As December passed its mid-way point, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, found themselves in familiar territory; away from the relative safety of their Forward Operating Bases, taking the fight to the insurgents.

Operation PANCAR, or “Claw” in Pashtu, is the latest Battle Group operation aimed at maintaining constant pressure on the insurgents through the winter months. The Battle Group operation saw elements manoeuvre into Eastern Zharey and Eastern Panjwayi and focus their efforts on the villages of Senjaray and Salavat.

“We need to stay aggressive,” said Lieutenant Colonel Roger Barrett, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion. “We can and will dictate the pace through the winter months.”

The three day operation took place from December 18-20, and was a success. Several weapons caches containing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), IED making equipment, small arms and munitions were discovered and destroyed during the operation.

Even more important is the constant presence of ISAF and ANSF soldiers in the area. That presence disrupts insurgent activities and denies them the ability to plant IED’s and coordinate attacks. It will also make it more difficult for insurgents to terrorize the local population and disrupt traffic along Highway One. This will enable increased freedom of movement and reconstruction and development in populated areas.

“By constantly dictating the tempo we will give the insurgents no place to hide,” added Lieutenant Colonel Barrett. “Along with our ANSF partners we will continue to target insurgent IED capability and degrade the insurgent ‘winter season’ IED campaign.”

Maintaining pressure and dictating the pace has been the key theme for the Battle Group throughout the mission. The weather may be getting cold and wet, but the tempo remains high.

“Being away from home this time of year can be difficult, but rest assured, the soldiers of this Battle Group remain extremely focused as we take the fight, on our terms, to the insurgents,” said Lieutenant Colonel Barrett.

ISAF

BEFORE

AFTER

U.S. Army photos by Capt. James Reid, Combined Task Force Castle

Members of the Australian Reconstruction Task Force and Task Force Castle’s 420th Engineer Brigade completed the emplacement of two Mabey Johnson bridges near Andar and Moqur in eastern Afghanistan.

Insurgent attacks during the summer left the bridges impassible, forcing Afghans and coalition forces to use single-lane bypasses.

Work progressed quickly once the Australian and American combat engineers arrived. The first bridge in Andar was erected in just over two days, and forces then moved on to Moqur, where they emplaced the second bridge.

Both bridges are on Highway 1, which connects Kandahar in southern Afghanistan to the Afghan capital of Kabul. Highway 1 is a paved route originally built in the 1960s. The 300-mile stretch that includes the bridges was refurbished in 2002 and 2003 as part of President Bush’s Afghanistan Road Initiative. The U.S. Agency for International Development credits the work with reducing the transit time between Kandahar and Kabul by half.

In recent months, Highway 1 has become a focal point for insurgent activity, as Taliban fighters and common bandits target supply convoys and merchant traffic. The bridge attacks were the latest in the Taliban’s efforts to impede Afghanistan’s reconstruction and stability, officials said.

The bridge attacks are a serious concern, but not a serious engineering problem to solve.

“Each section of the bridge is called a bay and is about 10 feet long,” said Army Capt. James Reid, Task Force Castle’s assistant operations officer. “We were able to do a 10-bay bridge in two days.”

Reid, an Arkansas native, has seen a great deal in his 20 years of military service, with multiple tours in Iraq and now building bridges in Afghanistan.

“I’m excited to be involved in this,” he said. “It’s helping everybody — it’s helping Afghanistan, it’s helping the coalition forces, and it’s just a win-win for everyone.”

DoD
By Army 1st Lt. Tomas Rofkahr
Special to American Forces Press Service