Training a Kandak

A few days ago I tagged along on a media "engagement" to catch some of a Kandak Validation/Assessment.  What the hell am I talking about, you ask?  Good question.  A kandak, as loyal readers of Afghanidan may recall, is an Afghan battalion-sized unit...and a validation/assessment is a necessary step each one must pass, prior to being deployed in operations.  So the kandak is evaluated on its performance in the areas of command & control, training, sustenance, equipment, and personnel...whether it even has soldiers in key positions, for example.

Wagon train in the Old West? That's what I was thinking, too...

This commander wonders when the pie-eating contest portion of assessment is going to begin...

To draw back the lens a bit, this critical series of tests lets the Afghan National Army (ANA) leadership and the Coalition know whether a not a kandak is 'fit for duty', something NATO Training Mission Afghanistan is called upon to do.  The teams conducting evaluations are often U.S.-based, but can be Canadian, German, Spanish, French, Romanian, Hungarian, or -- coming soon -- Slovenian.  There is a significantly ramped-up effort to not only field capable fighting units, but to build a system by which the ANA will continue to certify its units as combat-ready or not...and if they're not, to fix the problems.

"I'm outta here...this gully is definitely ripe for an ambush."

There's no denying that it was a pretty gorgeous day to be spending in the training area...

We visitors got an up-close view of the ambush portion of the validation/assessment, in which the trainers and evaluators spring a surprise attack on the kandak (from a place where the kandak should be expecting one).  After a couple hours' wait and the onset of a minor sandstorm, the ambush was underway.

Red crescent designates a medical vehicle, just like our red cross.

The four photos above were clearly taken by a skilled photog (who shall remain anonymous for now) with a fancy camera and a superlative lens.  But the artsy two below?  That is all me and my reinforced Olympus Stylus Tough, the titanium-plated camera for klutzes.  It's all in the framing, I say...

You're still reading this post?  All righty then, you deserve a reward.  Here are some shots of Kabul Rock City at its morning finest, from the drive out to the training area...

 Bustle and billboards will choke some roads and circles, and then give way the next to open expanses of seeming wasteland.  This city makes Philadelphia look well-planned by comparison... 
(Now don't get all worked up, Philly Pholk -- I'm just in dire need of a good cheesesteak.)

Beverly Hillbillies, Kabul style.

See the bus on the left?  It bears the last message I expected to see in Afghanistan..."Love Not War."  How cool is that?  
Goodnight from Kabul, all.