Posted on 05/30/2006 8:28:54 PM PDT by SandRat
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 30, 2006 — As improvised explosive devices continue to ravage the area, officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S. are responding by proposing an old remedy – cooperation.
More than 70 leaders from the three nations and other coalition members attended the Counter IED Symposium from May 22 to May 24 at Bagram Airfield in an effort to neutralize the threat of improvised explosive devices in the area.
“IEDs are the biggest threat to the Afghan people and the military effort in Afghanistan,” said Afghan National Army Col. Paiman, public affairs deputy for the Afghan Ministry of Defense. “The IEDs destroy the people, their buildings, and their lives.”
“We need to eliminate these types of threats so that government officials can concentrate on strengthening the government. We are not there yet. We can’t strengthen the government without eliminating the terrorist threat and improving security.”
U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Glen Reinhold
The threat and impact IEDs have on the stability of the region prompted leaders to organize the event.
The objective of the symposium was to provide information on trends, tactics, techniques and procedures focusing on IED defeat systems in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area of operations, said event organizer, U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Glen Reinhold, deputy, Future Operations, Directorate of Plans and Training, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.
“We need to eliminate these types of threats so that government officials can concentrate on strengthening the government,” Reinhold said. “We are not there yet. We can’t strengthen the government without eliminating the terrorist threat and improving security.”
There have been working groups to discuss IED threats conducted in the past, but the symposium was the first one scheduled on a multi-national level.
“We want to provide a common understanding for a common problem,” said Reinhold.
During the three-day symposium, officials from the U.S., NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan discussed the threat of IEDs and proposed ways to defeat them. The leaders’ discussions centered on identifying areas with high-terrorist activity, types and designs of devices, tighter controls on explosive sales, incentive programs for whistleblowers, and detection and disposal training and equipment.
“I think the symposium has been beneficial and informative for us, for the coalition forces and for the Afghans,” said Pakistan Brig. Azeem Bajwa Amir. “I still think there are areas where we can talk more, share more and benefit more from each other. We are making progress. We are moving in the right direction.”
The key to the successful neutralization of the IED threat is teamwork, Amir said.
“We must increase each other’s capabilities to tackle this threat,” he said. “All three nations must make a unified effort to defeat IEDs.”
Now it’s a matter of putting the knowledge to practical use, said Amir.
“We have deliberated on the methodology of sharing information,” Amir said. “We have been sharing whatever we know and we will continue doing that. We just have to work out the procedures – how to share, at what levels, etc.”
Paiman agreed with Amir’s assessment.
“Though the Counter IED Symposium was successful, we should also have some practical exercises,” he said.
There are three steps essential to defeating IEDs, Paiman said. They are educating the people on the threat, developing a training course for soldiers and police, and acquiring the proper tools to detect and neutralize IEDs.
“If we can achieve these three parts of the mission, we will be successful and destroy the threat of IEDs,” he said.
In the near future, Paiman said he hopes cooperation from neighbors and coalition forces will lead to the development of a fully-trained, operational explosive ordnance disposal unit within the Afghan National Army that is capable of detecting and eradicating the threat of IEDs.
Though it will take time, Paiman said the Afghan government is confident they will neutralize the improvised explosive devices threat.
“We will fight this threat. We will defeat it,” he said. “It is vital to the stability of Afghanistan .”
PING
Bottom line is we don't have enough boots on the ground.
more troops = more targets
Hope you have your flame-proof undies on...all the Bush/Rummybots will be after you, saying it doesn't matter that we don't have enough eyes watching for the emplacement of devices.
Get our bright geeks from our research and development institutions to develop active and passive Star Trek like detectors to find them. :)
They best start at the root of the problem. Islam itself. Put the Imams on notice; no more teaching of Jihhad.
GASP!! You mean...profiling??!! The anal retentives at the ACLU will be quite put out.
More targets is fine, as long as the casualties drop. If you think more targets = more casualties, then consider that elements of Lanchester's Law are applicable even in asymmetric warfare.
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