district elders together with Ken Lewis, the Representative of Canada in Kandahar, and other Canadian development and military representatives. The villagers of Deh-e-Bagh were proud of the security and economic situation, and residents of nearby communities were eager to get involved.
Dand District Leader Nazek reinforced his support for this new approach in Afghanistan, and not just because Dand District is reaping the first fruits. “Three things are really important: security, development and good governance. The Taliban feel discouraged and defeated when they see locals working, and the community progressing.”
Beyond Deh-e-Bagh
The people of Deh-e-Bagh have taken ownership of their security and their future, establishing a critical turning point for Canadian efforts in Afghanistan. The success of this village has residents of neighbouring communities asking when they can do likewise. The next step is to expand the “village-based approach” throughout the Dand District.
Operation KALAY II, which is designed to stabilize Dand District, commenced on 25 August 2009, proudly inaugurating the only true Build phase in southern Afghanistan.
It is too soon to announce success in Canada’s new approach, but it is a step in the right direction, a step that Canadians were unable to take before because of the high demand for security forces in Kandahar Province. With the arrival of the Stryker combat teams from the U.S. Army, the Canadian task force can focus on developing similar relationships with other villages, and thus use its presence to help Afghans toward a brighter future of security and economic growth.
ISAF commander General Stanley McCrystal praised the accomplishments in Dand and stressed that this “Key Village Approach” was what he hoped to see more of in Afghanistan. “Everything that we do to convince these people to make a choice, and make the right choice that gives them a free Afghanistan, is the right step. So that is more powerful than any round we can shoot.”
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2009/09/18-eng.asp
Deh-e-Bagh is a village of about 900 souls in Dand District south of Kandahar City. Some of the people work in the village itself, some work in Kandahar City, some farm the surrounding fields, and some are unemployed. Slightly northeast of the village lies a bright yellow compound where Dand District Leader Amadullah Nazek and the elders of Deh-e-Bagh have conducted many, many shuras with Canadian Forces and Government of Canada development coordinators. The village needed help, and its people were known to support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force. Also, it lies in the approaches to Kandahar City, where insurgents gather to prepare attacks in the city, and rest and hide after conducting their operations. Mr. Nazek and the village elders probably didn’t know it at first, but Deh-e-Bagh would be a perfect spot to start implementing a new Canadian counter-insurgency effort.
In February 2009, when he took command of Task Force Kandahar, Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance knew the approach he would take to the insurgency in his area of responsibility. With U.S. forces scheduled to surge into Kandahar Province during the summer, the Canadians would be able to change their focus. BGen Vance believes that a concentrated counter-insurgency effort is crucial. That means developing relationships with both the Afghan government and Afghan citizens by helping them rebuild their country into one of peace and prosperity — one village at a time, if necessary. “We’re trying to go from security at the end of a gun, which is defence, to human security,” he explained. “Broad security means re-establishing the economic, political and social fabric.”
The objective of Operation KALAY I (‘village’ in Pashto) was to focus the full effects of all lines of operation on the task of making a visible, tangible difference in the lives of a specific group of people in the places where they sleep, work and raise their families. Instead of scattering aid projects across Kandahar Province and struggling to hold areas against the Taliban, it made more sense to start at one point and work outward.
This could not happen overnight; it had to be done slowly and in many steps. Deh-e-Bagh, a previously unheard-of village south of Kandahar would be the starting point, and epicentre of this new approach.
Through Clear and Hold to Build
Working with the Afghan national security forces, Task Force Kandahar began by securing the village against the insurgency. Once the insurgency was separated from the population, the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police (supported by their Canadian military and police mentors) held the village boundaries, preventing insurgents from terrorizing the population and allowing Canadian development and reconstruction teams to come in and help the people get started on the Build phase.
The improvements in the village were chosen through exhaustive analysis and many shuras in which village elders were asked for ideas and requests. To ensure pride of ownership, investment and a sense of self-betterment and hope for the future, all the work was done by the citizens of Deh-e-Bagh, with the technical assistance and encouragement of stabilization teams from the Canadian Forces, the Canadian International Development Agency and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
The Build phase of this much-discussed counter-insurgency approach, therefore, meant building relationships, building support, and building confidence as much as it meant paving roads and digging canals.
By 23 June 2009, Afghan national security forces were in place to protect the village and change was taking shape. Solar-powered lights lined the roads, irrigation canals were cleared and deepened to improve the flow of water to farmers’ fields, and the local bazaar was open for business. Initial success was clear at the shura that brought District Leader Nazek, BGen Vance, and village and district elders together with Ken Lewis, the Representative of Canada in Kandahar, and other Canadian development and military representatives. The villagers of Deh-e-Bagh were proud of the security and economic situation, and residents of nearby communities were eager to get involved.
Dand District Leader Nazek reinforced his support for this new approach in Afghanistan, and not just because Dand District is reaping the first fruits. “Three things are really important: security, development and good governance. The Taliban feel discouraged and defeated when they see locals working, and the community progressing.”
Beyond Deh-e-Bagh
The people of Deh-e-Bagh have taken ownership of their security and their future, establishing a critical turning point for Canadian efforts in Afghanistan. The success of this village has residents of neighbouring communities asking when they can do likewise. The next step is to expand the “village-based approach” throughout the Dand District.
Operation KALAY II, which is designed to stabilize Dand District, commenced on 25 August 2009, proudly inaugurating the only true Build phase in southern Afghanistan.
It is too soon to announce success in Canada’s new approach, but it is a step in the right direction, a step that Canadians were unable to take before because of the high demand for security forces in Kandahar Province. With the arrival of the Stryker combat teams from the U.S. Army, the Canadian task force can focus on developing similar relationships with other villages, and thus use its presence to help Afghans toward a brighter future of security and economic growth.
ISAF commander General Stanley McCrystal praised the accomplishments in Dand and stressed that this “Key Village Approach” was what he hoped to see more of in Afghanistan. “Everything that we do to convince these people to make a choice, and make the right choice that gives them a free Afghanistan, is the right step. So that is more powerful than any round we can shoot.”
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2009/09/18-eng.asp