> TERRITORIAL Army soldiers will be leaving their families
TERRITORIAL Army soldiers will be leaving their families behind for two weeks of intensive training in the rocky and arid terrain of Macedonia.
> Taleban 'downed Nato helicopter'
Taleban 'downed Nato helicopter' | |||
Seven people died in the crash, five of them US crew. Two military passengers - one British, one Canadian - also died. Nato-led troops are fighting militants nearby. Dozens of Taleban were killed or injured, Afghan officials say. Elsewhere, at least 16 policemen died in a Taleban ambush in southern Zabul province, the interior ministry said. Fighting between Nato-led security forces and the Taleban has escalated in recent weeks - particularly in the south. 'Enemy fire' Nato is still investigating the cause of Wednesday's crash, but says it looks as if Taleban claims to have shot the Chinook down may well be correct.
"It was a hostile area where the helicopter went down," said Major John Thomas, a spokesman for Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). "Initial indications are that enemy fire may have brought down the helicopter." The nationality of the seventh passenger is still unclear. The helicopter crashed at around 2100 (1630 GMT) in the Kajaki district of Helmand, Isaf said in a statement. A rescue patrol was ambushed by "enemy fighters" and forced to call for an air strike to access the crash site, Isaf said. Incidents of helicopters being shot down are relatively rare in the country, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul. About 30,000 alliance troops and another 10,000 US-led ones have been battling to boost the authority of President Hamid Karzai. 'Ambush' On Thursday, Isaf confirmed that fighting was going on against the Taleban in Sangin district, near Kajaki. A statement said air strikes had been carried out against Taleban positions. It did not say whether there had been any casualties. But the Afghan Defence Ministry said dozens of Taleban fighters had been killed or wounded. Local people have disputed the government account, saying some of those killed were civilians rather than Taleban. Sangin district police chief Ghulam Wali told the BBC the aim of the operation was to secure the road from the Shali area to Kajaki. In the ambush in Zabul, six policemen were injured as well as those killed, officials said. Interior Ministry spokesman Zmaray Bashary told the BBC that police had also inflicted heavy casualties on their attackers in a gun battle which had raged for 20 minutes. He said the ambush took place in Shahjoy district, a Taleban stronghold, as the police convoy travelled from Zabul to Ghazni. There was no way of independently verifying casualty figures in either incident. | |||
> Helicopter crashes in Afghanistan
Helicopter crashes in AfghanistanThe Chinook is used to transport troops, supplies and ammunitionSeven people have died after a Nato Chinook helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, the alliance has said. Five crew members and two military passengers were killed in the crash. US military officials said the dead crew members were Americans.
A Taleban spokesman said his group had shot down the aircraft, which came down in the southern province of Helmand. Fighting between Nato and Taleban insurgents has escalated in recent weeks - particularly in the south.
The nationalities of the two military passengers are still unclear. The helicopter crashed at around 2100 (1630 GMT) in the Kajaki district of Helmand, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said in a statement.
Rescue workers were ambushed by "enemy fighters" and were forced to call for an air strike to access the crash site, Isaf said. Incidents of helicopters being shot down are relativ
ely rare in the country, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Afghanistan.
Rescue workers were ambushed by "enemy fighters" and were forced to call for an air strike to access the crash site, Isaf said. Incidents of helicopters being shot down are relativ
ely rare in the country, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Afghanistan. About 30,000 alliance troops and another 10,000 US-led ones have been battling to boost the authority of President Hamid Karzai. Nato is investigating the cause of the crash.
> Somme Company, London Regiment
(Click to enlarge)
Somme Company, London Regiment, (TA) attached to the Grenadier Guards.
Somme Company, London Regiment, (TA) attached to the Grenadier Guards.
> 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards - Current Deployment
Battlegroup Situation Report
Camp Shorabak, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 18th May 2007.Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Camp Shorabak, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 18th May 2007.Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
As we approach a third of the way through our tour in Afghanistan it is time to take stock and explain some of the things that you will have read in the press and heard from your loved ones. The first big operations are now under our belt and all the Grenadier Battlegroup have worked hard in difficult conditions to achieve what has been asked of them.
Those working alongside the Afghan National Army have forged their bonds of friendship in battle. A mutual appreciation of both the courage and humanity of the soldiers from both our nations has been reached. Whether fighting in the green zones alongside the Helmand River or the sun bleached rocky deserts and hills on either side, we have fought side by side, facing the same dangers and the same hardships. This has, inevitably, led to a much stronger bond of trust between us. Sadly, there have been casualties both for the Afghans and for us. You will have seen in the UK press what I had to say about the death of Guardsman Simon Davison. Suffice to say, he died fighting to the last to protect his fellow Grenadiers. We are all so very proud to have known him and served alongside him. Similarly, we have not forgetten those who have been injured. Guardsmen McGhee, Hodgson and Harrisson, Drummer Wintle and Lieutenant Holgate have all been injured in actions against a vicious and sly enemy and as a result have been sent back to hospitals in the UK to recover from their wounds. There are also others with lighter wounds that remain with us to carry on the fight. We all wish those sent back to the UK our very best, our thoughts are with you and your families.
Number Three Company have seen some of the heaviest fighting so far. Barely a day goes by without them engaging the Taliban around Garmsir in the South of Helmand. They are giving the Taliban a bloody nose and are a constant thorn in their side. Likewise, the Brigade Recce Force have sought out and hit the Taliban hard whenever given the chance to do so. Those attached to the 1st Royal Anglian Battlegroup continue to impress and have been in the thick of all actions that their host battalion have fought. The LONDONs go from strength to strength with help from all their attached Grenadiers. On the face of it they have an un-glamorous task, but they are an essential part of the UK force out here, and everyone appreciates their contribution.
Even though the Welsh Guards are Trooping their Colour this year there should be some coverage of the Grenadiers in Afghanistan, filmed only last week for the BBC. Clearly Grenadier drill is far superior to that of all the other Foot Guards but it should be worth watching just to catch a glimpse of Afghanistan! Many of the Battlegroup have been filmed as part of an ITV documentary called “The Queen’s Guard”. If all goes well, three one hour episodes will be shown on ITV starting late in June. This will give you the chance to see what we are up to out here in moving images, hearing the voices and sounds of the various characters of the Grenadiers as they go about their tasks.
To learn of the death of Guardsman Simon Davison and the injuries sustained by the others will have come as a shock to many of you at home. For some it is the realisation that this is a hard and brutal campaign we are involved in. I know that we may seem rather remote and that at times you will not hear from us for days on end, but you are all in our thoughts wherever we may be. As a Regiment and a Battlegroup, in which I include all of you at home, we need more than ever to help each other through these worrying times. I ask you all to support your loved ones in any way you can, they are doing an outstanding job in all that is asked of them, and then some. I could not be more proud of the way they have all conducted themselves so far.
