The Afghan election from the field/Mentors

From Bruce R. at Flit:

K on Afghan election

ETT member "K" ["Embedded Tactical Trainer", cf. Canadian mentor with an OMLT, see end] a US Marine in eastern Afstan--more on Marine trainers here] gives a good run-down of what an election looks like from the security force's perspective in insecure areas of the country. It was very similar for us during the election registration period earlier this year, which also involved registration stations, admittedly for a minority of the population, that were in practical terms unsecureable by government forces:

We focus on the larger population centers, which are not surprisingly generally located in the larger valleys. Of the many small valleys branching off from the larger ones, we control the terrain at most a couple of kilometers in. Far down into some of these valleys, we haven’t had Americans go in years. This fact hasn’t stopped the unnamed, unseen planners on high from deciding to put election polling sites in some of these places. Exactly how we’re supposed to secure a place we don’t ever go, in addition to all the other sites in our normal area of operations, is a question which has occurred to many of us in recent weeks.

Thankfully, as the election creeps closer, reality is beginning to set in, and numerous planned polling stations are not going to be opened. We’ll consolidate some, and others will just not be available, necessitating the local people taking a longer trip to vote. It will be the courageous family that decides to take a trip down an unsecured road while bearing voter registration cards.

A post here on Canadian mentors, and one here on them in the field with the Afghan police. This will be the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team for the next CF roto, arriving soon:

...
About 150 soldiers with the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) [emphasis added - MC] [primarily from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) – Edmonton, AB]