Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner joins a patrol Thursday, Feb.17, 2011 in Nakhonay, a small Afghan village that has killed and injured many Canadian troops over the past year. Milner took part in Operation Hamaghe Shay, a four-day mission that yielded weapons and improvised explosive devices on a daily and nightly basis.Tara Brautigam/The Canadian Press
Canada's top soldier marches through a narrow lane known among some troops as Ambush Alley, hoping to build trust in an Afghan village that has proven difficult to win over in recent years.
Against the backdrop of a crumbled clay wall - the result of an improvised explosive device last week - Brig.-Gen. Dean Milner offers a sobering assessment of the public mood in Nakhonay.
"I think they are sitting on the fence right now and they're waiting to see who is more capable, who is winning," Brig.-Gen. Milner says.
"They've been intimidated for so long. Right now is that waiting period to understand what the situation is going to be like during fighting season."
Brig.-Gen. Milner joined his troops during Operation Hamaghe Shay, a four-day mission that yielded weapons and IEDs on a daily and nightly basis throughout the Panjwaii district.
It culminated Saturday with a two-hour shura in the nearby village of Haji Baba, where Panjwaii's new governor railed against the Taliban - to the point where he said he would "take a gun and shoot them myself" if they brought harm to the locals.
Haji Fazluddin Agha, who was appointed Panjwaii's governor last month by the Kandahar provincial government, also implored locals to support development projects in the region and not hesitate to air their grievances.
"I need to make sure that I'm aware of all the problems of Panjwaii," he said.
In between sips of tea, Brig.-Gen. Milner told Nakhonay's malik - the equivalent of a mayor - that the Canadian Forces are willing to help advance projects such as roadwork and a clinic.
"My soldiers are poised and ready to help you and this village with development," Brig.-Gen. Milner said to Haji Malim, who proclaimed himself malik in November 2009 after the fatal drive-by shooting of the previous leader.
"We have not been able to do that for the past five or six months because of the challenges with insurgents, the challenges with the IEDs, so if you help us, we are ready to do a lot more for your village."
Mr. Malim nodded at times, seemingly in agreement. But like Nakhonay itself, the Canadian military has considered him unco-operative.
Nakhonay, a battle-scarred village of about 1,000 people 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city, has been bloodied grounds for Canada. In the last year here, IEDs killed four of the 16 Canadians who died in Afghanistan last year. Scores more have been injured.
"Nakhonay is a difficult nut to crack," said Maj. Frank Dufault, the deputy commander of Canada's battle group in Afghanistan.
Maj. Dufault helped co-ordinate Operation Hamaghe Shay in what was one of Canada's last major operations before it concludes its military mission in Afghanistan in July.
About 1,300 Canadian troops took part in the Afghan-led operation, making it the largest for Canada's battle group since 2001. The Royal 22e Regiment spent nearly a year conducting training drills in Canada for the operation. Even the mayor of Victoriaville, Que., got in on the act, playing a malik at simulated shuras.
Afghan and Canadian soldiers, close to 3,000 in all, scoured compounds and fields to secure as many weapons and IEDs as possible ahead of an anticipated surge this summer of hardcore insurgents seeking their stash of weapons for the fighting season.
AK-47s, rockets and IED components including jugs, wiring and ball bearings were a small sample of the weaponry they seized.
"Our goal is to try to clear, inch by inch," Maj. Dufault said.
"The more IEDs and weapons we can find now, the less they'll have to use during the fighting season."