Schofield soldiers lead Afghan hunt
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — With a fleet of attack and transport helicopters flanking him, Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield, took command yesterday of a growing coalition force in Afghanistan, but did not offer any predictions about snaring Osama bin Laden.
"I'm very reluctant to predict the timeline for the capture of any (high-value target) — Osama bin Laden or any other," Olson said. "I will tell you it is one of the highest priorities, and every effort is being made to effect that capture."
OLSON
As the 25th Division took charge of Combined Joint Task Force 180, raising the Tropic Lightning colors in a combat zone for the first time since the Vietnam War,
Olson said more troops and resources are being added to the hunt.
"You'll see additional forces come in. In fact, you are seeing that now," he said.
The task force commands more than 13,000 military personnel from all four Defense Department branches and 21 other countries across a 250,000-square-mile area. Among them are more than 5,000 Schofield Barracks soldiers starting a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.
"Today marks yet another milestone on the road of unstoppable progress here in Afghanistan," said Lt. Gen. David Barno, commander of Combined Forces Command, Afghanistan, at the transfer of authority ceremony.
The departure of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and arrival of the 25th Division is "almost a one-for-one replacement," Olson said.
Catching bin Laden and other top fugitives remains a priority of the expanding American operation, and the largest force to date is being prepared for operations along the Pakistani border, where the al-Qaida chief is expected to be hiding.
"We remain committed to catching these guys. It's pretty much ... just about everything that we do here," said Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers. "(But) at the end of the day, it's not about just one or two people. It's about ... ensuring that there is stability and security throughout Afghanistan."
About 2,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit were recently added.
Two troops of Hawai'i-based Kiowa Warrior helicopters — an asset the 10th Mountain did not have — and "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" capabilities are among other additions.
Olson said he plans to continue "Operation Mountain Storm," the latest in a series of operations in the south, southeast and eastern portions of Afghanistan targeting al-Qaida and Taliban militants as well as bin Laden and Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar.
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Olson said Schofield soldiers are "right there" on the front lines of the battle.
With the 25th in charge of Combined Joint Task Force 180, the Tropic Lightning colors are in a combat zone for the first time since Vietnam.
"The folks with the 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, Hawai'i, have got the main effort in terms of the coalition's fight," Olson said. "They are right on the front lines right now. The (2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry) Wolfhounds are right on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Operating around Orgun-e and Shkin in the southeast, the Wolfhounds have "been under fire and have fired back," but there have been no U.S. casualties, Olson said.
A CH-47D Chinook helicopter company from Hawai'i, and elements of military police, 125th Signal Battalion, engineers, division support command and division artillery are based in Bagram.
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team will be headquarterd out of Kandahar. Two other Schofield infantry battalions have not yet arrived in Afghanistan.
Some 6,300 NATO troops separately provide security in Kabul. Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, said NATO has taken charge of a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Konduz, four adjacent provinces in the northeast, and is preparing to expand its reach across the north.
Olson said the greatest threat to security in Afghanistan are pockets of Taliban supported in Pakistan, as well as other terrorist organizations there.
There is factional fighting among Afghan militias and al-Qaida-affiliated groups such as Hizb i Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — "but I'd say the greatest threat right now are the Taliban elements still here, supported by other organizations just over the border in Pakistan," Olson said.
Taliban forces probably number only in the hundreds, Olson added, but "they have the ability to exert influence that's disproportionally larger than their numbers."
CJTF-180 has a dual mission: creating security, which means eliminating threats to legitimate Afghan authority and local populations, and establishing stability so reconstruction can take place.
Under CJTF-180, more than 4 million square meters of minefields were cleared, 12 Provincial Reconstruction Teams were created, 23 new schools were opened and 39 new clinics were completed.
Although 4,000 Schofield soldiers are in Iraq, most of them with the 2nd Brigade Combat team, yesterday's transfer of authority represented the first time the 25th has uncased its division colors in a combat zone since the Vietnam War.
"We feel like we are adding another story to our history, and we're all very, very proud to be doing this," Olson said.
Elections are scheduled for September, pushed back to get more Afghans registered. Olson said he anticipates anti-coalition forces will try to disrupt the registration and voting. To counter that, he expects the CJTF-180 "operational tempo" to increase in the late spring into summer and leading up to the elections.
Schofield soldiers are adjusting, meanwhile, to the air base 27 miles north of Kabul and forward operating bases elsewhere in one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Half of Bagram Air Base remains to be de-mined by explosives-sniffing dogs and handlers. Little red triangles placed on fences are a constant reminder of areas off limits.
25th Division Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin Ashe said the mountains and higher altitudes are "another fight we're going to have over the next year.
"It's the harshest conditions you can possibly fight in, and operate in, in the world in terms of flying, walking, out looking for the enemy. It's going to be another big fight and challenge our soldiers are going to have every day."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