> British soldier killed in Afghanistan - 29 May 07
Corporal Darren Bonner killed in Afghanistan
29 May 07
29 May 07
It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Corporal Darren Bonner of the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment on Monday 28 May 2007, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Corporal Darren Bonner, the lead Signaller serving with A (Norfolk) Company Group, 1 Royal Anglian Battlegroup, died as a result of an incident involving an explosive device.
The soldiers had been travelling in convoy roughly 11km east of Hyderabad in the Gereshk region of Helmand Province when an explosion hit the convoy.
At this stage it is not possible to confirm the nature of the explosive device although an investigation is under way to establish more information.
Corporal 'Big Daz' Bonner, aged 31, was a larger than life figure who made a positive impact on everyone that he met. He was engaged to Becca and looking forward to the prospect of marriage and buying a home in Great Yarmouth after his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
He joined the Army in 1993 and served with the Regiment's 2nd Battalion on operational deployments in Northern Ireland and the Balkans. In 2004 he moved across to the 1st Battalion and served as a key member of the Signals Platoon in Iraq in 2006.
Corporal Darren Bonner, the lead Signaller serving with A (Norfolk) Company Group, 1 Royal Anglian Battlegroup, died as a result of an incident involving an explosive device.
The soldiers had been travelling in convoy roughly 11km east of Hyderabad in the Gereshk region of Helmand Province when an explosion hit the convoy.
At this stage it is not possible to confirm the nature of the explosive device although an investigation is under way to establish more information.
Corporal 'Big Daz' Bonner, aged 31, was a larger than life figure who made a positive impact on everyone that he met. He was engaged to Becca and looking forward to the prospect of marriage and buying a home in Great Yarmouth after his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
He joined the Army in 1993 and served with the Regiment's 2nd Battalion on operational deployments in Northern Ireland and the Balkans. In 2004 he moved across to the 1st Battalion and served as a key member of the Signals Platoon in Iraq in 2006.
Physically impressive, he was a keen weight lifter and night club bouncer in his spare time, but his robust exterior concealed a sensitive compassionate side and a heart of gold.
Darren was a devout Christian and had taken the lead in organising a memorial for a recent fatality in A Company. He would regularly give up his time for others, teaching 'Football in the Community', or mentoring Army Cadets near his home town in Gorleston, Norfolk. He was also an avid Spurs fan, and made sure that everyone who met him was apprised of the fact.
Darren exuded energy and charisma; he always had a joke to tell or a story to recount, ensuring he was extremely popular with his wealth of friends. The night before his death he was seen reading the bible by his friends, drawing strength before facing the known dangers of the operation. He genuinely cared about the people of Afghanistan, and about his comrades that he fought with. It is, therefore, a source of some consolation to those who knew him that he died on operations courageously contributing to a noble cause; one that he cared about and believed in.
Corporal Bonner's Company Commander, Major Dominic Biddick, said:
"Corporal Bonner was an incredibly caring and compassionate man. Behind the tattoos and the muscle lay a man with huge emotional intelligence, who provided a real father figure to many of the younger soldiers in A Company.
"It is tragic to see the life of a devout Christian taken in this fateful manner, to see fate being so cruel to a dedicated young man who was genuinely striving to make a difference.
"Darren will never be forgotten by those of us that soldiered with him. His death is a tragic loss, but one that strengthens our resolve and our determination to succeed."
Sergeant Stuart Rumsey, a fellow Signaller, said:
"Corporal Daz Bonner was the life and soul of the Company. Professionally talented, no task was beyond his determination to succeed."
Corporal Wayne Cole, another fellow Signaller, said.
"Daz Bonner was a colourful character, larger than life and an even bigger friend."
Private Craig Mavin, a colleague and friend, said.
"Daz will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure to serve with him."
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Carver, Commanding Officer 1 Royal Anglian, said:
"Corporal Darren Bonner was a superb soldier who had genuine compassion for his fellow men. A larger than life character he has been a mainstay of the Battalion for many years and will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues. Our sympathy and thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time"
Defence Secretary Des Browne added:
"My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Corporal Bonner at this very difficult time. By all accounts he was a determined and highly professional soldier who looked after those around him. His loss will only strengthen the resolve of our forces to continue their efforts to improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan."
> British Casualties (Updated fortnightly)
For the period 1 January 2006 to 30 April 2007:
136 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action.
357 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals for disease or non-battle injuries.
19 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
17 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
384 UK personnel were aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on medical grounds, whatever the reason.
View Defence News Casualties Table
136 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action.
357 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals for disease or non-battle injuries.
19 UK personnel were categorised as Very Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
17 UK personnel were categorised as Seriously Injured from all causes excluding disease.
384 UK personnel were aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on medical grounds, whatever the reason.
View Defence News Casualties Table
> British soldier killed in Afghanistan - 26 May 07
Guardsman Daniel Probyn killed in Afghanistan 27 May 07 It is with much sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Guardsman Daniel Probyn from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan on Saturday 26 May 2007.
Guardsman Probyn from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards died in an explosion during an offensive operation to clear a Taliban stronghold on the outskirts of the town of Garmsir, in Southern Helmand. Four soldiers from the battalion were also injured in the incident.
Guardsman Probyn was part of a force of British soldiers who left their base near Garmsir during the evening of 25 May 2007. Their mission was to clear the Taliban occupied compound.
A force of British soldiers left their base near Garmsir, in Helmand Province, to carry out offensive operations against the Taliban during the evening of Friday 25 May 2007. Their mission was to clear a Taliban occupied compound on the outskirts of the town.
After engaging and destroying a Taliban stronghold with combined artillery, mortar and small arms fire, the force began clearing the Taliban positions. During this phase of the operation there was an explosion at around midnight, which resulted in five casualties.
The casualties were extracted back to a safe location, while under fire from the Taliban, and were met by a medical team who sadly pronounced Guardsman Probyn dead at the scene. The Immediate Response Team (IRT), which provides specialist medical cover to UK forces, was called for and evacuated Guardsman Probyn and the three seriously injured casualties to the UK field hospital at Camp Bastion by helicopter. The remaining casualty had received very minor injuries that were treated locally. The patrol has now safely returned to base.
