Royal 22nd Regiment penetrates hostile territory
Updated Mon. Aug. 6 2007 7:55 AM ET
Martin Ouellet, Canadian Press
DISTRICT SHAH VALI KOWT, Afghanistan -- Canadian soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment moved deep into hostile territory over the weekend, patrolling a vast region of Afghanistan known to be sympathetic to the Taliban.
Canadian troops did not confront insurgents during this trek but they are convinced the territory is guided by a "phantom Taliban government."
Along roads, through fields and mountains, the soldiers cut a wide swath across a region north of Kandahar in light armoured vehicles. They continued their patrol on foot through punishing 50 degree C heat.
At best, the reception from local villagers was polite and lukewarm, as most men and children - women are absent from public spaces in Afghan villages -- watched the soldiers march with a mix of fear, mistrust and sometimes hostility in their eyes.
The troops are often seen as invaders.
One youth, who hid a sickle behind his back was told by a soldier to drop his weapon. An elder intervened and persuaded the young man to get rid of the object before the situation deteriorated.
Elsewhere, residents in a hamlet acknowledged the troops with indifference. The locals spoke among themselves and drank tea, while an officer tried to persuade citizens to show the soldiers around the village.
"The Americans came here and they promised to build a school," said Chalam Abad, an elder claiming to be the town's mayor.
"They never did it."
Abad, speaking through an interpreter, said he had not seen NATO soldiers in the community for at least three years.
Villagers said they have never had a problem with the Taliban. Some said the Taliban have never set foot in the region.
The International Security Assistance Force, of which Canada is a member, thinks otherwise.
"There is a phantom Taliban government here," said one officer.
"That's why we have to be present here, checking over the terrain to counter infiltration by the Taliban."
For his part, Sgt. Steve Dufour says there is still a lot of work to be done in Afghanistan before winning over the local population.
"There are people who are frightened and we see that there is still lots of information to send to the villages to explain to people that we are here to help," he said
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Canadian helping spur development in Afghanistan
Updated Sun. Aug. 5 2007 10:16 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A veteran Canadian aid worker is braving the serious security threats of southern Afghanistan and trying to help villagers in the region better their lives.
"It's really critical to establish the economic infrastructure -- jobs, jobs, jobs," Drew Gilmour of Development Works Canada told CTV News. "Water is life, but providing opportunity jobs and training -- well, that makes life worth living."
Gilmour's private-sector work with Marjburobad -- one poor, dry community outside Kandahar City -- did start with water.
"They said, 'We have seen a thousand people come and go, but prove to us you are serious,' and we asked them, what, and they said water," he said.
Gilmour responded by first digging them a well.
Within a few weeks, over 200 village men had jobs. They built six more wells, and construction on an irrigation system is now well underway.
The goal is to plant fields with vegetable crops that can then be grown at market. The community's sense of hope is growing with the progress.
To help them, Gilmour brought Said Ahmad Azizi, one of Afghanistan's leading engineers, out of retirement to help with the efforts.
"I am not supposed to work, but I love to work with the country because its completely ruined out, destroyed and everybody needs something," Azizi said.
The Canadian International Development Agency funds Gilmour's work. They look on his effort as establishing a blueprint for how badly-needed private-sector development projects can get started in Kandahar province.
"He is operating as a pioneer," Kevin Rex, a CIDA official and development advisor to Joint Task Force Afghanistan, said of Gilmour.
However, the dangers facing anyone doing the work Gilmour does are very real.
In 2006, insurgents are believed to have murdered British Columbia resident Mike Frastacky, who was building a co-ed school in northern Afghanistan.
The Taliban think kidnappings are a good way to pressure the Afghan government. They currently hold 21 South Korean missionaries and aid workers, having killed two others.
When Gilmour leaves his Kandahar City compound, he does so with protection and after engaging in some careful planning.
"We have security procedure and I would say we are professional, and I would say there is some inherent risk that we try to minimize," he said.
But Gilmour also said the risk is worth it. "By far this is the most rewarding thing I have done in development," he said, adding his biggest reward is the smiles on the faces of village children.
He hopes to extend his efforts to a total of seven villages, and that if he succeeds, more will follow in his footsteps.
With a report from CTV's Denelle Balfour\
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