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MIRMANDAB, Afghanistan — What was once a logistical problem for local villagers in Mirmandab and a much bigger problem for coalition forces in the area is no longer an obstacle to be overcome.
A dry support bridge, or DSB, was emplaced connecting two sides of a canal in the village of Mirmandab, Gereshk District, Helmand province Dec. 3.
The DSB replaced an older foot bridge that was used by insurgents to move back and forth across the canal and to resupply their forces. Understanding the advantages it provided the insurgency, coalition forces destroyed the original bridge in order to disrupt the insurgent’s activities, thereby protecting the populace in the surrounding area.
With insurgency weakened and security (provided by Afghan National Security Forces with advisement from coalition forces) enhanced in the area, the decision was made to replace the foot bridge with an improved DSB.
The operation to emplace the bridge, the first of its kind in Afghanistan, took more than 350 people and two days to complete. It was the first bridge in Mirmandab's green zone for anything more than foot traffic within a 28-mile area.
“Once security is established, this bridge will be a major thoroughfare that will be one of the first bridges in the area that can handle vehicle, foot, and livestock traffic,” said a special forces captain. “This bridge is vital to the economy of multiple villages in the area. Afghans have already expressed gratitude to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Coalition Forces for establishing the bridge.”
It took a combined force of Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, United Arab Emirates Special Forces, and U.S. special operations forces, including Marines, sailors and soldiers alongside soldiers from 2nd Platoon, 814th Engineers, Multi-Role Bridge Company to construct the bridge. It crosses one of many canals in Mirmandab ensuring safe passage for troops and civilians who live and work in the area.
According to the SF captain, many Afghans have been very pleased and excited for the future of the area. However, insurgents are attempting to mark this area by banning Afghans from using the bridge, resulting only in local Afghan anger and frustration towards insurgents.
“Improvised explosive devices have been placed on the other side of the canal to prevent civilians and coalition forces from utilizing the bridge,” said the captain, “which has only created a deeper rift between the insurgents and the people of this community.”
A woman recently stepped on an IED en route to the bridge, the captain said.
“Members of the U.S. special operations forces were able to reach the woman and successfully have her medically evacuated, saving her life,” the captain said with relief. “This incident has greatly upset many Afghans, again, further distancing the local populous from insurgents, and has resulted in more locals informing SOF of insurgent activity.”
According to Capt. David McGrath, Special Operations Task Force-West logistics officer and the ground force commander for the gap crossing mission, “the biggest strain we put on the bad guys is we crimped their logistics.”
Emphasizing logistics as the symbolic blood flowing through the veins of any military operation, McGrath added that controlling logistics is a vital role and ultimately that is what this mission was about.
“That bridge going into the green zone,” he said. “That’s huge to me. We took away their freedom of movement and we are doing it our way. In my mind, it is a battle between logisticians. We are crimping them out from being able to self-sustain and simultaneously enhancing International Security Assistance Forces with the ability to maneuver.”
Before the new bridge was in place, a damaged foot bridge that could not stand up to the rigors of multiple heavy crossings had been built.
“The previous bridge was destroyed for multiple reasons,” the SF captain said. “IEDs had claimed the lives of many local nationals along and on the previous bridge. One IED detonated on the bridge, damaging it severely, as well as killing one Afghan and wounding another.”
According to officials the bridge was also a vital line of communications and supplies for the insurgency.
“After the bridge was damaged due to the IED strike, the bridge was destroyed with the intent of establishing a permanent security position to over watch the location and set in a larger, stronger bridge.”
SOTF-West then enlisted the help of the bridging company, who were able to put the link into place and successfully, “bridge the gap.”
“Most of the original bridges along the canal were blown up by the Taliban for the purpose of separating our lines of communication,” said 2nd Lt. Audrey Hamilton, 2nd Platoon Leader, 814th Multi-Role Bridging company.
