A rough road to travel: Troops guard artery linking Khost and Gardez

GERDA SERAI, Afghanistan — The twin stacks of rocks look like nothing more than a pile of children’s blocks. They’re tucked away on a ledge in a tranquil valley not far from a picturesque waterfall.

In the prone position, you can see that a gap between the stacks looks out on an all-too-vulnerable bridge a few hundred meters away. Once vehicles come into view, the enemy hiding here could detonate a roadside bomb or perhaps call another hidden fighter to do the deed.

Insurgents have good reason for targeting the bridge. It’s part of a narrow, axle-grinding path between Khost city and Gardez that is the only main route linking Khost province with the rest of Afghanistan.

The road’s narrow, bumpy surface deters all but the most determined drivers. American leaders have made repaving the so-called KG Pass Road a national priority to bring Khost and other previously neglected areas back into the fold with the rest of Afghanistan.

The region has been the site of some of Afghanistan’s most successful fights against foreign armies. The road was paved when Soviet forces entered the region. They occupied the area for a time, but mujahedeen flooded back in as soon as they left. The Afghans tore up miles of pavement afterward to ensure the Soviets couldn’t bring their tanks back into the area.

The area’s violent history continues. Most of the insurgent attacks have targeted local forces, but enemy fighters ambushed two American convoys without success in the middle of May as the traditional summer fighting season arrived. The 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment — the unit responsible for the area — also lost a soldier and had others wounded during a spring offensive launched in March to knock the insurgents off balance. Contractors have been targeted, too, but leaders are still trying to determine whether competing contractors could be to blame.

Responding to violence

The violence, particularly deadly roadside bomb attacks, has given local forces a seriousness of purpose uncommon across the country.

Afghan soldiers check the roads for bombs obsessively, frequently getting out of their vehicles to walk long stretches. Some units prohibit driving some sections of roads without American forces present.

Afghan noncommissioned officers sometimes come down hard on those they don’t think carry their weight. During one patrol, American soldiers had to break up a fight that began when a sergeant started hitting a lower-ranking soldier who refused to obey him in the middle of a long hike.

But U.S. forces are beginning the fighting season with two new bases that fundamentally change the conflict’s dynamics. Combat Outpost Deysie, built in November by the 1-40’s predecessor, sits on high ground overlooking a valley just a few miles from the actual pass that was once a key insurgent thoroughfare. The 1-40 built Patrol Base Devoe in April on a mountaintop in an area that was once the site of frequent rocket and mortar attacks.

Troop B at Deysie and Troop C at Combat Outpost Wilderness and Devoe have been busy gathering as much information as possible about how these new bases have altered insurgent patterns. Much of their time is spent patrolling areas that have seen little American or Afghan government influence, particularly around Troop B’s newly established base.

The units are building influence with tribes to generate information. Tribes have varying degrees of cohesion that affect their relationship with U.S. forces and the Afghan government. In the KG Pass area, for example, the Mangal tribe is very united. Paktia’s deputy governor comes from this tribe, and it has bought in to the projects going on in the area, said Maj. Herb Skinner, the 1-40 executive officer. The Zudran tribe, on the other hand, is not as unified.

"For us, it’s better to have a stronger tribe because that’s the base line building block of Afghan society," Skinner said.

The tribes vie for power within the province, but Skinner said this has been a peaceful competition.

Tensions surface

The people generally welcome the new road because of its economic benefits, but the construction may temporarily cause disruptions. The project calls for carving away sheer cliffs behind the Gerda Serai bazaar in Khar Kheyl, pushing the market stalls back from the newly expanded road.

Villages unanimously deny having any forces that oppose the Afghan government or U.S. forces, but soldiers are frank about their skepticism of those claims in some areas. During patrols, they point to key leaders with known Taliban ties. Weapons caches within an easy walk of some key sites suggest that their doubts are justified.

The Gerda Serai bazaar is particularly notorious. The heavy traffic along the road makes it an ideal place for enemy fighters to do business. Insurgents often hide bomb-making materials in the steep hills behind the shops. Troop C found seven cache sites in the area, most of them empty but some with homemade explosives.

Village elders complain about even highly targeted raids that are based on clear intelligence tying a suspect to a particular attack — exactly the type of arrest counterinsurgency experts recommend. Last Thursday, for example, local residents appeared at COP Wilderness to complain about one such raid that a Ranger unit made with Troop C’s permission. An officer radioed the commander to ask about the talking points he should stick to when talking with the residents.

"Cause and effect. IED (improvised explosive device) on the road, they’re going to get a raid," answered Capt. Neal Erickson, Troop C commander.

Not all villages are a problem. Troop B has had particularly good relations with those surrounding Deysie.

"Just treat their elders with respect," said Sgt. 1st Class Chad Cook, a Troop B platoon sergeant. "Don’t come right out and ask if there are bad people. Once they’re comfortable with you and you’re comfortable with them, then it’s the business side of the meeting."

Mostly, though, the people are just waiting to see if the Afghan and American forces are here to stay.

Capt. Gary McDonald, Troop B commander, said the ability and performance of the coalition forces will decide the issue. Proving that they’re able to protect the villages will shift the onus on the insurgents to show the population what they have to offer, he said.