Lessons of an Arghandab School House

KANDAHAR PROVINCE – The ANA compound in the Arghandab district of Kandahar prov. used to be a school for the children of surrounding villages.

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Even though the desks and books have been stuffed into storage to make room for the ANA soldiers who now reside there, in some ways the building still clings to the original intent of its design – lessons are still being taught and lessons are still being learned. An ANA Heavy Weapons Security Squad was assigned to the compound a little more than a year ago, when insurgent activity in the area became a concern to villagers who were worried about their well being. Since then, the small squad has been the target of IED attacks and small arms fire so regularly that they speak about their combat experience as though they were talking about the weather. However, the experiences seem to have ignited a storm in the squad's cmdr, Lt. Ahmadzay. "Enough," he said of the insurgents who have continually tried to harass his soldiers, and the villagers around the compound. "War is damaging our country. If you're truly Afghan, make peace for our people. This school was not meant to be a military checkpoint. It was built to be a school for the new generation of Afghanistan. If you truly love our country, bring peace to Afghanistan." It was these sentiments that greeted ISAF forces - U.S. Soldiers of Bravo Co, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf Regt - who teamed up with the ANA on Nov. 18 to assist with disrupting enemy activity. The numerous orchards, high mud walls and narrow streets of the villages that skirt the compound have been consistently fruitful ground for these enemies of Afghanistan, as Lt. Ahmadzay labels them. Following the arrival of the ISAF soldiers, the forces worked in cooperation for 2 days and nights on patrols, setting up security checkpoints, speaking with village elders and obtaining info on insurgent activity in the area. The first morning, while securing orchards in a village, an ANA patrol took fire from insurgents in orchards not far from their position. They returned fire but could not confirm if any insurgents were injured. Lt. Ahmadzay said that the squad had been in a similar firefight just 10 days earlier - and the insurgent fire came from the same orchards. After the incident there were no more exchanges of fire and the ANA soldiers and their ISAF partners focused on speaking with village elders and the villagers themselves. "Bravo Co's mission was to disrupt enemy forces in the area of Arghandab Valley," said Sgt. 1st Class Dorian Ballard. "We had a lot of ground to cover and little time in which to cover it, and there were a lot of people with which to speak. Overall, I think the mission was successful. This was our first mission to Arghandab Valley and hopefully we can stay here, get to know the locals and do some great things here." On the last evening of the co's stay at the ANA compound, soldiers of both forces broke from their usual meal routine and enjoyed a dinner of chicken, rice, scallops and flatbread. ISAF soldiers bought the food from local markets and the ANA troops prepared it. For the ISAF soldiers, this was a Thanksgiving feast. As the ISAF soldiers departed, Ahmadzay, resolved in his determination to free the Afghanistan people from their enemies, tasked the ANA troops to roll out of the compound gates for another day. "I'm a son of this country," declared the ANA leader, "and as long as there is blood in my veins, I will defend Afghanistan." There are still lessons to be learned – and lessons to be taught in and around the former school house.

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