Afstan: Romania one of the six doing combat

Nice to see this AP story. I wonder if any of the major newspapers will actually publish it in print.

HIGHWAY 1, Afghanistan (AP) - The Romanian soldier quietly makes the sign of the cross, then thrusts his rifle through the narrow slit of an armored vehicle as it rolls toward one of the most vital - and dangerous - highways in Afghanistan.

As night falls, machine gunners constantly rotate their turrets and searchlights on the four patrol vehicles and rake the passing countryside for possible ambush sites amid rocky outcrops, mud-brick farm houses and orchards of blossoming almond trees.

The Romanian presence, analyst say, is an example of what must be done to win the war in Afghanistan: convince NATO countries unwilling to put their soldiers in fighting situations that engaging in combat will pave the way for progress.

One of only six NATO nations willing to take on combat operations in the country, the Romanians are tasked with securing a stretch of Highway 1, the strategic and economic lifeline between the capital, Kabul, and the key southern city of Kandahar.

The Taliban were preparing to cut off the highway, isolate and then recapture their one-time stronghold of Kandahar before major NATO pushes blunted their advances late last year. Whether they can regain their momentum this spring is still uncertain.

``Cutting off Highway 1 would be a major information campaign victory for the Taliban. But it is almost impossible,'' says Maj. Ovidiu Liviu Uifaleanu, commander of the 500-member Romanian unit. ``If they attack us, they have a problem.''

Taliban insurgents, he says, now largely confine themselves to quick, shoot-and-retreat attacks against the 20 checkpoints manned by Afghan military and police in Zabul province. The Romanians bolster the Afghans with their mobility and firepower, rushing to threatened outposts and otherwise trying to reassure the local population that they can provide security...

``Our last unit in Zabul fell into two or three ambushes. But the Taliban learned. The machine guns we carry can demolish a mud building and anyone standing behind it,'' says the major, who commands the 812th Infantry Battalion. The unit, known as the ``Carpathian Hawks,'' has seen service in Angola, Iraq and on an earlier Afghanistan tour.

The greater problem now faced by the Romanians appears to be Zabul's inadequate and poorly equipped Afghan National Police...

Romania, which joined NATO in 2004, joined the United States, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands as one of the member nations willing to engage in combat [emphasis added--that does not take into account special forces such as the Aussies and earlier the French]. The notable ``stand asides'' among the 37-nation coalition are Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey and France...

At least the Italian Senate has now voted to keep their troops in Afstan. But the government gave in in the face of a hostage taking.

Via Afghanistan Watch.

Update: When the Poles arrive they'll be fighting too.

Upperdate: Romanians on YouTube (h/t to Emil-Nicolaie)