Signs of life in valley of death

Smiles are returning to Afghan faces in one area under Australian control

STORIES of despair in Afghanistan are not hard to find. Is it any wonder? The war has been going on for nearly 10 years and casualties among the Western coalition have increased every year since 2003; more than 1600 NATO soldiers having lost their lives since Operation Enduring Freedom began. Although exact figures are hard to settle on, the number of deaths among members of the Afghan National Army and the civilian population is much higher.

Australian soldiers recently returned from operations in Afghanistan tell Inquirer that the spectre of death is everywhere. Troops patrolling in the Baluchi and Mirabad valleys are regularly attacked by insurgents. Locals are threatened and sometimes killed for engaging with coalition troops who are attempting to build infrastructure. It makes the job of stabilising the countryside difficult, but there are signs of progress that suggest it is not a war that ought to be given up.

Inquirer spoke exclusively to Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Hocking, commander of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force, who recently returned from Afghanistan. We also discussed the Australian operations with a number of returned soldiers to gauge the feelings in the ranks. The picture that emerges is of a team united in the belief that it is making progress. However, concerns do exist that the government doesn't have a grand strategic plan for Australia's involvement in a war that is central to international security.

Although Hocking is too disciplined to make comments about the political dimension -- "The public attitude towards the war is primarily a political concern. We are so focused on the mission we have been given that we try and not get distracted by it" -- returned soldiers note that Australian forces have had to limit their attention to a few regions because they haven't got enough troops to maintain order in all the regions for which they have been allocated responsibility. They also make the point that it is a miracle more Australian soldiers haven't been killed, given the number of close calls every day.

British and US troops are somewhat resentful about the theatres of operation to which the Australian government has restricted its troops. Keen to do their fair share, Aussie Diggers don't disagree. But they also recognise that an increased involvement would carry greater political risks, and it is not something the government appears willing to consider.

The southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar are the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan. That's where American, British and Canadian troops are doing the heavy lifting. Australian soldiers are largely restricted to Oruzgan province in the southeast of Afghanistan. But even in that relatively limited area, the suggestion on the ground is that there are simply not enough troops to conduct effective counter-insurgency operations in the major population centres. That means picking winners: determining in which areas to improve security. It is an unedifying, if tactically necessary, choice to have to make. The alternative is to spread troops too thin.

Last year Special Operations Task Group performed a clean-out operation in Mirabad valley, quickly reducing the risk of insurgents threatening reconstruction. It was the platform on which the decision to focus attention there instead of in the Baluchi valley was made. There were also good tactical reasons for doing so. Mirabad valley is an important supply route and is closer to the provincial capital of Tarin Kowt than the Baluchi valley. An official NATO announcement about the operation in October last year quoted Australian major David Trotter as saying: "This was one of the largest air mobile operations involving Australian conventional forces since Vietnam and was highly successful in forcing the insurgents out of the area and creating a secure environment."

The desert hills of Oruzgan are the area's most imposing geographical feature. Cutting through the rugged hills are fertile fields approximately 20km long. That is Mirabad valley: Australian soldiers like to refer to it as the green zone. The fertility of the valley is not entirely of nature's making. The local nomads have over hundreds, if not thousands, of years built a primitive but effective irrigation system to bring water to otherwise arid lands. In some places the valley is only 500m wide, making it easier to saturate the area with troops and thereby maintain security.

The positive results of the focus on the Mirabad valley are starting to emerge. Hocking says: "Our expansion east into Mirabad has been significant. Six months ago, you couldn't walk through Mirabad valley east of Tarin Kowt and the people were under threat constantly by the Taliban. Now, I was patrolling the valley recently and people were smiling, people were happy. Slowly but surely we are gaining their support. We are starting to build schools in various areas, we are building bazaars where they can actually trade their goods ultimately; this is improving the lives of the people."

However, security in the Baluchi valley has deteriorated. Locals are largely unwilling to engage with Australian soldiers, infrastructure development is extremely limited and no local leadership exists to help smooth relations between soldiers and townsfolk. Australian troops are regularly fired on by Taliban in the hills. Fortunately the shots are not particularly accurate and Australian snipers ensure the skirmishes are brief. But locals seen talking to coalition troops risk reprisals from the Taliban.

This is the side of Australia's involvement in Afghanistan top military brass prefer not to talk about because the discussion inevitably becomes a political one about troop numbers.

While concerns exist in the ranks about limits to troop availability stifling effectiveness across both valleys Australian soldiers are responsible for, the equipment being used is saving lives. Improvised explosive devices are a constant threat, but heavily armoured vehicles known as Bushmasters are allowing Australian soldiers to survive explosions that would otherwise be deadly. In the past 12 months, at least 12 Bushmasters have been rendered inoperable after being hit by IEDs, but those inside received only minor injuries.

The Afghan National Army isn't so lucky: it is unable to afford expensive machinery to protect all its troops. Just the other week eight ANA soldiers were killed in Australia's theatre of operations because their unprotected vehicle encountered an IED.

The war in Afghanistan is what's called a counter-insurgency operation. That means the centre of gravity is assessed to be the population. An effective campaign means winning local support, not just defeating the Taliban in combat. It is on this score that Australian soldiers are glowing about the role Hocking played in Mirabad: "In his short stay he did more to improve relations with the locals than occurred in [the previous] two years," one soldier says.

The debate over how to approach operations in Afghanistan is not settled. It is over whether the counter-insurgency should focus on a kinetic or non-kinetic approach: that is, efforts primarily directed at engaging the Taliban in combat, or focusing on winning over the local population. The Australian command has always attempted to do both, but it is where the focus is that counts. With limited troops deployed, it is hard to chase the Taliban while at the same time giving enough attention to building local trust.

"Our focus is on the population and developing and mentoring the [ANA]," Hocking says. "Whatever the insurgent does and the Taliban does is up to him, and I am not going to dance to his tune." But Australian soldiers suggest that has not always been the case.

"We are seeing girls in Afghanistan getting access to education. These things don't happen overnight, but they happen providing you are persistent, patient and keep your eye on your mission," Hocking says. "If we continue to do this, hopefully Afghanistan can stand on its own two feet in the future." He notes that progress "has to be seen in context".

In the context of what is a difficult war, significant progress has been made by Australian troops in Mirabad valley in recent months and they are rightly proud of their achievements. But the operation is only a limited part of the wider war effort, and even in Australia's sphere of influence efforts have had to be more geographically restricted than our politicians are willing to acknowledge.