Canadians train Afghan sappers

Maj Bryan Bedard
OMLT with 205 Corps, ANA

CAMP HERO, Afghanistan - The military engineers of 1 Brigade, 205 Corps, Afghan National Army (ANA), have completed an important program of training. They learned the use and safe handling of explosives and related materials with mentoring support from the Canadian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT). The training was conducted in November 2008 at Camp Hero, the ANA base located beside Kandahar Airfield.

The Afghan sappers learned to use plastic explosives to destroy unexploded ordnance such as mines and roadside bombs. WO Wade Osmond of 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in Petawawa, and MCpl Marcus Wisotzki of 33 Combat Engineer Regiment in Ottawa, were the instructors. They also taught search and clearance procedures for dealing with mines and IED’s, and techniques for building fortifications.

The explosives course at Camp Hero was one of the first delivered to ANA field engineers. The techniques taught on the course are important because insurgents often use roadside bombs and IED’s to disrupt the work of Afghan government authorities, the International Security Assistance Force, and relief agencies.

“Combat engineering is an essential task and a key enabler of any army,” said WO Osmond. “The trained sappers will be able to help fellow soldiers move around the battlespace more effectively in order to defeat the enemy.”

The course began with a formal review of the basics. A measuring tape, for example, is a foreign object to most Afghan soldiers, but it is an essential tool for working with explosives. If an explosive charge is to detonate at the right time - neither too early or too late - its time fuse must be cut to precisely the right length. The length of the fuse determines the length of time from ignition to detonation. The simple class on using a measuring tape also came in handy during the construction phase of the course.

The Canadian instructors showed trust, patience, ingenuity and a healthy dose of outside-the-box thinking. Those efforts helped build rapport with their Afghan students. They used language assistants to convey their knowledge and skills. Although the interpretation slowed the teaching process a little, the Afghan soldiers’ high motivation and eagerness to learn ensured results as good as the instructors would achieve with new Canadian sappers.

The explosives course at Camp Hero demonstrated the great respect that runs both ways between the Canadian mentors and their Afghan students. This positive learning experience has fostered lasting friendships between allies. “Afghan National Army soldiers are learning to become a 21st century military fighting force,” said MCpl Wisotzki. “These men risk their lives, and the lives of their families, to do something they believe in — to create a safe and stable Afghanistan.”

Photos courtesy Maj Brian Bedard, Joint Task Force Afghanistan An Afghan National Army sapper uses a prod to search for mines.