LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – As the route clearance companies in the Afghan National Army (ANA) continue to grow and strengthen, they have taken more and more of the responsibility of clearing the major highways of Afghanistan of explosive hazards from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). These members of the Afghan National Army have a job to do: Keeping the roads safe for the people of Afghanistan.
Early in the morning, as the sun rose over the Logar province, a platoon of route clearance soldiers, with M-16 Rifles in hand, made their way to the motor pool to start up their armored trucks. Their sergeants hurried between vehicles, inspecting the equipment and supplies they would need over the next few days.
In the Nangarhar province, just near the city of Jalalabad, another platoon was going through their own preparations. Their platoon leader went over the mission one final time with his soldiers before giving the order to mount the vehicles.
An American unit, the 264th Clearance Company out of Ft. Bragg, N.C., operating under Task Force Diehard, saw the quick development of a route clearance company (RCC) from their initial training to full independent operations.
A new Afghan RCC under 4th Brigade, 201st Corps, fresh out of the consolidated fielding center (CFC) in Kabul, was stationed at Jalalabad Garrison in October, right next to the 264th’s training team. The unit assembled after their post-CFC leave and quickly impressed their American counterparts. In less than three months from the start of their work with the American training team, they were out on the roads, operating independently, with no ISAF assistance.
“I’m really impressed with how quickly this RCC developed from when it was first formed to achieving a level of proficiency that allows them to go and clear the roads safely and effectively on their own,” said 1st Lt. Anthony Spinelli, a native of Houston Texas, the Afghan partnership officer-in-charge for Task Force Diehard.
The 264th had a short partnership with the RCC of 2nd Bde., 203rd Corps last fall, before the 2nd Brigade reorganized their personnel, moving the RCC to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fiaz.
South of Kabul, the RCC of 4th Bde., 203rd Corps has conducted continuous missions in the Wardak Province ever since first meeting their training partners in the 102nd Sapper Company, also out of Ft. Bragg, N.C.
The RCC covers critical portions of Afghanistan’s famous “Ring Road,” supporting three kandaks (battalions) in the 4th Bde., 203rd Corps despite being stationed in Logar – a different province altogether. While the majority of their missions are in direct support of the kandaks in the 4th Bde., they cleared the way for several other ANA units during a major operation in Logar last winter. Since then, they have been utilized on other high-level missions, clearing and securing roads for the kandaks.
Their improvised explosive device finds have helped their command build an understanding of insurgent tactics in the Wardak and Logar provinces, allowing them to better posture their forces to defeat the enemy threat.
“The Afghan 4th of the 203rd RCC are some of the finest foreign soldiers I’ve had a chance to work with,” said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Bowman, from Columbus, Ohio, the leader of the 102nd Sapper Company’s training team.
In December, the 102nd officially declared that the 4th Bde., 203rd Corps’ RCC was independently operating and no longer required their assistance, but the company’s training team continued to work with the Afghan soldiers up until their final days of their tour of duty in Afghanistan
The 102nd Sapper Company has recently handed their ANA training mission over to their replacements, the 57th Sapper Company, who continue providing guidance to the RCC as needed.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2013 12:49 |
| Story ID: | 104531 |
| Location: | LOGAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Hometown: | COLUMBIANA, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 315 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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