The three remaining casualties are still receiving treatment for their injuries.Guardsman Daniel Probyn
Guardsman Daniel Probyn, aged 22, was from Tipton. He joined the Army in 2003 and had previously served in Iraq during Op TELIC 5 and Op TELIC 8. He was a keen rugby player and also a dedicated supporter of West Bromwich Albion. Lt Col AGC Hatherley, Commanding Officer, 1st Bn Grenadier Guards said:
"Guardsman Probyn was a larger than life character both on and off duty, and was a dependable and loyal friend to all who knew him. He excelled as a soldier, whether in tunic and bearskin or combats, and was held in the highest regard by all who served alongside him."He had tirelessly fought the Taliban just hours earlier at the side of the others in his platoon when he was killed in a second action. Totally focused on the mission and determined to prevail he died in the company of those Grenadiers he had previously fought to protect. He gave his life in selfless service to his country and his courage is an inspiration to us all. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten."
Lt Col Angus Watson, Commanding Officer, The Light Dragoons and Battle Group (South) said:
"Guardsman Daniel Probyn was a soldier of the highest calibre, and wholly committed to his chosen profession. He clearly loved being a soldier, and a Grenadier in particular. As one would expect of him, he died showing courage and professionalism of the highest order, seeking to protect the lives of his comrades and taking the fight to the enemy. The thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences of the whole Battle Group are with his girlfriend, his family and his wide circle of friends."
Major Will Mace (Company Commander) said:
"Guardsman Probyn was without question one of the very best soldiers in the Company. Consummately professional in everything he did, he was one of those men who always delivered a thousand times more than was asked of him. He was completely dedicated to his job and to the men around him, making him both a pleasure and an honour to command. He loved soldiering and so died doing something he loved and believed in totally. He died during an intense contact with enemy forces, bravely carrying out his duty and protecting those he was fighting alongside."Guardsman Probyn was not only a great soldier but also a great character, always ready with a laugh and a joke. Every aspect of his character made him loved and respected by all. "His family and girlfriend have our deepest sympathies and our thoughts will be with them always."
Lieutenant Andrew Tiernan (Platoon Commander) said:
"Guardsman Daniel Probyn was quite simply the most outstanding soldier I have ever come across and I consider myself very fortunate to have had the pleasure of serving alongside him on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Guardsman Probyn was respected by everyone in 3 Platoon and was looked up to by the younger and more inexperienced members of the Platoon, to whom Guardsman Probyn was an inspiration. He was an exceptionally professional Guardsman and thus had an intensity about him that rubbed off on those around him. Yet Guardsman Probyn always maintained a sense of humour and was more often than not at the heart of Platoon banter. "As is typical of the man, Guardsman Probyn warned his fellow soldiers of a potential threat just prior to the explosion that killed him, making them move away from his position in a selfless act which saved their lives. He died whilst engaging with the enemy and protecting those who were fighting alongside him. Guardsman Probyn was a legend within the Platoon and indeed the Company, and now he will remain a legend forever more. Guardsman Probyn is a hero to all of us and will be remembered as such. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his girlfriend Michelle, to whom he was devoted and with whom he intended to spend the rest of his life."
Lance Corporal Pete Bocock said:
"Guardsman Daniel Probyn was a great friend and someone who was completely reliable, as a soldier and a mate. He was always up for a laugh and would stand by his mates in any situation. I had the pleasure of meeting “Probes” when we deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a Grenadier section attached to the Welsh Guards. It was during this time that we became close. Probes was a great lad, an awesome soldier and somebody you would always want by your side, be it in battle or going out for a drink. Probes will be massively missed by me and the rest of 3 Platoon. We will always remember him."
Lance Corporal Andrew Thomas said:
"Danny was a friend you could always rely on, either when we were in Civvi Street or in the Army. I have great memories of him, like serving with him in Iraq and going on a great holiday with him and the “Malia 8” lads. I will always remember Danny as one of the best soldiers I have ever known and worked with. He was more than just a friend to people that knew him; I guess you could say he was like a brother."
Guardsman Keith Rowlatt said:
"Probyn was a great mate. He always has been and he always will be. He will be greatly missed. We all loved him like a brother. He would always go out of his way to give you a helping hand. Probyn sadly lost his life doing what he loved to do and he was not just good at his job, he was the best Guardsman I have worked with. It has been a privilege to work alongside him. Probyn will be forever missed and he will be in my thoughts for the rest of my life. He was friendly, loving and funny."
Defence Secretary Des Browne said:
“I was greatly saddened to hear of Guardsman Probyn’s death and I extend my condolences to his family and friends at, what must be, the most difficult of times. He was, by all accounts, a highly respected soldier who displayed incredible professionalism and determination in all aspects of his job.”
The family of Guardsman Probyn have requested that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.
> Baptism of fire for Grenadier Guards Officer
The first black officer to serve in the Grenadier Guards has been speaking about his experiences battling the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Read Full Story...
> Britain has smallest army for 200 years
The Army has shrunk to its smallest size for more than 200 years, official figures have revealed. 
The number of soldiers has slipped below 100,000 for the first time since the start of the Napoleonic Wars. Some 2,500 posts are unfilled.
Critics, who say units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretched to breaking point, are demanding the Government rethink its policy of scaling back the Army.
Manpower targets have fallen by 5,000 over the last five years.
The number of trained soldiers stands at 99,280, the figures from the Ministry of Defence showed. Read Full Story...
The number of soldiers has slipped below 100,000 for the first time since the start of the Napoleonic Wars. Some 2,500 posts are unfilled.
Critics, who say units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretched to breaking point, are demanding the Government rethink its policy of scaling back the Army.
Manpower targets have fallen by 5,000 over the last five years.
The number of trained soldiers stands at 99,280, the figures from the Ministry of Defence showed. Read Full Story...
> Taliban ambush: 'Get us out of here'
Taliban ambush: 'Get us out of here'
GRAEME SMITH
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
May 19, 2007 at 1:04 AM EDT
SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN — Shots cracked over barricades in the dark, and the night filled with sounds of men shouting and running. The defenders of a small outpost in the town of Sangin slammed mortars into firing tubes, sending up flares that cast a ghostly light over the confused scene.
The smoky phosphorescence revealed British and Afghan soldiers watching nervously over the walls, toward an empty graveyard that Taliban fighters had used as cover to sneak up on a guard post. It was only a probing attack, intended to gauge the strength of the government forces now desperately holding a town on the front lines of this year's fight against the insurgents.
But the attack seemed to fray the nerves of the British troops, who had narrowly escaped an ambush a few hours earlier. As the flares winked out and darkness returned, a soldier walked up to a journalist and tried to give him a handgun.
The offer was declined, but the soldier insisted: “You might need it,” he said, holding out the weapon, its black polish gleaming under his headlamp. “We don't know what will happen tonight.”
The valley of discord
With support from Canadian artillery, U.S. and British troops took control of this half-ruined town and its strategic valley in northern Helmand province in early April. Starting last week, the Taliban launched a major drive to take it back.
