Afghanistan mission prepares for retreat

The Dutch military will retreat from Afghanistan this summer. Soldiers are already rehearsing the withdrawal.

The incessant beeping of a metal detector resounded over the heathland as scouts advanced in front of a convoy of 50 armoured vehicles and trucks. The soldiers were looking for 'roadside bombs'. Not that there were any to be found on this Dutch training ground in Schaarsbergen, but they were rehearsing the imminent Dutch retreat from Afghan province Uruzgan. A lot about that withdrawal may still be uncertain but one thing is clear: it will not be without risk.

From Uruzgan to Kandahar

The soldiers of the Redeployment Task Force in Schaarsbergen are only conducting drills this week, but, come summer, these convoys will ferry troops and equipment from the Dutch base, Camp Holland, to the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. From here, the soldiers and most of their gear will return to the Netherlands by air. Some equipment will be shipped to Pakistan by civilian contractors.

Arnoud Lems, a marine who returned from Uruzgan last year, explained how things had changed. "Back then most of our training centred on eliminating the Taliban," he said. "Now our drills focus mainly on self defence and quick retreats from attack."

The Dutch will be handing over command in Uruzgan province on August 1. By then, the Redeployment Task Force will have arrived. Approximately 1,300 soldiers will be in charge of clearing the remains of the Dutch mission.

Nobody knows the exact number of soldiers required for the withdrawal, mainly because it is now uncertain how much equipment will have to be carried back. A team is currently drawing up an inventory of supplies that will remain in Uruzgan.

General Jan Broeks, who is in charge of the Redeployment Task Force, counted up the equipment that would have to be moved back to the Netherlands no matter what: 4,000 containers and some 600 vehicles. Because the air strip at Camp Holland is being refurbished this summer, large cargo carriers will be unable to land there. All equipment will therefore have to be brought to Kandahar by road. The 180-kilometre road connecting the airport to Camp Holland is in poor repair and the frequent target of Taliban ambushes. Last year, supply convoys travelling the road came under attack. "That road is dangerous," said Broeks. "Also because we will be pretty predictable with such a large convoy."

Dutch military unions are worried. They fear the Americans and the British may not be quick to help in case of an attack, because the Netherlands has lost standing since it announced its retreat. "I understand I will not be top priority," Broeks said. "But our allies have assured me they won't abandon us."

To reduce the size of the transport convoy, the Dutch military will try to sell as much of its materials to the allied troops remaining in Afghanistan. The Dutch command hopes to make some extra money by selling its armoured quarters to its successor. The problem is that Nato has yet to announce which nation will operate from Camp Holland. Until May, when the decision is expected, the soldiers rehearse the retreat without knowing whether they will be required in Uruzgan. "It is almost surprising how positive my men remain under these uncertain conditions," Broeks said.

The last leg

Broeks assumed that a successor would use parts of Camp Holland. "Another country could make good use of our hospital," he said. The Afghan army would also be receiving some gifts. "We are not going to break down their positions we constructed just to take them back home again," Broeks said.

"Cleaning up is never fun," Broeks concluded. "Not at home and not in Uruzgan. It leaves a lot of soldiers feeling like we could have stayed in Uruzgan longer."