The Torch: Canadian and US armies going to the people in Kandahar City and environs--with a price

A story in Stars and Stripes noting the armies' cooperation (something our media rarely mention, the American troops mentioned are under CF command):

Running out of time, U.S. and Canadian troops rush to pacify Kandahar [bit alarmist that]

When a platoon of U.S. soldiers rolled up to a restaurant for an impromptu kebab stop in this southern city, the busy street corner grew quiet and all eyes shifted to the patrol.

The restaurant manager quickly filled the order for a U.S. Army captain but politely asked him not to linger for fear of drawing the ire of the many Taliban militants operating in the city.

As coalition troops work to pacify this crucial city and its outlying villages, they face a tricky balance. They are stepping up patrols to secure the Taliban stronghold and gain a better rapport with residents. But every time they walk or drive down the street, they become a target — and so does anyone unlucky enough to be nearby when a roving suicide bomber or gunman spots the troops...

Most American and Canadian soldiers interviewed admit that security in the city is still shaky, but say their increased presence has put residents more at ease, pointing to the bustling city center and crowded bazaars.

"It’s all about perception," said Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard, the top commander in Kandahar. "The number of incidents are very similar but we have been able to provide that perception of stability in the city ."

[More on the city from a post last August--from what I understand the ANA and ANP still have primary security responsibility there; ISAF does not want to be seen as in charge since that would undercut efforts at strengthening the "Afghan face".]

Menard is pushing to have a "ring of security" around Kandahar city by May, when fighting traditionally intensifies as the weather warms and thick foliage provides cover for insurgents. To do this, he is encouraging the Canadian and American soldiers who work in the area to get out on foot, take off their helmets when they feel comfortable, and move off large, heavily fortified forward operating bases in favor of smaller, less imposing compounds...

Providing security around Kandahar is a joint U.S.-Canadian effort and breaking the Taliban support network has proven difficult, with insurgents having particularly good success recently targeting troops with roadside bombs.

"As soon as we head out of the city center, the enemy pretty much has full rein," said Capt. Mike Thurman, 31, the company commander [he's embedded with the ANP] for a military police company that trains Afghan police and conducts joint patrols with them in Kandahar.

[The MPs are from the US Army's 97th Military Police battalion, more at this post on Canadians and Americans going to the people. And here's a photo of an MP with an ANP member:

Credit: Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes

A U.S. soldier from the 293rd Military Police Company, 97th Battalion and an Afghan National Police officer scan a valley near Kandahar.

Before now, U.S. forces have lived and worked alongside their Afghan counterparts in the field and on U.S. or joint facilities, but the company's Black Sheep Platoon is taking it a step further. As part of a new program, they have moved into a remote, primitive Afghan substation, enduring the same hardships and forging stronger bonds.]

One tactic Canadian forces are using to get closer to residents is the use of "community patrols," in which soldiers with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team go out to city neighborhoods and outlying villages, often with Afghan soldiers or police, to talk to regular Afghans about day-to-day problems such as security, education and drinking water...

On one such patrol, a platoon of Canadian soldiers visited a small enclave just outside of Kandahar to talk to villagers. A group of men said the village elder was pilfering aid and one elderly man invited the soldiers for tea.

As the crowd swelled around the platoon, though, the soldiers grew uneasy and with apologies abruptly headed back to their armored vehicles. For troops trained to fight, the new approach requires a delicate balance between protecting themselves and befriending the people they are supposed to defend.

"We kind of have a mentality to be super polite, super professional, but have a plan to kill everybody," said Canadian army Sgt. Tom, who would only use his first name, citing a specific security threat against him [how often do you see a Canadian reporter writing something like this about the American forces working with us? Eh?].

In addition to the stepped-up military presence, the International Security Assistance Force is greatly expanding civilian presence on the provincial reconstruction teams. The U.S. PRT in Kandahar, responsible for improving civil institutions, is slated to grow from 15 people to 50 by April 1 with the goal of making major improvements in the next 1½ year, said Bill Harris, the senior U.S. reconstruction representative in Kandahar...