The insurgents' new offensive brought them to the doorstep of Captain James Shaw, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. He commands one of several British teams working with Afghan forces in Sangin, sleeping alongside the local troops in a crumbling mud building near the town's market.
Capt. Shaw committed what he later acknowledged was a potentially fatal mistake on a hot afternoon last week. Acting on a tip from an old woman, he allowed his men to search for a rumoured cache of Taliban weapons in a village about five kilometres north of town.
The bumpy route leading north from Sangin had been cleared of insurgents many times, and fighting earlier in the week was concentrated much further north, in the river valleys leading to Kajaki and Musa Qala. The battles swept southward as the days passed, however, and Capt. Shaw hoped he could find the weapons dump quickly and retreat back into town.
Unlike the Canadians who roar through Afghanistan in heavily protected troop carriers, the British rely on light jeeps, whose improvised armour often makes them look jerry-built. That afternoon, Capt. Shaw had only three of these vehicles and a few Afghan pickup trucks.
The patrol rolled past bombed buildings on the outskirts of Sangin, past shuttered stores and a mosque with a missing wall. The vehicles accelerated as they broke into the open countryside, churning a haze of dust over the farmland that sloped away to the left. Children hauled bundles of dry poppy stalks through the fallow fields.
A craggy hill rose to the right of the road. A few minutes outside of town, the hill seemed to explode in a shower of grey smoke streaked with beige dirt. Several more rocket-propelled grenades screamed toward the convoy from a line of trees in the distance, accompanied by the clatter of automatic weapons.
“Contact left!” shouted Lance Sergeant Matt Robinson, standing up in his jeep and raking the trees with bullets. “In that tree line over there! Five hundred metres, four hundred metres! Tree line!”
The young soldier squinted through his scope and banged more rounds downrange, then swore heartily as another British vehicle slammed into his, throwing him off balance.
In the first moments of the ambush, the British were jamming their vehicles into reverse and pulling back. For them, it was standard procedure: Get out of the Taliban's sights and return fire.
The Afghans did the opposite, bailing out of their vulnerable pickup trucks and charging forward. They took shelter in a ditch and looked back at the retreating British with undisguised scorn. Two Afghan soldiers had been wounded, and many others had barely avoided injury when an anti-tank mortar slammed into the tailgate of their truck. It was a dud; the explosion only shattered the rear window. The mortar's tail fin remained stuck in the vehicle, which sat empty in the road as the Taliban continued to sweep the area with gunfire.
Despite the Afghans' bravery, it was the British who answered the insurgents with the most firepower. After pulling a short distance away, they started hammering the tree line and an adjacent compound with their 7.62-millimetre machine guns. One soldier crouched behind a vehicle and set up a spindly communications device, calling for help from artillery or aircraft.
Sergeant Sam Brooks ducked out from the cover of his vehicle to set up a 51-mm mortar. He tried to steady the short tube while finding the range, slowly tilting the weapon until a tiny bubble in greenish liquid indicated that he had the correct angle. Taliban bullets punched the air around him, ringing off a British vehicle nearby with a high-pitched singing note. The sergeant's legs wouldn't stop shaking.
He dropped a high-explosive mortar into the tube and sent it thudding into the tree line, smoke and dust rising a storey above the foliage.
A strange euphoria seemed to overtake Sgt. Brooks and a few of his comrades as they felt themselves gaining the upper hand on their attackers. He pulled out a small camera, started a video recording, and laughed wildly into the lens before setting the device on the front bumper of his jeep to capture the image of himself fighting.
“This is great!” a soldier shouted, above the concussive din.
Capt. Shaw remained grim. The radio told him no aircraft or artillery were ready to hit the Taliban positions; the airspace was blocked by incoming medical helicopters, ferrying wounded from another recent battle. Nor did the British captain have any way of talking to the Afghan troops, who seemed intent on facing the enemy despite having suffered casualties.
He needed to pull them back, but he didn't have any way of communicating the message. Finally, the captain charged forward with another soldier, ducking low through the Taliban's arcs of fire, and hauled the Afghans back to their vehicles.
A red flash and a bang kicked up smoke as something exploded in the middle of the road, perhaps a dozen metres from the British vehicles.
Soldiers manning the machine guns ran out of bullets, fumbling as they slammed in fresh boxes of ammunition. One burned his hands as he inadvertently touched the hot barrel of his gun.
Another gunner shouted and waved at a small girl wearing a purple dress, yelling at her to move away as she led a donkey through the crossfire about halfway between the British and Taliban positions. She was too distant to hear him, just a tiny figure ambling slowly through a dry poppy field. At one point she appeared to stop, as if unsure which direction led to safety, and a moment later she disappeared amid the brown stalks.
British soldiers fall back
Another group of British vehicles soon arrived to cover Capt. Shaw's retreat, and his convoy started to return south along the gravel road.
As they got moving, however, Lance Sgt. Robinson noticed two men in black turbans and black waistcoats cresting the hill about 100 metres away, on the opposite side from the original ambush. They looked like civilians at first glance; then they pulled out Kalashnikov rifles and sprayed the British. The attackers went down in a cloud of dust as the troops retaliated, driving away at full speed.
“Go, go, go, go, go!” a soldier shouted. “Get us out of here.”
Lance Sgt. Robinson said that was the worst moment, for him, getting outflanked at the end of the fight. “It's a good thing they can't aim,” he said. “That was point blank.”
The last time Capt. Shaw had taken fire was during urban battles in southern Iraq, and he said Afghanistan's open terrain is a better place to face insurgents. Still, he said, watching the first volley of incoming rocket-propelled grenades was terrifying.
“I saw the first explosion, and I thought, ‘bloody hell, I'm here in an open-top vehicle,' “ Capt. Shaw said. “Imagine what that would do to me.”
That night, after a medical helicopter had taken away the injured Afghans, and after the probing attack on the guard post had passed, Capt. Shaw held a meeting with his counterpart in the Afghan National Army, a platoon commander named Khudai Dad.
An ethnic Tajik, the ANA commander was anxious to reassure his foreign friends that he had correctly judged the situation here in the Pashtun south. The intelligence about a weapons cache was good, he insisted; the woman who gave him the tip was embittered against the Taliban because the insurgents killed her sons.
“Well, I think we did find the weapons,” Capt. Shaw said with a rueful smile. “They were fired at us.”
The ANA commander estimated that the ambush was set by more than 30 insurgents, judging by their willingness to stand and fight instead of using their typical hit-and-run tactics. Capt. Shaw was skeptical of the number, guessing the Taliban group was smaller, but in any case he concluded that many more troops will be required next time he ventures north of town.
