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Halfway Home...KMNB Recce Sqn Mid-Tour Article
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Capt. M.J.D. Mallette
8 November 2004
 With November now upon us, the LdSH(RC) Recce Squadron deployment on Operation ATHENA Roto 2 is at the midway point. Although for many of us it seems as though we’ve only just arrived. The operational tempo that the Squadron has been maintaining as part of operations with the Kabul Multinational Brigade has ensured that there is little time spent at Camp Julien wondering how to while away the hours. Even before the entire Squadron had arrived the Coyotes were ‘out the gate’.
Major Derek Macaulay, the Officer Commanding Recce Squadron, was handed the reigns on the 10th of August and our first operation followed quickly on the heels of the handover, with most of the Squadron deploying for its first operation on the 11th. When the order came down for the deployment the gunners and surveillance operators of 1 Troop were still en route to Afghanistan. Quickly reorganising, the troop was able to deploy one patrol with the junior crew-commanders in the gunner’s seats. Since then, the wheels on the Coyotes have only stopped rolling long enough for the drivers to change a flat.
 During the deployment, the Squadron has conducted four major ‘surge’ operations. The first was conducted from 25-30 August in the Kaki Jabbar district southeast of Kabul. The operation saw much of the Squadron deployed to the remote mountainous region conducting mounted patrolling and observation posts in an effort to disrupt Al-Qaeda smuggling activities. Despite the rugged terrain and narrow mountain passes, the Armoured soldiers of Recce Squadron along with Light Recce Platoon attachments from the 3rd Battalion PPCLI were able to complete the mission without incident.
The next Squadron surge, came on the anniversary of the death of the Afghan national hero, Ahmed Shah Massoud. The Squadron deployed the Coyotes into observation posts in and around the downtown area while the soldiers of Recce Platoon and the Slovenian Light Reconnaissance Team conducted mounted patrols in the city of Kabul. Under the watchful eye of the Squadron, the Massoud Memorial Day celebrations passed peacefully and without incident. Following closely on the heels of this operation came yet another that saw the squadron deploy outside of Kabul for the first time.
 This operation saw the a portion of the Squadron deployed to the Surobi region, approximately 3 hours drive down the Jalalabad Road, east of Kabul. With the remainder of the squadron deployed, elements remained in Kabul City to carry on with framework patrolling activities and provide escorts out to Surobi if required. In Surobi, the Squadron conducted the first true reconnaissance operation of the tour working out of Fort Steele; a forward operating base established in an abandoned US camp. During the 5 day deployment, the Squadron conducted route reconnaissance, opened new patrol routes and established ISAF presence in the area in preparation for follow on operations by a joint German-Italian force. Once operations in the Surobi were completed, the district was handed over to the German commander and the Squadron returned to Camp Julien for a well-earned day off.
But downtime in theatre is always hard to come by, and the period of rest for Recce Squadron was cut short when some opportunities for joint operations with other members of the coalition arose. Having just returned from Surobi, Sgt Doug Johns and the remainder of his patrol travelled back down the familiar Jalalabad road with the German Battalion. Meanwhile back in Kabul, patrols from 1 and 3 troop were called upon for yet another operation, this one a jointly conducted with British forces. The operation called for Canadian Coyotes to establish surveillance over watch of known terrorist compounds and a possible HiG ambush site where gunmen were expected to be targeting ISAF patrols. Once the surveillance screen gained positive identification of the target areas, the Coyotes were able to direct British commandos onto the compounds. Not to be outdone, Sgt Ernie Romanuik and Charlie patrol from 3 troop provided surveillance over watch for US Special Forces searching for terrorist explosives. The results of Recce Squadron’s joint operations were worth the lost day off and extra work in planning and executing the missions. Overall 25 persons were detained, 3 known HiG terrorists were brought into custody, 3 Pakistani nationals were deported back to Pakistan and a large amount of cash was seized along with some forged identification.
Only hours after returning from their over watch tasks, the soldiers of Recce Squadron were back out in observation posts and conducting mounted and dismounted patrols throughout the city of Kabul for yet another operation. With the first ever-presidential elections on the horizon, the Squadron deployed its assets to gain observation on the polling stations and counting houses while increasing patrolling activities to enhance ISAF security. With the help of other members of the coalition and our Afghan security partners, the presidential elections were a resounding success with no major incidents in the Kabul area of operations. This particular operation was the longest sustained deployment for the Squadron to date with the Coyote troops and soldiers from Light Recce Platoon deployed for a significant period before returning to Camp Julien.
With the national elections now behind us the Squadron looks ahead to the next series of challenges. The recent announcement of President Karzai’s victory will bring with it a host of new tasks for the Squadron. No doubt the Squadron will lead the way in providing security for the presidential inauguration, as well as helping to monitor the disarmament of the numerous private armies in the Kabul province. While preparing to execute these new tasks, we will continue to conduct operations in Kabul in order to make it more difficult for Al-Qaeda terrorists to conduct rocket attacks or target relief workers from friendly nations. It is likely that the operational tempo for Recce Squadron will continue to be high for the duration of the tour, but its difficult for an occupied mind to pine for home. Here’s hoping the second half of the tour flies by as quickly as the first. |
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