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Coalition moves on Taliban before election

Persuading isolated locals to back government a tough sell

By Jason Motlagh (Contact) | Thursday, December 11, 2008

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DILA, Afghanistan | The Chinook helicopters surged toward a hot landing zone. Another pilot scouting ahead had sighted a band of suspected Taliban fighters in the area, and gunfire was expected.

"There are at least 20 guys down there. It could be a good day," said Lt. Chris Dewey, a plug of tobacco bulging from his lower lip.

Moments later, two Army platoons from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry charged out into the open, heaving themselves to the ground, rifles forward, as the helicopters pulled away and the dust cloud whipped up by their huge twin rotors settled back on the uncertain terrain.

Coalition forces have begun a disruptive operation in this province before registration for next year's national elections, which are scheduled to take place across the province over the next month. The goal, according to U.S. officers, is that insurgents will no longer be free to maneuver without looking over their shoulders.

"Hopefully, the enemy will be confused by our presence, worried about it enough to carry us through voter registration," said Capt. Jeff Farmer, the field commander of last week's operation.

The operation has taken them to Dila village, a patchwork of crumbling mud buildings in Afghanistan's western Paktika province. The province is a vast and sparsely populated moonscape bereft of roads, economic prospects and the rule of law. Such circumstances favor the Taliban and their allies, who have made inroads deeper into the region from rear bases in Pakistan to attack security forces and critical transport lines.

U.S. forces were last on the ground here more than two years ago, and the district center that once housed Afghan police was abandoned over the summer. Militants now stalk the several hundred Pashtun families that eke out a living off the land.

Since arriving at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kushamond in late September, Capt. Farmer has been busy consolidating his own foothold in a new battle space he describes as "austere."

Built by U.S. engineers shortly after the 2001 invasion, FOB Kushamond was originally meant to be a staging area for the construction of a road network to integrate the backcountry. But the project never materialized, and the base fell into disrepair.