“This is my country”

[Dance]

Last month the Pakistan army took an unprecedented step, allowing an Associated Press writer and photographer to follow Pakistani troops on their front-line rounds for a glimpse inside its fight against militants in the Afghanistan-Pakistan theater.

The ghosts of British Empire linger over this wild stretch of northern Pakistan. The unit at Kalpani base comprises Lancers, a term dating back to the British dominion over south Asia which ended with partition into India and Pakistan in 1947.

The Lancers’ local headquarters are in a 19th century colonial mansion of marble pillars, ornately carved balconies and decaying gardens. High above the mansion, reachable by a road that ends in snow drifts and then by walking for three hours, is Kalpani, its 46 men housed in bunkers facing Kunar Province in Afghanistan.

Kalpani is on the front line in the 10-year war against militants, a war which allies Pakistan with the US and Nato in an uneasy, distrustful partnership. – Text and photos by AP

“This is my country” | Multimedia | DAWN.COM

 

[Sugarcane]

They travel miles in the heat & Cold.
They risk their lives at border.
They don't get paid enough wages.
They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day ~ every day..
They deserve salute

 

[A1Kaid]

What is elevation at Kalpani base? Looks like over 8,000 ft.

Respect to the soldiers.

 

[VelocuR]

What is elevation at Kalpani base? Looks like over 8,000 ft.

Respect to the soldiers.

The wind was howling and the snow outside their bullet-pocked bunker lay knee-deep as the men of the 20th Lancer armored regiment bedded down for the night, nearly 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) up a mountain on one of the world's most inhospitable borders.

FILE - Pakistani Army soldiers with the 20th Lancers Armored Regiment, carry supplies up the 8000-foot mountain near their outpost, Kalpani Base, in Pakistan's Dir province on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

a Pakistani Army soldier with the 20th Lancers Armored Regiment, stands on the 8000-foot mountain near his outpost, Kalpani Base, in Pakistan's Dir province on the Pakistan-Afghan border. Kalpani is on the front line in the 10-year war against militant Islamists, a war which allies Pakistan with the U.S. and NATO in an uneasy, distrustful partnership.

"This is my country. I am a Pakistani. I don't see that anyone who destroys our schools, our masjids (mosques), kills people, is good for my country," he said. "... If they were working for a better Pakistan, we wouldn't be sitting in this post. The people would be supporting them against us."

Tanvir said that for the military to leave, local communities would have to take responsibility for their villages with the help of a trained police force. He said part of his job is to help train the police.

Near Kalpani, a half-dozen police are being mentored by the soldiers, taken out on patrol, taught how to interact with the community. "When we first came, some of the police didn't even know how to carry their weapon properly," Tanvir said. "They have to know how to identify a suspicious person, what to look for, how to search them. We can't just leave and let everyone (Taliban) come back. We have to have a well-trained police force."

The militants would make police kneel on the road and behead them one by one, videotaping the murders. Eventually the army ran the Taliban out, suffering dozens of deaths. But that was not the end it. Last summer the militants were back, killing 21 border policemen in two locales.

The army, caught by surprise, hurriedly set up eight more bases.

“The war is still on. This time we are going to hunt them. "

 

[Lone Shooter]

If I understand correctly Armored Regiments have tanks and this place dosent seems to be fit for tank. You sure you got the regiment right?

 

[Mabs]

You'd never see this news piece on the Express Tribune website. It just ain't hip enough.

 

[Vatoz]

Man those soldiers deserves alot more then thanks and saluts

To be on post that high up in that invierment is probable one of the hardest
Tasks a soldier may or have to do.

With all respect to those brave men