ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan – It was only a year ago that the Afghan national civil order police had a 60 to 80 percent attrition rate among its policemen due to low morale, equipment issues, lack of basic resources and corruption.
But things have made a turn for the better as attrition rates are down across the country.
For example, since partnering with coalition forces, desertion is nearly nonexistent for the 3rd Battalion, 3rd ANCOP Brigade, stationed in the Arghandab River Valley.
The battalion is partnered with members of Special Operations Task Force – South, and only one man from 3rd Battalion’s 198-strong unit has left the ranks in the past month-and-a-half, said the Special Forces team leader whose unit is responsible for training and fighting alongside 3rd Bn.
“We treat them well, and we have a very high opinion of the ANCOP team of which we are partnered,” he said.
The Special Forces team and its support element work, train and fight side-by-side with their ANCOP counterparts.
Forty ANCOP policemen share the fire base with the SF team, and are trained for operational employment and mounted and dismounted patrols. The rest of the battalion operates 10 checkpoints along a major route leading through the area.
A typical day for the partnered units sees them visiting villages, interacting with locals and checking on ANCOP stationed at the checkpoints.
Leading the ANCOP force is Lt. Col. Raheem Kohistani, commander of 3rd Bn.
“It’s a good feeling to get out there and provide security for the people of Afghanistan,” Raheem said.
As commander, he acts as a father figure, provider and leader to his ANCOP.
He spends much of his time checking on his policemen at the checkpoints, dropping off food and water and making sure their needs are met.
To the Special Forces team, he is a liaison between the two units and a coalition voice to villagers around the Arghanadab.
Part of Raheem’s role is to interact with villagers during joint patrols. He tries to quell any fears or doubts locals have about coalition forces. He also lets them know his ANCOP and the SF team are doing everything they can to try and help the Afghan people.
“It is part of my job to assure the people that the coalition forces are here to help, to get rid of the Taliban and to make sure the people of the area are secure,” he said.
Security Shura
A typical week for the ANCOP leader and the SF team begins with a security shura.
Leaders from the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, the district governor and members of coalition forces are usual attendees.
The most recent shura raised issues of the ANP moving in to cover some checkpoints. It also focused on success in the region.
“We are all having a big impact on the enemy,” said Lt. Col. Robert S. Lemons, commander, TF 1 – 66, to various coalition and Afghan leaders at the shura. “We are disrupting the insurgent freedom of movement with the 1st and 3rd ANA Kandaks. We are causing the enemy to stay and fight, and this is critical to maintaining security.”
Talks at the shura involved Raheem and a small village in the area.
The village has about 1,000 residents and is only a few miles from the district center. There are checkpoints nearby which Raheem’s men occupy.
“Getting more ANCOP to checkpoints [near this town] is critical,” Raheem said.
There is also talk of putting another checkpoint in the area at the town’s bazaar.
Before the thought can take hold, however, Raheem, the SF team and the 40 ANCOP at the fire base have to go to the bazaar to conduct an assessment.
They make a plan to do so, but the SF team wants to conduct refresher training with the ANCOP beforehand.
Training
A day after the shura, members of the SF team went next door to put 40 ANCOP through their paces conducting dismounted patrolling maneuvers.
It started with a class, splitting the ANCOP in two groups with four SF soldiers, a small, white, dry-erase board and two interpreters.
Class was in session when an SF weapons sergeant asked: “What are your hand signals for a column formation?”
The policemen showed the proper hand signals.
The questions-and-answers continued until the weapons sergeant asked if one ANCOP could draw on the white board the proper way to get in a certain formation. Several ANCOP excitedly volunteered, but only one got the call.
Afghan police 2nd Lt. Hamayon, who has served three years with the ANP, and last year joined the ANCOP, quickly executed the proper formation on the white board.
“We always look forward to training,” he said. “That’s why we are the best. We are the best trained, best equipped, and we are ready to fight.”
Hamayon said he has no love for the Taliban, but wants them to reconcile with the government.
“We would like to see the Taliban join the government, but if not, we will die to kill the Taliban and run them out of here,” he said.
Classroom training wrapped up after an hour.
The SF team took the ANCOP outside to practice what they had learned; first on camp, then just outside the gate. Team members corrected any deficiencies during the practice patrol, and an after-action review of the days training showed that the ANCOP were ready for the mission.
The Bazaar
The partnered team rolled in to the village bazaar the next day and quickly set up a security perimeter.
Raheem and the SF team leader started discussing with the elders in the bazaar about the possibility of putting in an ANCOP checkpoint.
The villagers were not very concerned about security in their area, as they hadn’t seen recent enemy activity. However, the enemy lies just on the west side of the river, explained villager Mohammed Gul.
Gul, whose family was in the city to celebrate the upcoming Islamic holiday of Eid, allowed coalition forces to look through his sprawling compound, to include a pomegranate orchard and several empty rooms. The place was deserted and coalition forces were curious as to where everyone was.
“We are preparing for a wedding,” Gul said.
It costs his family 400,000 Afghani to pay for the marriage. Those family members that weren’t in Kandahar City were busy working to try and come up with the wedding stipend.
Gul helped the combined force by giving information he had to help keep peace in the area. He said the village and the bazaar was peaceful, and the villagers don’t allow Taliban to operate there.
The team thanked him and quickly moved on.
Meanwhile, Raheem talked to villagers.
His ANCOP had set up checkpoints coming in to and out of the bazaar. They were providing security and searching vehicles and civilians coming through.
Raheem walked off an area with the SF engineer sergeant – an area they agreed would be the prime spot for a checkpoint.
After much discussion with the villagers, however, the SF team leader and Raheem came to the conclusion that putting a checkpoint at the bazaar was not a good idea.
The villagers were against the checkpoint proposed. They felt there was too little space, and the place was peaceful enough as it was.
“The villagers feel pretty safe here, and they feel the checkpoint would cause them to be targeted,” the team leader said.
The ANCOP and SF team finished their assessment, felt they built a good rapport with the locals and decided to call this part of their day ‘mission complete.’
Raheem was ready to drop food and water at one of his checkpoints.
The team leader offered his thanks to Raheem before he left.
He told Raheem that his leadership style shows he is meant to have the position of commander. He told him that his policemen respect and admire him.
“Your work and leadership is the type that will have American forces out of the county, with the Afghans leading their own security,” the team leader told Raheem outside the bazaar.
“When that happens, your team will have to come back and vacation here,” Raheem responded. “When you do, you can stay at my place any time.”
| Date Taken: |
08.29.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
08.29.2010 10:00 |
| Story ID: |
55357 |
| Location: |
ARGHANDAB, AF |
| Web Views: |
229 |
| Downloads: |
10 |
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