“It's way out of our league,” he said, and the ANA commander nodded.
Echoes of war get closer
After a restless night, sleeping with the thudding noises of fighting in the distance, the soldiers woke to the news of a roadside bombing not far from their base. It was the second in as many days. At another small outpost nearby, tribal elders had brought the bodies of three children killed in recent battles to the north. The girl in the purple dress was not among them.
That day, Capt. Shaw paid a visit to Sangin's central administration compound, where Major Jamie Nowell commands forces patrolling the town. The fighting is getting closer to the community every day, Major Nowell said, but the fact that the town itself remains friendly territory can be counted as a victory. The last district chief sent here by the government saw his home reduced to rubble, he said, but last week, a new chief was installed and appeared to be gaining acceptance. A few modest reconstruction projects have started, mostly fixing electricity systems.
“Sangin is a success story, because we cleaned out the insurgents, held it, and we're getting reconstruction back in,” Major Nowell said.
After a cup of tea, Capt. Shaw returned to his base. His men counted the ammunition spent during the previous day, which included roughly 1,000 machine-gun bullets and 50 mortar rounds.
The old woman whose information led to the ill-fated patrol showed up in the afternoon. She was unapologetic about the ambush, saying the ANA had failed to call ahead as arranged so she could guide them safely through the area.
She repeatedly urged the foreign troops to try again with a bigger force, because her village, Kotezai, had been overrun with insurgents who demanded food and shelter at gunpoint. The Taliban had exiled her family and many others to a nearby desert, she added.
The ANA commander guessed that his men had killed at least one Taliban fighter during the ambush, but the old woman looked at the floor and cocked her head sadly. No, she said, they all escaped.
But she did bring a bit of good news. The girl in the purple dress arrived home safely, she said. The woman's leathery face crinkled into a smile. “Her injury was a small wound on her finger.”
GRAEME SMITH
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
May 19, 2007 at 1:04 AM EDT
SANGIN, AFGHANISTAN — Shots cracked over barricades in the dark, and the night filled with sounds of men shouting and running. The defenders of a small outpost in the town of Sangin slammed mortars into firing tubes, sending up flares that cast a ghostly light over the confused scene.
The smoky phosphorescence revealed British and Afghan soldiers watching nervously over the walls, toward an empty graveyard that Taliban fighters had used as cover to sneak up on a guard post. It was only a probing attack, intended to gauge the strength of the government forces now desperately holding a town on the front lines of this year's fight against the insurgents.
But the attack seemed to fray the nerves of the British troops, who had narrowly escaped an ambush a few hours earlier. As the flares winked out and darkness returned, a soldier walked up to a journalist and tried to give him a handgun.
The offer was declined, but the soldier insisted: “You might need it,” he said, holding out the weapon, its black polish gleaming under his headlamp. “We don't know what will happen tonight.”
The valley of discord
With support from Canadian artillery, U.S. and British troops took control of this half-ruined town and its strategic valley in northern Helmand province in early April. Starting last week, the Taliban launched a major drive to take it back.
The insurgents' new offensive brought them to the doorstep of Captain James Shaw, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. He commands one of several British teams working with Afghan forces in Sangin, sleeping alongside the local troops in a crumbling mud building near the town's market.
Capt. Shaw committed what he later acknowledged was a potentially fatal mistake on a hot afternoon last week. Acting on a tip from an old woman, he allowed his men to search for a rumoured cache of Taliban weapons in a village about five kilometres north of town.
The bumpy route leading north from Sangin had been cleared of insurgents many times, and fighting earlier in the week was concentrated much further north, in the river valleys leading to Kajaki and Musa Qala. The battles swept southward as the days passed, however, and Capt. Shaw hoped he could find the weapons dump quickly and retreat back into town.
Unlike the Canadians who roar through Afghanistan in heavily protected troop carriers, the British rely on light jeeps, whose improvised armour often makes them look jerry-built. That afternoon, Capt. Shaw had only three of these vehicles and a few Afghan pickup trucks.
The patrol rolled past bombed buildings on the outskirts of Sangin, past shuttered stores and a mosque with a missing wall. The vehicles accelerated as they broke into the open countryside, churning a haze of dust over the farmland that sloped away to the left. Children hauled bundles of dry poppy stalks through the fallow fields.
A craggy hill rose to the right of the road. A few minutes outside of town, the hill seemed to explode in a shower of grey smoke streaked with beige dirt. Several more rocket-propelled grenades screamed toward the convoy from a line of trees in the distance, accompanied by the clatter of automatic weapons.
“Contact left!” shouted Lance Sergeant Matt Robinson, standing up in his jeep and raking the trees with bullets. “In that tree line over there! Five hundred metres, four hundred metres! Tree line!”
The young soldier squinted through his scope and banged more rounds downrange, then swore heartily as another British vehicle slammed into his, throwing him off balance.
In the first moments of the ambush, the British were jamming their vehicles into reverse and pulling back. For them, it was standard procedure: Get out of the Taliban's sights and return fire.
The Afghans did the opposite, bailing out of their vulnerable pickup trucks and charging forward. They took shelter in a ditch and looked back at the retreating British with undisguised scorn. Two Afghan soldiers had been wounded, and many others had barely avoided injury when an anti-tank mortar slammed into the tailgate of their truck. It was a dud; the explosion only shattered the rear window. The mortar's tail fin remained stuck in the vehicle, which sat empty in the road as the Taliban continued to sweep the area with gunfire.
Despite the Afghans' bravery, it was the British who answered the insurgents with the most firepower. After pulling a short distance away, they started hammering the tree line and an adjacent compound with their 7.62-millimetre machine guns. One soldier crouched behind a vehicle and set up a spindly communications device, calling for help from artillery or aircraft.
Sergeant Sam Brooks ducked out from the cover of his vehicle to set up a 51-mm mortar. He tried to steady the short tube while finding the range, slowly tilting the weapon until a tiny bubble in greenish liquid indicated that he had the correct angle. Taliban bullets punched the air around him, ringing off a British vehicle nearby with a high-pitched singing note. The sergeant's legs wouldn't stop shaking.
He dropped a high-explosive mortar into the tube and sent it thudding into the tree line, smoke and dust rising a storey above the foliage.
A strange euphoria seemed to overtake Sgt. Brooks and a few of his comrades as they felt themselves gaining the upper hand on their attackers. He pulled out a small camera, started a video recording, and laughed wildly into the lens before setting the device on the front bumper of his jeep to capture the image of himself fighting.
“This is great!” a soldier shouted, above the concussive din.
