Canada in Afghanistan

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Sounds like they're gonna do just fine... as I expected. They have a fine tradition of service to uphold. They will do so.

January 5, 2007

Taliban rockets target Canucks

By BILL GRAVELAND

Captain Josh Major, right, and two other soldiers call in air support as Canadian and Afghan troops took part in a 45 minute firefight with Taliban forces Friday in Lacookhal, Afghanistan. (CP/Bill Graveland)
LACOOKHAL , Afghanistan (CP) - The long line of vehicles heading north from the area around this tiny village in Panjwaii district was a dead giveaway that something was not right.

Two hours later a barrage of rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars rained down upon Canadian and Afghan troops here, who had been going from compound to compound looking for the Taliban. On this day they found them.

"The locals knew something was up and that the Taliban were here," said Capt. Josh Major, 31, of Chelmsford, Ont. "They know what is going on," he added.

Major and other members of OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liason Team) had been on patrol with the Afghan National Army. After combing through a number of the vast mud compounds which dot this region came word that seven armed men had been spotted to the south.

As the troops moved further south, walking through the deep, dusty ditches of grape fields, the sound of a large explosion could be heard. Moments later, a plume of black smoke was on the horizon.

A series of rockets and rocket-propelled grenades whistled overhead, landing and exploding in a cloud of smoke and dust about 250 metres away. A mortar landed 50 metres away causing Canadian soldiers to duck for cover while their Afghan allies seemed undaunted by the noise and confusion. The deep, throaty rat-a-tat-tat of the machine-guns on the Afghan trucks replied after every salvo.

"No problem. It's cool," said one Afghan soldier flashing a grin as he walked by, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

The attack came to a standstill once air support was called in. Once the drone of the F-16 was heard overhead, the Taliban stopped firing and headed west on foot. An air strike wasn't possible because there were still civilians in the area. But the plane flew low through the valley, firing off some flares in a show of force.

Major said he expected something was going to happen partially because of the exodus from the region and partly because of the location of the patrol.

"You never go looking for a fight but you knew it was coming. You knew eventually if you started going south we were going to get hit by something sooner or later," said Major.

"That's what happened and I think it all worked out."

Operation Baaz Tsuka is in its third and final stage and is seeking to clear out pockets of Taliban in this region. Members of the ANA grew visibly excited when told that a large mountain, clearly visible about two kilometres to the west, was a Taliban stronghold and believed to house about 50 Taliban fighters.

Friday's attack was thought to involve 15 to 20 Taliban fighters and it was believed that two or three were wounded or killed.

"(It's) Based on talking to the guys. A guy pops up, buddy shoots, and he goes down and doesn't come up again," added Major. "If he didn't get hit then he got scared off and doesn't want to fight anymore and he ran away."

It was the first taste of battle for most of the OMLT team, members of the Royal 22e Regiment, the Vandoos based in Val Cartier, Que.

"It's just another day at the office," shrugged Master Cpl. Luigi Ouellet of Quebec City.

"That is the first time that they shoot at me. It was not too bad. All the drills are coming by themselves and you don't even have to think so it was cool," said Pte. Dominic Cimon, 21, of Montreal.

Nobody was injured and that isn't so bad," he said.

Nobody expected that the Taliban would simply go away, said Major, who noted the Canadians are not liked by the terrorist group.

"They don't want us here in the area and they're willing to do a lot to protect what they think is right, which is their own power," he said.

But the threat on this day was past, said Major, pointing at the road.

A long line of cars was headed south back into the area.