She added that building this bridge will indeed help the military fight the insurgents, but it can also have another, more disastrous consequence by helping out the enemy’s flow of weapons and drugs.
“It is a risk that we have to take and is absolutely necessary for us in order to have open lines of communication and freedom of movement,” she said.
McGrath agreed by continuing to emphasize that having this bridge in place gives GIRoA and coalition forces a distinct advantage in logistics.
“Logistics wins the war,” he said. “I mean, if you forget logistics, you lose. Everybody needs to know that us taking away a bridge denies the enemies ability to conduct logistics. On the flip side, by us installing a bridge it enhances our capabilities to provide logistics. Every single level and type of sustainment that these guys require out there in an austere environment relies on logistics. All of the fuel and ammo they use, as well as the chow they eat-every single thing they need, comes down the logistics pipeline. So I try to remind my guys of that, so that they understand how important it is.”
Further emphasizing the importance of the bridge, McGrath went on to say, our people pushed over as soon as the bridge was completed.
“Now I can do tactical ground resupplies,” he said. “The troops on the ground can now bring over gun trucks that provide force protection. We are now able to go over and engage the enemy face-to-face and establish our lines of support.”
The bridge emplacement is now complete, but the process was
not without its problems or dangers.
The first attempt to “bridge the gap” came at the expense of time. After about two hours of effort on behalf of the bridging platoon, a key piece of gear malfunctioned making it impossible to continue. Being fully prepared for such a contingency, the soldiers brought out another truck and began the process from scratch.
That additional time added to the dangers surrounding the effort, increasing the amount of exposure and potential for engagement.
According to the SF captain, the SOF teams on the ground were able to deter some of that inherent risk by establishing a position overlooking the bridge site.
“This allowed coalition forces, with assistance from Afghan security forces, to provide security and over watch of all friendly elements responsible for the bridge,” he said. “The bridge was set in under fire while GIRoA, ISAF, and coalition forces responded and negated the insurgent’s ability to negatively affect the area of operations, which was previously an insurgent safe haven.”
“They are wearing full body armor and doing back busting labor putting these bridges together,” said Hamilton. “Ultimately, they have to compromise somewhere, so they have to set their weapons down. That is why we have to rely on the combined forces around us to provide security. Sometimes, the engineers do not have external security and we have to provide our own security, it is just the checks and balances of making a secure site.
Continuing her thought, she added that throughout the course of the day they had the entire gamut of combined arms.
“You had everything from small arms fire, crew served machinegun fire, rocket propelled grenade fire and mortars,” she said, as if she were reliving the experience. “We had close air support, including A10 Thunderbolts doing gun runs less than 200 meters away from those guys…so there was a substantial risk.”
They knew when we talked before the mission that they were going to get a bridge in even if they had to duct tape some popsicle sticks together,” McGrath said. “I think that assuming that risk is validation to get the job done for them. At the end of the day, there is a bridge where there wasn’t one before.”
Hamilton, beaming with pride, exclaimed, “Honest to God, the soldiers did not stop; they kept going and kept building until the job was complete.”
All of the officers on the ground eagerly passed credit for mission success to the men and women providing the security and support throughout the day.
“I think sometimes people overlook the more significant guys though,” McGrath said. “That one lance corporal who drives that truck is mission success. If he wrecks that truck with one piece of equipment on it, or if he doesn’t do his job the way he should, we are all going to fail.”
“It is great to be the guy standing on top of the beam driving the final bolt home, but it is also great to be that lance corporal back in the staging area. He is just waiting with the wrecker, ready to recover vehicles that get stuck or provide any support he can,” McGrath said. “I absolutely believe that there are no individuals. I relate everything to a football team, whether they are the quarterback or the placekicker, it takes every single individual to do their job or we are not going to be successful.”
| Date Taken: | 12.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2011 01:43 |
| Story ID: | 66041 |
| Location: | MIRMANDAB, AF |
| Web Views: | 526 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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