Kevin Bracewell

A Copper in Kandahar

It was 05:00; the sun was just coming up as I stood in the morning chill waiting for the patrol briefing before venturing “outside the wire”. I was in Afghanistan. I would be there for nearly a year. For the first part of my tour, I was attached to a US POMLT, (Police Operational Mentor Liaison Team). This was part of the Raider Brigade out of Camp Nathan Smith before moving to Panjwa’i, and a Canadian POMLT for my last 6 months. Coming from the UK originally, I was a “Tea man”, not a coffee aficionado, but the mug of Nescafe 3-in-1 instant coffee in my hand lent itself to a more contemplative view than what lay before us once we left the security of the fort gates. 

The sunrise that day was striking, a ripple of deep red, against a clear awakening sky. To be honest I don’t think I saw a cloud in the sky for months. Each country has its own beauty, and Afghanistan, despite being somewhat impoverished and in the grip of a terrible conflict, certainly laid on a stunning show that morning.

Having served with both the British and Canadian Forces, prior to being an RCMP Officer, I was no stranger to overseas missions. The Afghan tour I was deployed on was not part of a UN Mission, or (technically) Peacekeeping, but the elements were the same; to assist in the development of the Afghanistan Government in its transition away from the conflict and mistrust fostered by years of occupation and disruption. A huge part of this lay in proving to Afghans that a Police Service was there to serve and protect its citizens, and not be an instrument of the state to control the population. My particular role was to mentor the Afghan National Police (ANP), in the field, after they had completed their “basic training”. I will always remember one of my Afghan Coppers telling me, “We like the Canadians, you don’t just train us, you walk (outside the wire) with us. 

The Afghan Situation was, and is, a very complex issue. The current conflict and history have been written on at length, so I will not cover the historical, political aspects in any depth. However, what I did notice on my deployment was the fierce loyalty and acceptance of Afghans, who wanted a better future for their country and children. Once you had earned their trust, they were the best of people to work alongside. Unfortunately, there were still Afghans who did not embrace the western mission, and masqueraded as trainees in the ANP, with the sole intent of disrupting the training process, and killing recruits and trainers. I was familiar with these issues, having been on the Iraqi Police Training Mission several years before. It was life on a knife edge, with every day being constantly on the alert for signs of threats not from just the normal issues posed by an operational Afghan tour, but also from threats within the Afghan unit you were working with. 

The tour was challenging, a dichotomy, between Western and Afghan culture and beliefs. Right and wrong is simple and accepted by all cultures and countries. It is the interpretation of this by individuals and States for their own benefit that leads to the mistrust and confusion, but then to quote the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera, “A policeman’s lot is not a happy one.”

When I reflect back on the Mission, I think two things will jump to the fore: Afghan children, old and wise beyond their years, but missing out on the privileges afforded to their counterparts in Canada; and Afghan Women, strong and resilient, but not afforded the protection received by their Canadian sisters under the Charter of Rights. Trying to bring that field of fair play into Afghanistan was challenging, yes, but definitely important.

We’ve done well Canada!