For soldiers in Afghanistan, providing security remains a challenge

[unhappycamper]

For soldiers in Afghanistan, providing security remains a challenge
By: Sara A. Carter
National Security Correspondent
September 12, 2010

SHA JOY, Afghanistan – Seen through the eyes of a U.S. Army captain taking command of a forward operating base near this town, the challenges in providing security and winning over locals from the Taliban are obvious, the solutions less so.

Capt. Warren Simmons, a tall Louisianan with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, has served in Iraq, but as he walked through the bazaar here that sells everything from cheap trinkets from Pakistan and goat meat to bomb-making components favored by the Taliban, he said of this corner of Afghanistan, “It’s a whole new ball game.”

Simmons is taking over from Capt. Bill Duncan of the battalion’s Delta Company. In the six months Duncan has been here, his company has faced its share of tense moments, including an unsuccessful attempt by the Taliban to storm the front gate of Forward Operating Base Bullard.

The upcoming weeks are expected to be punctuated by sporadic violence as insurgents mount attacks to disrupt the upcoming parliamentary elections on Sept. 18. Taliban insurgents are expected to launch attacks with rocket-propelled grenades and continue the strike through improvised explosive devices, Duncan said.

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“The current leadership is approaching a situation of no confidence with any of the local supporters and conceding control to the shadow government of the Taliban,” said Army Maj. Michael Sieber, an expert on insurgency in the region.