|
“When we first came to the area, no one would talk to us,” Army Capt. Chris Brawley, commander of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment. “As soon as we started building, they began talking to us.”
“The Maywand district is used to move supplies, narcotics and medical support for the Taliban,” Army Spc. Andrew Gardiner said. “Our goal here is to disrupt the supply routes for the Taliban.”
This was a difficult task for soldiers to accomplish before establishing a permanent presence.
“Before, we came here for a couple of days, but then we would leave and it would be back to business as usual for [the Taliban],” Brawley explained. “People have told us that [within days] of building, the Taliban started clearing out of here.”
The soldiers want to continue to build on this success.
“When we first got here, most people would tell you that it was six months since they had last seen coalition forces, and one day since they had last seen the Taliban,” Brawley said. “We want to reverse that. We want to patrol so much that we are a constant presence.”
Gardiner said he believes support will continue to grow in the area.
“They are warming up to us, because they recognize we are going to stay here,” he said. “Our area of influence will expand as we have more opportunities to get out and talk to people. Each time we patrol, we try to talk to more people. They are definitely more positive about our presence.”
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jill LaVoie serves in the 1st Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)