Winning
hearts, minds
and firefights in Uruzgan Text
and photos by Carsten Stormer
KABUL - In the south of Afghanistan, American and Afghan units continue the
fight against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants, taking prisoners and trying to
win over the hearts and minds of the population. It is an effort that is often
in vain. There are simply not enough soldiers to create a durable presence
in remote and rugged areas like Uruzgan.
Fire mission "Fire
mission," screams a voice. The call immediately causes a strained tension in
camp. American and Afghan soldiers jump out of tents and temporary dwellings
and throw on their flak jackets and helmets. Artillery gunners jump to their
weapons. American scouts hidden in the mountains around the US camp have
discovered Afghans with radios who have been observing the camp and passing on
information about US troop movements.
American
army specialists intercept the radio messages and confirm that they have come
from Taliban hidden in the mountains. The position of the fundamentalist holy
warriors is quickly ascertained and the coordinates immediately passed on to
the infantry and howitzers. "Fire!" The command is barked three times. In turn,
the guns erupt, letting off three successive rounds of 105-millimeter shells.
Thundering explosions echo in the mountains, in the distance white smoke
spirals from the ground, marking a point of impact. A sergeant gives the
thumbs-up sign, confirming that the rounds have hit their target. "Two
satellite phones less for the bastards," a soldier shouts in the direction of
the infantry. That means also two Taliban less. In Sergeant Jose Zambrano's
face, warring emotions of pride and doubt battle. "Now I am a killer," says the
infantryman from New York.
Zambrano belongs to the 2-5 Infantry Division from Hawaii. A battalion of this
division has been operating with soldiers of the Afghanistan National Army for
the past three weeks. They have orders to search the extremely poor mountainous
areas of the Afghan province of Uruzgan, before withdrawing to base in Tirin
Kot. The joint aim: to kill and arrest Taliban and al-Qaeda militia, to
increase security and lay the foundations for the reconstruction of the
country.
Rumors abound that one-eyed Taliban leader Mullah Omar is in the area. "Osama,
Omar? Who cares?", says the commander of the battalion, Colonel Terry Sellers,
in reference to Osama bin Laden. "These are mystical figures. It's not only
about them. This war is about the people who share the same ideology."
Nevertheless, there is a reward of US$50 million for the capture of bin Laden,
dead or alive. If US troops succeed in killing bin Laden, the Islamic world
would have a great martyr and President George W Bush the biggest success of
his political career. As the Americans would say, a classic "catch 22"
situation.
Thin brown line One
of the major challenges for US troops is that the 20,000 soldiers stationed in
Afghanistan are not sufficient to establish durable bases in the mountains.
"The Taliban will probably return as soon as we abandon the area and everything
will go back to the way it was," says Sellers.
This sentiment is shared by Afghans. Many, therefore, are unwilling to support
the Afghan or US armies out of fear of retaliation by the Taliban. "The Taliban
have forbidden us to help the soldiers," says a village inhabitant. "If we do
they will punish us as soon as the soldiers take off."
"That's
why we have to win the minds and hearts of the population," says Sellers. "The
tribal elders know where the Taliban are. If they do not want their asses
whipped, they will have to start cooperating with us." In order to garner the
support of the local populace, the US army helps with the building of new
wells, mosques, schools and roads, in addition to providing medical assistance
wherever it is needed.
"Only last week we flew out a little girl with malaria. She would have died
otherwise," says Sergeant Ralph "Doc" Mendez proudly. The almost inaccessible
mountain region has hampered the delivery of much-needed medical supplies, to
the extent that mortality from disease is catastrophic. Tuberculosis and
malaria rage, with almost a third of tick bites resulting in fatalities.
Hearts and minds The
big question, though, is whether uniformed armed doctors and engineers can win
over the trust and confidence of the local population. "We want to establish
security here, so that the UN and relief organizations can help those in need,"
says platoon leader Lieutenant Gonzales. For simple and uneducated mountain
peasants it is difficult to understand how one day soldiers come armed with
candy and medicine and build wells and schools, and then the next night raid
houses, searching for weapons, contraband and militants.
