Fight for vital road tests army’s mettle
CHAK, Afghanistan — In a deserted village off Highway 1, southwest of Kabul, an Afghan army bomb disposal team was unearthing its 15th explosive of the day when shots began to rain down.
Some soldiers bolted for cover under the flimsy canopy of the village bazaar. Others fired at the mud buildings where they believed the sharpshooter was holed up.
A rocket specialist, Sgt. Sayed Wazir, set a 107 mm rocket on a flat stone in an open field, taped a wire to the rocket, screamed a prayer and touched the tips of the wire to a car battery. The missile streaked toward the village.
Critical link
So began another skirmish in the battle for Highway 1, a crucial artery of communication and commerce that links the capital of Kabul with the major cities. A 1,300-mile ring road that stitches the country together, the route is a prime target for insurgents and highwaymen, its control coveted by all sides, its defense an acid test for efforts to secure the country’s future.
After spending billions of dollars upgrading and repaving Highway 1, the international military coalition is leaving its protection almost entirely to Afghan forces like these, the soldiers of the Afghan army’s 6th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 203rd Corps. They patrol one of the world’s most dangerous roads like beat cops, responding to domestic disputes and traffic accidents, as well as hidden explosives and sniper fire. Their struggles, which are many, offer glimpses into the road war’s new contours.
The heart of the battle runs through the insurgent-infested countryside of Wardak province, where brazen ambushes, mines and magnetic bombs exact a toll on trade and travel in and out of the capital.
Insurgents’ advantage
On the eastern edge of Wardak, Highway 1 unfurls in a nearly straight line southwest to Ghazni, with flat farmland on either shoulder that abruptly rises into rugged mountains. Villages tucked at the joint of mountain and farmland offer clear vantages for gunmen to harass passing convoys or Afghan security checkpoints.
The army’s efforts have focused on keeping the highway open most of the time and imposing a measure of order around it. But questions remain about whether that can be sustained, let alone expanded.
With limited resources, the Afghans have had to make choices about what to secure. Most of the district’s officials live in Kabul, and the only semblance of a local court is run by the Taliban.