FOLAD, Afghanistan - Taliban fighters in the notorious village of Zangabad aren't about to just melt away, the commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan warned Monday as Canadian troops officially took control of the long-standing insurgent stronghold.
"Yeah, they're going to fight. This is their home turf," Maj.-Gen. James Terry told The Canadian Press at a patrol base in southwestern Panjwaii, the troubled district where a combined force of coalition and Afghan soldiers is pushing forward.
So far, though, "it's going real well," Terry said.
Terry, a veteran of Afghanistan who is in charge of the NATO contingent known as Regional Command South, rallied Afghan troops and was briefed by Canadian commanders on Operation Baawar -- the Pashtu word for assurance. It is the final phase of NATO's offensive this year to sweep the Taliban from Kandahar.
The lawless territory is a staging area for insurgent attacks in Kandahar city itself.
Three suspected Taliban fighters were caught and killed trying to bury a roadside bomb near the community of Zangabad as troops moved into the volatile region, known colloquially as the horn of Panjwaii.
The village has long been a thorn in NATO's side, an area where insurgents have roamed freely and used abandoned compounds to build homemade bombs.
A company of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment battle group faced little resistance establishing themselves in the hardscrabble hamlet, although they did uncover a trio of explosives in separate incidents during the last couple of days.
Coalition troops are taking advantage of the lull in violence that typically accompanies the onset of winter to grab as much territory as they can in order to impose the Afghan government's writ.
Zangabad carries with it some hard memories.
Canadian troops fought there many times going back to the winter of 2006. Just the mention of the place elicited heavy groans from even the most battle-hardened soldiers.
The community, 45 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital, is home to only a few thousand dirt-poor farmers.
An outpost was established in 2007, but was under almost constant attack. Resupplying the base was a major obstacle, prompting commanders to pull back two years later and concentrate on defending the city.
It was cause for minor celebration Monday when a resupply convoy made it to Zangabad unmolested. The last time Canadian troops tried to hold the community, they had to carry in supplies -- or enlist donkeys to do the heavy lifting --because the roads and fields were so heavily mined.
"Everything is going according to plan. Everything is on track," said Lt.-Col. Michel-Henri St-Louis, the Canadian battle group commander.
St-Louis said the combined force of Afghan, Canadian and American troops will continue pushing forward to occupy the rest of the district, which was first cleared by U.S. paratroopers during the last month.
As part of its strategy to pacify the region, NATO is pushing through the construction of a road that will link the remote area with Kandahar city.
Canadian combat engineers are bulldozing an even route over the winding dirt trail, which likely hasn't been altered in centuries. The plan is to eventually pave it and turn it into an all-weather surface.
The district governor, Haji Baran, tossed a potential monkey wrench into the works Monday when he gave private security contractors guarding the gravel trucks in the construction zone until Saturday to register with the government.
"We don't know who these people are," said Baran, whose orders are in keeping with the Karzai government's ongoing push to abolish private security companies.
Halting the gravel trucks could bring the work to a standstill, but St-Louis said he's confident the dispute will be resolved.
"As long as we get the raw products, because right now it's a civilian contractor that gives us the material to build the road, we'll be able to push forward."
Too many civilians are walking around Panjwaii armed to the teeth, complained Baran, who took to the airwaves Monday night to announce that no one other than uniformed police and army would be allowed to carry weapons in public.
The district police commander was ordered to arrest anyone who violated the edict.
"That includes my own son," Baran, an ex-militia leader, told a meeting of security officials.
