From 2001-2014, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) led security mission comprised of soldiers from many nations occupied Afghanistan in an effort to stabilise the country. The ISAF served to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), rebuild government institutions and remove Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other factional warlords from the areas surrounding Kabul. One of these the Forward Operation Bases was known as Armadillo.
Armadillo, is a Danish documentary about a group of young Royal Danish Army soldiers who are deployed to Afghanistan on their first ISAF mission. The film focuses on the brutality of war and the complex relationships between soldiers, their enemy and the innocents …show more content…
“We cannot cooperate with you” explains one of the local farmers “You come with all your weapons and then you leave. We’re staying here and then the Taliban will come after us.” he laments, highlighting how difficult it is for the ISAF to stabilize the nation while Taliban forces remain active. There is little explanation of the mission save for the brief description of the Forward Operating Base and its’ function in the film's introduction. The insight into Afghan culture and the complexity of the situation in Helmand comes from these interactions between soldiers and locals as the ISAF attempt maintain trust, security and influence over the people. Though many of the Afghani children in the film are won over by small tokens and gestures from the soldiers, the adult civilians are often sceptical and demonstrate an awareness of the complexities of the conflict, “You have guns, they have guns, if I talk they’ll cut my throat” says one civilians, making it clear that he understands that the situation cannot simply be resolved by temporary allied military …show more content…
They rely on one another for emotional support and understanding. It is clear that comradery is an extremely prominent theme in Armadillo, some of the very first scenes in the film, depicting the soldiers goofing around, teasing one another and laughing together, make it clear that the relationships between the soldiers are strong, Mads tells his sister that the comradery is part of the reason he wishes to travel to Afghanistan and later, in a conversation between him and another soldier, reiterates that it is the “team spirit” that has driven him to endure what they consider a strange job to volunteer
Armadillo, is a Danish documentary about a group of young Royal Danish Army soldiers who are deployed to Afghanistan on their first ISAF mission. The film focuses on the brutality of war and the complex relationships between soldiers, their enemy and the innocents …show more content…
“We cannot cooperate with you” explains one of the local farmers “You come with all your weapons and then you leave. We’re staying here and then the Taliban will come after us.” he laments, highlighting how difficult it is for the ISAF to stabilize the nation while Taliban forces remain active. There is little explanation of the mission save for the brief description of the Forward Operating Base and its’ function in the film's introduction. The insight into Afghan culture and the complexity of the situation in Helmand comes from these interactions between soldiers and locals as the ISAF attempt maintain trust, security and influence over the people. Though many of the Afghani children in the film are won over by small tokens and gestures from the soldiers, the adult civilians are often sceptical and demonstrate an awareness of the complexities of the conflict, “You have guns, they have guns, if I talk they’ll cut my throat” says one civilians, making it clear that he understands that the situation cannot simply be resolved by temporary allied military …show more content…
They rely on one another for emotional support and understanding. It is clear that comradery is an extremely prominent theme in Armadillo, some of the very first scenes in the film, depicting the soldiers goofing around, teasing one another and laughing together, make it clear that the relationships between the soldiers are strong, Mads tells his sister that the comradery is part of the reason he wishes to travel to Afghanistan and later, in a conversation between him and another soldier, reiterates that it is the “team spirit” that has driven him to endure what they consider a strange job to volunteer