The
fact that Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in the mountains of Uruzgun have a
large and loyal base of supporters represents a far larger problem. The
conservative interpretation of Islam in this area is fertile soil for
fundamentalists. Suspicion of strangers and the Pashtun code of ethics, which
states that guests must be protected against enemies, contribute to hostility
against foreigners. The mountains, with innumerable caves, hideouts and escape
routes, provide the Taliban with optimal conditions to escape their trackers.
"It is like voodoo," says Specialist Shawn Gibbs. "Once they are in the
mountains they simply disappear."
Information about suspicious persons comes not only from American military
espionage, but also from the Afghan population. The information received by the
local populace is not always accurate or indeed truthful. In many instances old
feuds result in enemies being imprisoned by US troops, or presumed Taliban
turning out to be Central Intelligence Agency informants - embarrassing
setbacks in the fight against terrorism.
On patrol Friday,
11pm. Several Humvees and trucks are silhouetted in the bright moonlight. The
vehicles slowly maneuver along the difficult terrain, often becoming stuck in
dry river beds. Six hours after leaving camp, the convoy arrives at a village.
The soldiers are covered in thick layers of dust and dirt. In the distance the
outlines of buildings suspected of harbouring militia are barely visible.
Lieutenant
Gonzales gives the troops instructions. The soldiers stealthily make their way
towards a compound. Suddenly they storm and kick in the doors of a building.
Men flee. Warning shots are fired. The fleeing are overwhelmed. Three suspects
are arrested, their hands are tied behind their backs and they are loaded onto
trucks. They are referred to as "persons under control" (PUC). Conversation
with the prisoners is strictly forbidden. Jute bags are placed over the heads
of the PUCs. "Bagging" is used as a means to prevent escape attempts and also
serves as a tool to intimidate PUCs prior to questioning. More houses are
searched, from village to village, into the next day. The soldiers find
suspicious documents and army supplies. There are further arrests.
Meanwhile,
heart-tearing scenes take place before the convoy. Mothers, wives, sisters and
daughters of the PUCs throw themselves into the dust, wailing incessantly,
begging for the return of their men. They do not know what will happen to the
men arrested, or if indeed they will ever see their fathers, husbands or
brothers again. Interpreters try to calm the women down, in vain. The next day,
however, brings the release of some of the prisoners. They are sent home with a
few hundred dollars in compensation. The remaining prisoners are sent to a US
airbase. Their next destination: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Journalists are not
permitted at the US airbase during medical investigation and interrogation of
prisoners. The shock of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq is still
fresh in the memory of the US military.
The
distrust felt by the US soldiers against the native populace is widespread. Who
is a friend, who is an enemy? A majority of the soldiers are convinced they are
waging a fair war and are proud of what they are doing - even if they are
killed for it or have to kill. "The Afghani people have suffered enough. We are
here to give them a chance at something better," says one of the soldiers.
Another says in rage, "I am here to hunt the Taliban. The pigs attacked my
country." The fears and emotions ignited by September 11 are still pervasive,
and have been instrumental in many young men joining the US Army.
Saturday, 4am. The Taliban are due to meet in a mosque. Again a convoy makes
its way into the mountains. A helicopter drops off a platoon in a valley.
Immediatetly the soldiers face bombardment and are encircled by the Taliban.
The enemy are very well equipped, possessing satellite telephones and
night-vision devices. Reinforcements hurry over steep mountain slopes to
provide assistance to the soldiers under attack. Men with long beards are among
the enemy forces. Special Forces forbid any photography. They are also under
attack. Apache combat helicopters fly air raids on hostile positions.
For hours, machine-guns fire and rocket explosions can be heard, then the
fundamentalists dissolve as if into thin air. A soldier is wounded, several
Taliban have been killed. The meeting in the mosque did not take place. It did
not have to. The Taliban have time. This was the last large operation of 2-5
Infantry in this region. The next day they withdraw and head back to
base.
Carsten Stormer is a freelance writer and journalism student from
Germany. He has worked in Burma and Cambodia and studied in India. He plans to
specialize in foreign and war correspondence when he finishes his studies this
year.
Winning
hearts, minds;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
