ANA Commandos slide into fastrope training

Sgt. Daniel Love
26 September, 2008 03:57:00

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JALABAD, Afghanistan – Afghanistan is known for its harsh topography, which has assisted Afghans in defeating militaries from around the world throughout the centuries.

While these obstacles also factor in when it comes to operations conducted by Afghan natives, U.S. Special Forces trained Afghan National Army Commandos of the 201st Commando Kandak to overcome the harsh terrain with a combination of guts and modern technology during Air Assault training near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, September 23.

"There are almost as many places in Afghanistan where you can't land a helicopter as where you can," said a Special Forces company commander. "After they complete this training, the Commandos improve their ability to overcome geographic obstacles in order to quickly strike at the enemy wherever we find him."

The Commandos added the new experience to previous training, which involved using gloves and boots to quickly slide down a thick rope, commonly known as "fast roping." Their only previous experience with the technique was on an immobile wooden tower, and this time they had to deal with a helicopter's constant movement. The Commandos practiced fast roping from CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters during both day and night conditions.

"Afghan National Army Commandos have to be ready for anything, any time," said Jalaludeen, a Commando company commander who participated in the training. "Many of our operations are quick strikes by air, with specific information and knowledge of our targets."

For the Commandos, the experience added another skill to their already extensive repertoire. The 201st Kandak was the first group of Commandos to graduate from the course in August of 2007, and they have since executed numerous dangerous and successful missions against the enemies of their homeland.

"I have a long military history, fighting for my people," said Jalaludeen. "I was a Jihaddi commander against the Soviets, a Northern Alliance commander fighting the Taliban, and an Afghan National Army commander before the Commandos were formed. Now that I am a Commando commander, we have better technology and training than ever to defeat the enemies of Afghanistan."