LACOOKHAL , Afghanistan - There is a pride and fearlessness in the Afghan soldier honed over centuries of feudal warfare. But there is also an impulsiveness and devil-may-care attitude that sometimes makes their modern-date Canadian mentors cringe.
"Maybe a little careless,'' allowed Master Warrant Officer Richard Gosselin of Quebec City, his unit's regimental sergeant major.
And it starts at the top.
On a foot patrol in this region last week, which ended in a 45 minute firefight with about 20 Taliban, Lt.-Col. Shirin Sha Kowbandi, commander of the local Kandak battalion of the Afghan National Army, didn't carry a gun or wear a helmet.
One of his company commanders decided to fire an RPG from the top of a wall at a time when the Taliban were blasting away with rockets and mortars.
His soldiers called out words of encouragement, cheering him on as they sat holding their outdated AK-47s and smoking in the furrows within the grape orchards.
All ANA companies are assigned a group of Canadian soldiers to help train them to the point that they can eventually take over security by themselves.
There is no questioning the bravery or commitment of the ANA according to members of OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Team), mostly made up of members of the Valcartier, Que.,-based Royal 22nd Regiment, commonly called the Vandoos.
"I think what could really be improved with the ANA is the officers and NCO's should go on courses to polish the way they do their tactics,'' said Gosselin, 46.
As for taking over sole responsibility for security: "Not yet,'' Gosselin said.
"First of all they don't have enough soldiers in their forces and it's going to take a while. They have to improve too, and be in all provinces and I think this will take a while.''
Another Canadian mentor, Capt. Josh Major, said he has seen an improvement, but that the ANA still has a way to go.
"They're already good fighters and now it's just transforming them so they are more technically sound and better with the preparation and the follow up preparation,'' said Major, 31 of Chelmsford, Ont, with the 12me regiment blinde du Canada (12th Armoured Regiment), also based in Valcartier.
"But the Kandak commander had good control of his men. Our guys are really switched on and we're doing more of the liaison aspects between us, the artillery and the jets, all that good stuff,'' he added.
The Kandak commander, Lt.-Col. Shirin Sha Kowbandi, acknowledges his men have a way to go but believes it comes down to a lack of weapons and vehicles.
"We have (Ford) Rangers. The truck is not enough for our army,'' said Kowbandi. "If the rain starts our Rangers get stuck in the mud. We need good vehicles like the Canadians have, like a LAV (light armoured vehicle).''
There is also a need for more soldiers and better weapons said Kowbandi, who spent years fighting against the Taliban while with the Northern Alliance.
Major has hopes that the ANA will be able build up to the point that it will be totally independent.
"I think it's going really, really well and it has to go well,'' said Major. "That's the only way we're ever going to eventually leave here is if they can take care of themselves.''
