MASUM GAR, Afghanistan ? Canada's efforts have left the insurgency in southern Afghanistan "on its knees," says the commander of the Afghan troops who have been fighting alongside Canadian soldiers.
Last month at Kandahar Airfield, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Habibi gave Prime Minister Stephen Harper an upbeat private briefing on the state of the war in southern Afghanistan.
He is expected to give a similar talk when he travels to Kingston, Ont., next month to address Canadian officers studying at the war college there.
"I want to share our successes and explain how we got them, and I want to learn from their experiences," Habibi said of his upcoming trip during an interview at an Afghan army battalion headquarters, at an austere forward base in Panjwaii that was teeming with Canadian, U.S. and Afghan troops.
"It is a matter of fact that the Canadians sacrificed a lot here. I remember there were 400 or 500 Taliban in the area when the Canadians came to Kandahar in 2006. They are the ones who stood with us and fought not only in Panjwaii but across the province. The enemy is on its knees here now. The truth of it is that it is because of the hard work of the Canadians."
Canadian army mentors went to great lengths to teach Afghanistan's "new army" to respect human rights, the general said.
"It is from the Canadians that we learned how to treat prisoners of war," he said. "All of our foot soldiers now know this. The Canadians taught us how to behave according to democratic principles."
With Canada only weeks away from bringing its combat troops home, this is a time for reflection, and not only for the more than 20,000 Canadians who have served one or more tours in Kandahar. The highly regarded Habibi must consider what life will be like without the Canadians and with an American follow-on force that is to be much smaller even before U.S. President Barack Obama announces some troop-level cuts in Afghanistan next month.
"The Canadians have worked with us for almost six years and it has been a good partnership," Habibi said as several junior Afghan officers listened intently.
"Their mentors have made lots of efforts to bring up our operational capability, with training, logistics and on the battlefield.
"Witness the roads they've built in different areas. They have opened schools. There was lots of intimidation before and the Taliban would not let even one school open. There are 300 children in school in Salavat now. That is the result of what Canada did."
Security in Kandahar began to improve dramatically as U.S. troops surged in last summer. This allowed Canada's overstretched battle group to narrow its provincewide focus to the Panjwaii and neighbouring Dand districts as casualties in what until recently had been the Taliban heartland plummeted more than 80 per cent.
"The insurgents are not that strong right now, there is not that much activity," Habibi said. "This is because the enemy is unable to generate the forces they did before.
"What they do are plant IEDs and use harassing small-arms fire. They also continue to hide among civilians. But this is not on a scale to disrupt the lives of the people.
"The last time the enemy attacked in Kandahar City, they suffered almost all of the casualties, so I don't think the enemy will try this again here. But they will try to infiltrate our lines to inflict damage at meetings. To improve security further, we must be more proactive."
A farmer's son who became educated "thanks to the efforts of my mother," Habibi begins his typical day with first prayers at around 4:30 a.m.
After that, he usually supervises physical training for his troops, often joining in, himself. Most mornings, there is a round of briefings, a battlefield circulation and multiple meetings with district leaders and village elders. "Lights out" usually comes around 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m.
For the first time this spring, the general's brigade planned and oversaw command and control for a successful combat operation in Panjwaii and Dand, with several thousand Canadian and U.S. forces in support.
Some of Habibi's unit commanders have expressed anxiety about the departure of the Canadians, preferring them to the Americans. If the general has such doubts, he is too smart to discuss them publicly.
"I do not see any deficiency in the Americans," he said. "Both the Canadians and Americans have helped us."
Habibi and other senior Afghan officers have expressed misgivings about any swift reduction in U.S. forces, who are now slated to leave by 2014, or cuts in economic assistance for Afghan security forces.
"According to the president, we are to take responsibility and we're ready for that. The process is underway," he said. "But it doesn't mean the international community should stop supporting us. It has to provide long-term help because the enemy is not local. It is international. This is the request of the Afghan people."
"On top of the military pressure that the enemy is under, our people do not like them. The trust the Taliban had from the people has been lost. Even in the most remote areas of Afghanistan they have brought destruction."
The Canadians who have worked closely with Habibi have an almost universally positive opinion of his leadership. There are rumours that a major promotion may be in the offing.
"Every officer wants to go higher. I have ambitions to be the chief of the army," the general said. "We have built a new army according to a new system and I pray to God to instil in me the desire to work for my people."
? Copyright (c) Postmedia News
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