Capt. Shaw remained grim. The radio told him no aircraft or artillery were ready to hit the Taliban positions; the airspace was blocked by incoming medical helicopters, ferrying wounded from another recent battle. Nor did the British captain have any way of talking to the Afghan troops, who seemed intent on facing the enemy despite having suffered casualties.
He needed to pull them back, but he didn't have any way of communicating the message. Finally, the captain charged forward with another soldier, ducking low through the Taliban's arcs of fire, and hauled the Afghans back to their vehicles.
A red flash and a bang kicked up smoke as something exploded in the middle of the road, perhaps a dozen metres from the British vehicles.
Soldiers manning the machine guns ran out of bullets, fumbling as they slammed in fresh boxes of ammunition. One burned his hands as he inadvertently touched the hot barrel of his gun.
Another gunner shouted and waved at a small girl wearing a purple dress, yelling at her to move away as she led a donkey through the crossfire about halfway between the British and Taliban positions. She was too distant to hear him, just a tiny figure ambling slowly through a dry poppy field. At one point she appeared to stop, as if unsure which direction led to safety, and a moment later she disappeared amid the brown stalks.
British soldiers fall back
Another group of British vehicles soon arrived to cover Capt. Shaw's retreat, and his convoy started to return south along the gravel road.
As they got moving, however, Lance Sgt. Robinson noticed two men in black turbans and black waistcoats cresting the hill about 100 metres away, on the opposite side from the original ambush. They looked like civilians at first glance; then they pulled out Kalashnikov rifles and sprayed the British. The attackers went down in a cloud of dust as the troops retaliated, driving away at full speed.
“Go, go, go, go, go!” a soldier shouted. “Get us out of here.”
Lance Sgt. Robinson said that was the worst moment, for him, getting outflanked at the end of the fight. “It's a good thing they can't aim,” he said. “That was point blank.”
The last time Capt. Shaw had taken fire was during urban battles in southern Iraq, and he said Afghanistan's open terrain is a better place to face insurgents. Still, he said, watching the first volley of incoming rocket-propelled grenades was terrifying.
“I saw the first explosion, and I thought, ‘bloody hell, I'm here in an open-top vehicle,' “ Capt. Shaw said. “Imagine what that would do to me.”
That night, after a medical helicopter had taken away the injured Afghans, and after the probing attack on the guard post had passed, Capt. Shaw held a meeting with his counterpart in the Afghan National Army, a platoon commander named Khudai Dad.
An ethnic Tajik, the ANA commander was anxious to reassure his foreign friends that he had correctly judged the situation here in the Pashtun south. The intelligence about a weapons cache was good, he insisted; the woman who gave him the tip was embittered against the Taliban because the insurgents killed her sons.
“Well, I think we did find the weapons,” Capt. Shaw said with a rueful smile. “They were fired at us.”
The ANA commander estimated that the ambush was set by more than 30 insurgents, judging by their willingness to stand and fight instead of using their typical hit-and-run tactics. Capt. Shaw was skeptical of the number, guessing the Taliban group was smaller, but in any case he concluded that many more troops will be required next time he ventures north of town.
“It's way out of our league,” he said, and the ANA commander nodded.
Echoes of war get closer
After a restless night, sleeping with the thudding noises of fighting in the distance, the soldiers woke to the news of a roadside bombing not far from their base. It was the second in as many days. At another small outpost nearby, tribal elders had brought the bodies of three children killed in recent battles to the north. The girl in the purple dress was not among them.
That day, Capt. Shaw paid a visit to Sangin's central administration compound, where Major Jamie Nowell commands forces patrolling the town. The fighting is getting closer to the community every day, Major Nowell said, but the fact that the town itself remains friendly territory can be counted as a victory. The last district chief sent here by the government saw his home reduced to rubble, he said, but last week, a new chief was installed and appeared to be gaining acceptance. A few modest reconstruction projects have started, mostly fixing electricity systems.
“Sangin is a success story, because we cleaned out the insurgents, held it, and we're getting reconstruction back in,” Major Nowell said.
After a cup of tea, Capt. Shaw returned to his base. His men counted the ammunition spent during the previous day, which included roughly 1,000 machine-gun bullets and 50 mortar rounds.
The old woman whose information led to the ill-fated patrol showed up in the afternoon. She was unapologetic about the ambush, saying the ANA had failed to call ahead as arranged so she could guide them safely through the area.
She repeatedly urged the foreign troops to try again with a bigger force, because her village, Kotezai, had been overrun with insurgents who demanded food and shelter at gunpoint. The Taliban had exiled her family and many others to a nearby desert, she added.
The ANA commander guessed that his men had killed at least one Taliban fighter during the ambush, but the old woman looked at the floor and cocked her head sadly. No, she said, they all escaped.
But she did bring a bit of good news. The girl in the purple dress arrived home safely, she said. The woman's leathery face crinkled into a smile. “Her injury was a small wound on her finger.”
> British soldier killed in Afghanistan - 21 May 07
Tragic accident: Lance Corporal George Russell Davey died on duty in Afghanistan
A British soldier who died in Afghanistan following a “tragic firearms accident” was named today.
Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 23, from 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, died yesterday from injuries sustained during an incident at the British base in Sangin, Helmand Province.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said he "died as a result of a tragic firearms accident" which would be investigated by the special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police.
No further details are being released but a spokesman said: “We can confirm that the soldiers death was not the result of enemy action."
Lance Corporal Davey was born in Great Yarmouth and later moved to Beccles in Suffolk.
Described as a first class soldier and a pillar of strength, the motorbike-loving soldier joined the Army in January 2004.
After completing training as an infantry soldier at Catterick, he joined 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment later that year.
As a Section second in command in 5 Platoon B (Suffolk) Company, the keen swimmer had been serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Operation Herrick 6 since early April 2007.
An MoD statement said: "George was a kind-hearted, loyal and selfless commander who worked tirelessly for the benefit of others.
"His quiet and unassuming demeanour helped him achieve impressive results. With the more junior soldiers in his Section, he had a maturity beyond his years.
"He sought little praise or recognition for his actions, preferring to get on with the job in hand with the minimum of fuss.
"The welfare of his men was always uppermost in his mind.
"In the face of the enemy, he displayed all the attributes of a first class soldier."
The MoD said that on a recent mission in the Sangin Valley, he was "fearless" in the support he provided to his Platoon Sergeant, as he attempted to suppress the enemy under intense fire at close quarters.
It said: "Lance Corporal Davey was a pillar of strength to all those around him and he was a proven combat soldier whose influence will be missed in the Company."
The death is the 55th fatality among British forces personnel in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001. Full story...: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=456733&in_page_id=1770
A British soldier who died in Afghanistan following a “tragic firearms accident” was named today.
Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 23, from 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, died yesterday from injuries sustained during an incident at the British base in Sangin, Helmand Province.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said he "died as a result of a tragic firearms accident" which would be investigated by the special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police.
No further details are being released but a spokesman said: “We can confirm that the soldiers death was not the result of enemy action."
Lance Corporal Davey was born in Great Yarmouth and later moved to Beccles in Suffolk.
Described as a first class soldier and a pillar of strength, the motorbike-loving soldier joined the Army in January 2004.
After completing training as an infantry soldier at Catterick, he joined 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment later that year.
As a Section second in command in 5 Platoon B (Suffolk) Company, the keen swimmer had been serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Operation Herrick 6 since early April 2007.
An MoD statement said: "George was a kind-hearted, loyal and selfless commander who worked tirelessly for the benefit of others.
"His quiet and unassuming demeanour helped him achieve impressive results. With the more junior soldiers in his Section, he had a maturity beyond his years.
"He sought little praise or recognition for his actions, preferring to get on with the job in hand with the minimum of fuss.
"The welfare of his men was always uppermost in his mind.
"In the face of the enemy, he displayed all the attributes of a first class soldier."
The MoD said that on a recent mission in the Sangin Valley, he was "fearless" in the support he provided to his Platoon Sergeant, as he attempted to suppress the enemy under intense fire at close quarters.
It said: "Lance Corporal Davey was a pillar of strength to all those around him and he was a proven combat soldier whose influence will be missed in the Company."
The death is the 55th fatality among British forces personnel in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001. Full story...: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=456733&in_page_id=1770
> British soldier killed in Afghanistan - 03 May 07
Guardsman Simon Davison killed in Afghanistan.It is with great regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Guardsman Simon Davison from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan on Thursday 3 May 2007.
Guardsman Davison was killed by small arms fire while manning a checkpoint near the town of Garmsir in Helmand Province. He was from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, and was operating from Patrol Base Delhi in Garmsir District Centre, southern Helmand Province.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Guardsman Davison had formed part of a team manning the district centre’s Eastern Checkpoint. At 0645 hours local time the checkpoint came under attack from a force of between eight and ten lightly-armed Taliban fighters.
The Grenadiers returned fire with small arms and during the ensuing gun battle Guardsman Davison, who was manning a General Purpose Machine Gun, sustained a gunshot wound. As the fire fight intensified, with the Taliban using Rocket Propelled Grenades as well as small arms, ISAF forces called in support from British artillery.
Guardsman Davison was pulled out of the firing line by members of the Quick Reaction Force from Patrol Base Delhi and was then flown to the medical facilities at Camp Bastion, the main British base in the area. Despite their best efforts, the medical teams on the helicopter and at the base were unable to save his life.
Meanwhile the engagement continued at the Eastern Checkpoint; two Dutch F16 aircraft arrived to provide air support and, at around 0830 hours, a 500lb bomb was dropped on the Taliban firing position. The remainder of the team who had been engaged by the Taliban were then relieved by incoming troops and were able to return to base.
Guardsman Simon Davison
Guardsman Simon Davison, aged 22, was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and attended Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic High School in Cannock and then went to Stafford College. His interests ranged from Thai boxing to carpentry, which was his profession before he became a soldier.
He joined the Army in August 2005 and was posted to 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in March 2006 after completing his training as an infantry soldier at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick. Guardsman Davison leaves behind his mother Maureen Hindmarch, father Ray Davison, and sister Caroline.
Guardsman Davison’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, said:
"Guardsman Simon Davison always wanted to be soldier. As a Grenadier he was immensely proud of the uniform he wore, be it tunic and bearskin or combats. Well known for his ability to find a smile even in the most adverse of conditions he was a soldier who could be relied on to work hard at whatever was asked of him. "Reliable and trustworthy are the two words most used when his colleagues describe him. He died fighting to protect other Grenadiers and gave his life in doing so. There is a no more selfless act a soldier can perform. Guardsman Davison was a popular soldier who will be sorely missed and never forgotten."
His Company Commander, Major Will Mace, added:
"It is with the deepest regret that I have to announce the death of Simon Davison whilst serving on operations in Afghanistan on 3 May 2007. He died bravely, repelling a Taliban attack on the Eastern Checkpoint, a key location for the protection of Garmsir District Centre, southern Helmand Province. "Simon Davison was a soldier of the highest calibre and it is tribute to his professionalism and strong character that he fell while performing his duties and protecting his friends. His death is a great loss to the company, and the thoughts of all of us are very much with his family at this tragic time."
His Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Stuart Jubb, said:
"Simon Davison was a key character in my Platoon. He was popular, hard working and could always be relied upon to raise the morale of the platoon at low moments. His professionalism as a Guardsman was second to none, whether serving on operations or performing duties at Buckingham Palace. "He loved his family and was very proud of his sister and his young niece. He often talked about them and had pictures on his wall. Outside the Army, Simon was a keen Thai boxer and threw himself into the Army social life with gusto. He will be sorely missed by his comrades in the Platoon and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
His Platoon Sergeant, Sergeant Matthew Betts, said:
"Simon was a diligent and smart Guardsman who I had the pleasure of having in my platoon for over a year and a half. I worked with the young man on ceremonial duties in London, trained for operations and served with him in Afghanistan, where he was someone you could depend upon. It was a testament to his self discipline and professionalism that Simon lost his life in action.
"This is a great tribute to him, defending his friends from harm. Simon will be sorely missed in the Platoon. His easy going smile, character and sense of humour, even in extreme adversity, made him a very special person. His loss will be felt everyday by his friends and our thoughts are with his family, who although grieving, should take solace in the fact that Simon at a crucial point did not shrink from his duty, but faced the enemy with outstanding courage whilst under fire."
Guardsman Thomas Eyre, a good friend who served with Guardsman Davison in Afghanistan, said:
"It is pretty hard to imagine what the friends and family are feeling when they read this. In the past five or six months, working closely with him, I got to know 'Davo' really well. He enjoyed his job and tried his hardest at everything, but that is not how I remember him. I remember him as an outgoing mate who thought he was a ladies man.
"He always stuck up for his mates and looked after them. While out here he referred to his beard as a golden main, like a lion and comments like this would keep morale up. He went down defending his section, which was how he lived, sticking up for his mates. I and all his friends will miss and think of him always. It brings back an old saying that there is ‘no greater love as a man, than to lay down his life for his friends’."
Guardsman Jason Lee, who trained with Guardsman Davison, said:
"To the friends and family of Simon I know that no words I say will console your recent loss, but I hope these will in some way. Simon was a good friend of mine in training, in Nijmegen Company in London and when we both joined the Battalion. He was a professional soldier who took pride in what he did. No matter where he was, he liked to enjoy himself and let his hair down. I will miss his personality and how he always raised morale for the lads when times were good or bad. From me and all the boys in One Platoon, he will be dearly missed."
