Canada's Artillery Regiment is growing frustrated in Afghanistan>>>>
Canadian gunners in Afghanistan grow frustrated as airstrikes take precedence Published: Friday, March 28, 2008 | 1:33 PM ET Canadian Press: James Mccarten, THE CANADIAN PRESS
KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The fighter jet, probably an F-16, came from nowhere, invisible under cover of night as it unleashed a short but deadly burst of gunfire with a sound that seemed to rip a hole in the darkness.
Seconds later, an orange streak of light appeared as the jet fired up its afterburners and beat a hasty retreat, its mission over.
With that, so too was the latest fire mission for the dejected Canadian gunners on the hilltop nearby, mortars in hand and at the ready, firing tubes locked on the very same target.
Get out of here, one gunner muttered under his breath, half-jokingly, moments earlier amid the distinctive sound of approaching aircraft.
Don't get them wrong: the gunners of C Troop, B Battery, from 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based in Shilo, Man., realize they're just one part of a larger objective in Afghanistan.
But they've grown familiar with the sound of incoming fast air and what it's likely to mean for the chance that they'll fire their considerable weapons - it's happened several times in recent days.
All they want to do is what they've been trained for - firing artillery and mortar shells quickly, with military timing and deadly accuracy, at the enemies of the International Security Assistance Force, many of whom skulk around at night in the fertile valleys west of Kandahar city, laying improvised explosive devices under cover of darkness.
It's really frustrating, sighed Sgt. Lejla Imamovic, 33, a reservist from Regina, Sask., one of the troop's detachment commanders and a 12-year veteran of the Canadian Forces.
You're on the gun, you're laid on the target, you're reported ready, and then it's like, 'Nope, air assets are in.' Yeah, it's a little bit demoralizing.
It appears to be one of the many new realities of the war in Afghanistan, now that villagers, farmers and families who were chased from the region by heavy fighting two years ago have started making their way back.
As a result of improvements in security, brought on by the coalition's presence in the Zhari and Panjwaii districts of Kandahar province, the risk of collateral damage is now that much greater.
That means whatever course of action can provide the most precision and the least risk of innocent civilians being injured or killed is the preferred option, said battery commander Maj. Jamie Vieveen.
We use the best weapon for the job, Vieveen said.
We need to limit collateral damage as much as we can, (and) a plane is precision, so we'll go to that - particularly if there are any compounds or locals in the area.
The blending of local villagers and insurgents - often only the locals can tell the difference - is a particularly important intersection for the ongoing coalition effort, Vieveen said.
(The insurgents) use compounds to hide behind and to mask themselves, and you don't know if there's somebody in it or not, he said.
You kill one local and you make 10 more enemies, we absolutely can't take the risk with other people's lives.
Both sides in the Afghan conflict are vying to win locals as allies - coalition troops through their efforts in taking on the Taliban, and the Taliban through a variety of tactics that typically include threats, intimidation and violence.
If we can show the Afghans, the locals, that we can provide the security they need, then they're not going to accept the insurgents into their midst, he said.
Already, Canadian troops rely heavily on good relations with the local farmers and villagers, because they often know when unfamiliar faces have been skulking around town, or where an IED might be located.
They just need to know that we're on their side. We're out there risking our lives to bring security for them.
All of this, of course, is well known to the 1 RCHA gunners. But it doesn't change the fact that they have a job to do - and they just want the chance to do it once in a while.
We realize that it's not really the big fighting season yet, and talking to the infantry guys, they really love the guns, and they don't want to go anywhere without the guns, Imamovic said.
Her face broke into a broad smile as she recalled a calibration exercise some weeks back, when the guns and the mortars were firing almost constantly for the better part of the day.
Guys were happy as hell, they were so happy they got to fire, she chuckled.
They were like, 'We like this, we want to do it every day.' You could see morale was improved a lot; everyone was busy, and the day went by really fast.
For now, they'll have to settle for the illumination rounds - illum, in gunner parlance - that they're often called upon to blast into the night sky in order to light the way for soldiers in the field.
But there's little doubt that when the fire missions do start to come in, C Troop will be fully prepared.
We can do it, we're ready, and that's what we're here for, Imamovic said.
We're on standby, 24-7.
Hang in Guys your time will come...Then show the taliban what Canadian Gunners are made of.....UBIQUE
Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt.... God Bless our Gunners
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
