The goal was to render humanitarian assistance to poor Afghanis. 

Under the command of Lt. Josh Martin, 2nd Platoon would head to the villages of Martsenzai and Haji Satan Klaey.  Accompanying the platoon was a pickup truck with four Afghan Border Patrol (ABP) soldiers.

After about a 90-minute ride, our six Strykers rolled into Martsenzai.  Comprised of about 20 mud/brick structures, the scrawny chickens running about outnumbered the people living there.  I counted 12 individuals.

The dogs - mean and feral creatures about the size of a Labrador - were none too friendly, but a few well-aimed rocks calmed them down.

After talking with the village elder, Martin and his soldiers distributed blankets, candy, food and clothing.

He made it very clear that we were there to help them.  The villagers - particularly the children, some of them shoeless - seemed very happy to receive the goods.

Taking our leave, we mounted up and headed for Haji Satan Klaey.

As we bounced across the terrain, I heard a distinct explosion behind our Stryker.  Martin, who was in the left air guard, and Spc. Mike Kewley, who was in the right air guard, both yelled "IED!"

About 100 yards behind us, the Ford Ranger pickup carrying the four ABP soldiers had run over an IED (improvised explosive device) and triggered the explosion.

A large cloud of white smoke covered the area.

Although not a large detonation, the IED had turned the truck sideways and set it on fire.  Badly shaken, the four soldiers walked away unhurt.

"You know, they were following in our tracks," said Kewley.  We rolled right over that thing but missed it.  They have a smaller wheel base on that truck, and they found it."

A 155mm shell containing white phosphorus - used by the Army to mark a particular area - had been rigged to a pressure plate to detonate.

As the truck burned, Martin ordered everyone out to see if we could find who was responsible for planting and/or detonating the device.

We headed toward across the dirt field toward a small hamlet.

The few people we encountered around a little hamlet of houses claimed to know nothing about the IED.  One of them said he had come from Spin Boldak for the day.

I had the feeling we were not hearing the truth.

Trying to learn anything about the planting of the device and who was involved was an exercise in futility, and after about an hour of trying we decided to move on.

Nearby was the village of Haji Satan Klaey.  As a quick reaction force, or QRF, and an explosive ordinance detachment, or EOD, rolled up on the scene of the explosion, we walked into the village.

At first, no one would come out and talk to us.  Then, two boys came out.

Martin told them through our interpreter that he wanted to speak to a village elder.

The boys left; a few minutes later a man by the name of Tor Jan, the village elder, emerged.

Martin and the elder talked for a while.  The elder offered us chai, a hot, sweet tea.

"He used the sugar we provided a while back for him to sweeten this tea," observed Kewley as he took a sip of the hot beverage.

But it was only tea Tor Jan could offer; he said he knew nothing about the IED.

Martin and his soldiers left supplies for the village and headed back to FOB Spin Boldak.

It had been a long, exciting and exasperating day.