THE TENSION: Combat Camera: 800 US Troops Arrive in Southern Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Lester Medina, a 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment soldier, greets two Afghan boys during a visit to a bazaar in the Maywand District of Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2008. The purpose of the visit was to interact with the local community and better understand thier needs. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.)

Sgt. Raymond Diaz, a 2nd Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment soldier gives an Afghan boy a pen, a desired object among the Afghan children, during a visit to a bazaar in the Maywand District of Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2008. 2-2 Inf. soldiers secured the area, while coalition forces interacted with the local community. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.)

An Afghan boy stands in front of a shop at a bazaar in the Maywand District of Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2008. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment soldiers secured the area allowing coalition forces to meet with the villagers and formally introduce themselves. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.)

Two Afghan girls shade their eyes from the sun at a bazaar in the Maywand District of Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2008. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment soldiers provided security at the bazaar while coalition forces met with the local villagers. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.)

Afghan men sit outside a meat shop at a bazaar in the Maywand District of Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2008. Canadian and U.S. forces made a trip to the open market to meet with some of the local Afghans. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.)

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, Sept 21, 2008 -- A recent deployment of U.S. forces into southern Afghanistan has added 800 troops into the region, and villagers are the first to see the transformation.

Combined with the efforts of Canadian forces, the Afghan national army and the Afghan national police, the Maywand District is now at its highest level of military support.

Afghan children watched intently as 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, soldiers crossed the narrow alleyways leading into the heart of the local market, recently.

While the troops mingled with the community, the children’s initial hesitation was apparent as they seemed to conceal themselves in the shadows. Their apprehension was expected, considering this was the first time many had ever seen the digitized Army Combat Uniform since U.S. forces arrived to the region, roughly two months ago.

“We went to the bazaar to show that there’s a presence of U.S. Army in the area now. The more they see us, the more comfortable they feel,” said Sgt. Raymond Diaz, a native of Queens, N.Y. “They’ve had so many people come in and out of this area and there was no stable presence.”

Prior to the arrival of, 2-2 Inf. Reg. the Canadian military had been the district’s only dedicated, long-term presence. Cpl. Matthew Hrycuik, a Canadian soldier with the North Saskatchewan Regiment, saw British and Portuguese forces come and go since his arrival to the Maywand District only six months ago.

Hrycuik said the extra air and weapons assets the U.S. military brings with it are needed and appreciated.

“It’s going to take a lot of work though; so many small towns around here are so spread out,” Hrycuik said. “Cruising around, we found tons of places where they’ve never seen [coalition forces] period. They know nothing about the government and they know nothing about the district leader here in Maywand. They just go about their own thing.”

Another challenge facing coalition forces is communicating their goals and objectives to the Afghans. With this recent influx of troops into the district, the villagers are not sure how to react.

“The people are definitely affected by [the Taliban] and they’re affected by us,” Master Cpl. Tatyana Danylyshyn, psychological operations, Canadian Scottish Regiment, said. “It’s the actions taken by the other party that decide who affects them more.”

The troops hope that by increasing their visibility, they’ll increase their influence.

“We’ve been here a couple of times and repeat visits, like familiarity with the person, help us to develop relationships, and that’s where we start to make progress,” Danylyshyn said.

At the end of the day the same timid children whom originally hid from the soldiers no longer kept their distance, trailing the light infantrymen up and down the busy streets, and all the way back to the entrance of their camp.

(Story by Staff Sgt. Adora Medina, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs.)