the Russians found that the Afghan fighters would bury mines in the road and then 're-print' the tracks of the vehicles that had previously passed, completely disguising the location of the mine.

Following in the tracks of the previous vehicle, if not immediately afterward, is not a sound technique. There are even mines that wait for the second vehicle to pass before exploding, IOT defeat overpressure mine clearing.

Unless we had a troop and sensor density that would preclude people from emplacing IEDs in anything other than a very hasty manner, we can always expect to find more of these weapons. And it still does nothing to defeat the individual from wanting to employ them.
TankerSteve, hear you on your last sentence, but while foreign fighters planting bombs in Iraq are no longer welcome, that isn’t true in Afghanistan. COIN techniques might persuade homegrown Taliban not to plant IEDs, but do little to deter non-local Taliban from Pakistan madrassas or the Chechnyan with a big bag of fertilizer.

As you point out, unpaved roads in Afghanistan simplify IED emplacement. But recalling the paved road leading from Barstow to Fort Irwin, just can’t imagine the need for many high ground OPs or COPs to watch the main road and prevent someone from setting up IEDs in the daytime. Night of course, is a different matter. And roads next to towns/compounds/trees/crops along the Helmand River valley and other flat areas make it hard to maintain constant surveillance of existing dirt roads, day or night.

Does that create opportunities for off-roading it away from civilians and chokepoints to safeguard both the populous and ourselves? It may not be the shortest route, but remote dirt roads observed from a few high terrain COPs/OPs, and easily targeted without collateral damage could reduce IEDs. Because primarily coalition supply vehicles would use these routes, anyone else on/near them on foot or in a vehicle is suspect and subject to search.

Engineers and the new Marine line-charge vehicle could clear or blow holes through suspected minefield areas, then cover it in clay or gravel and drag some sort of pattern producer (Firn it was near the border) behind the trail vehicle on the last patrol of the night. Shouldn’t be too many vehicles (or block off entries) on the new remote roads at night to make tracks and any IED planter still must cover footprints while replicating the unique ground pattern in the dark, not to mention get to and away from the remote road over miles of open terrain with no place to hide and a heavy load to bear.

Freshly dug dirt at night may well have a different IR signature, as well.
So augment that with higher flying UAS (TF ODIN down to Shadow) or aerostats/towers in each COP, and lower flying T-Hawks, and Ravens to maintain nightly surveillance. One COP could cover 10 kms on either side alternating between noisy, culvert-checking T-Hawks, and quieter Ravens to make the enemy believe the coast is clear. Use unmanned ground sensors near wadis.

Zealous66, you must admit the US flies in Afghanistan more than other allies and casualties are far less than Vietnam or the 14,000 the Soviets lost...and you should see some vehicles are coalition partners and the poor ANP use.