Guardsman Alan Davies, a close friend, said:
"Simon was one of my very good mates. He was a gentleman in every way and could always be relied upon to make people laugh. I would like to tell his parents that we are all very sorry for the loss of your son, who was a great mate and great member of the Platoon. We will miss him everyday."
Defence Secretary Des Browne said:
"Guardsman Davison was by all accounts a truly professional and well respected soldier, and I was deeply saddened when I heard he had died yesterday. My thoughts are with his family, friends and his comrades in Afghanistan as they struggle to come to terms with their loss."
> British soldier killed in Afghanistan - 13 Apr 07
It is with deep regret that the MOD must confirm the death of a British soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment in Afghanistan today, Friday 13 April 2007.
The soldier was killed by small arms fire during a routine patrol.
Members of A Company, 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Vikings, are currently based near the town of Now Zad, in north-west Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.
At around 0930 hrs local time members of A company were returning from a routine security reassurance patrol, when they spotted a five-man Taliban team attempting to set-up an ambush.
The Taliban were challenged and engaged by the patrol. During the initial firefight the patrol was then engaged by larger Taliban force using mortars, 107mm rockets, Rocket Propelled Grenades, heavy machine guns and small arms from multiple firing positions.
It was during this firefight that a member of the patrol received serious gunshot wounds and a Chinook helicopter from the Incident Response Team (IRT) rushed to the scene. supported by an Apache attack helicopter. THe Chinook landed at the scene under constant fire, while the Apache engaged the Taliban forces with its 30mm cannon.
The IRT team collected the casualty and evacuated him to medical facilities at the main British base at Camp Bastion.
Despite the best efforts of the medics onboard the casualty was pronounced dead-on-arrival by a doctor.
The patrol were later engaged by another large Taliban force in a contact which lasted over two hours. An initial estimate is that a significant number of the enemy were killed. During this period, two more soldiers from the Vikings were wounded.
The IRT helicopter and its Apache returned to the scene and, again under fire, collected the two soldiers and took them for treatment at Camp Bastion. Their condition is not serious.
Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Mayo, Task Force Helmand spokesman, said:
"Reassurance patrols are one of the many activities ISAF soldiers carry out to develop a relationship with the local Afghan population."
The IRT helicopter is equipped and staffed for any medical emergency. Their mission is to rescue the wounded and stabilise them before they can be transported for urgent treatment at the military field hospital at Camp Bastion.
The soldier’s next of kin have been informed and have requested a period of time before further details are released.
The soldier was killed by small arms fire during a routine patrol.
Members of A Company, 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Vikings, are currently based near the town of Now Zad, in north-west Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.
At around 0930 hrs local time members of A company were returning from a routine security reassurance patrol, when they spotted a five-man Taliban team attempting to set-up an ambush.
The Taliban were challenged and engaged by the patrol. During the initial firefight the patrol was then engaged by larger Taliban force using mortars, 107mm rockets, Rocket Propelled Grenades, heavy machine guns and small arms from multiple firing positions.
It was during this firefight that a member of the patrol received serious gunshot wounds and a Chinook helicopter from the Incident Response Team (IRT) rushed to the scene. supported by an Apache attack helicopter. THe Chinook landed at the scene under constant fire, while the Apache engaged the Taliban forces with its 30mm cannon.
The IRT team collected the casualty and evacuated him to medical facilities at the main British base at Camp Bastion.
Despite the best efforts of the medics onboard the casualty was pronounced dead-on-arrival by a doctor.
The patrol were later engaged by another large Taliban force in a contact which lasted over two hours. An initial estimate is that a significant number of the enemy were killed. During this period, two more soldiers from the Vikings were wounded.
The IRT helicopter and its Apache returned to the scene and, again under fire, collected the two soldiers and took them for treatment at Camp Bastion. Their condition is not serious.
Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Mayo, Task Force Helmand spokesman, said:
"Reassurance patrols are one of the many activities ISAF soldiers carry out to develop a relationship with the local Afghan population."
The IRT helicopter is equipped and staffed for any medical emergency. Their mission is to rescue the wounded and stabilise them before they can be transported for urgent treatment at the military field hospital at Camp Bastion.
The soldier’s next of kin have been informed and have requested a period of time before further details are released.
> 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards Deployment
March 2007: Camp Shorabak, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The waiting and anticipation is now over for all of us and the task that took all of your loved ones away for so long to train for has begun. The Battalion tour of has started even before all of the Grenadier Battlegroup have arrived. Already we have deployed considerable elements of the Battlegroup into the hills, fields and deserts of Helmland.I am content that the training we have completed has prepared us well for this tour and that the kit and equipment provided here is the best that is currently available. Every person who deploys away from Shorabak has been issued with the new OSPREY enhanced body armour and a brand new type of helmet that gives better protection than those previously issued. The remainder all have the Enhanced Combat Body Armour. As part of our handover from 45 Commando, who have now left us, we have had the chance not only to acclimatise but also to do some live firing to make sure our sights are accurate and that all of our weapons and vehicles are working correctly.
As I promised you on the Families Briefing Night I shall do my utmost to ensure you are all kept up to date with what we are doing using this web site as my main outlet. The first photographs and articles are now being published. I hope that you enjoy them and find them interesting. Now, more than ever, we need to stand together as a family, regardless of cap badge, and by that I mean those of you back in the United Kingdom also and not only those engaged on operations in Helmand.
Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The waiting and anticipation is now over for all of us and the task that took all of your loved ones away for so long to train for has begun. The Battalion tour of has started even before all of the Grenadier Battlegroup have arrived. Already we have deployed considerable elements of the Battlegroup into the hills, fields and deserts of Helmland.I am content that the training we have completed has prepared us well for this tour and that the kit and equipment provided here is the best that is currently available. Every person who deploys away from Shorabak has been issued with the new OSPREY enhanced body armour and a brand new type of helmet that gives better protection than those previously issued. The remainder all have the Enhanced Combat Body Armour. As part of our handover from 45 Commando, who have now left us, we have had the chance not only to acclimatise but also to do some live firing to make sure our sights are accurate and that all of our weapons and vehicles are working correctly.
As I promised you on the Families Briefing Night I shall do my utmost to ensure you are all kept up to date with what we are doing using this web site as my main outlet. The first photographs and articles are now being published. I hope that you enjoy them and find them interesting. Now, more than ever, we need to stand together as a family, regardless of cap badge, and by that I mean those of you back in the United Kingdom also and not only those engaged on operations in Helmand.
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