Page 91 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

that ew overhead, dominating a clear sky with their warning beacons blinking away for all to see.
The following morning AAAB looked very different. The men went to work straight away redesigning the operational battle rhythm and infrastructure to ensure success. It was a busy time, with individuals building new defensive positions. After this, came a period of routine where Ri emen from all levels conducted sentry duty to ensure the camp remained safe. It was dif cult work and the Ri emen, Marines and Danish Guardsmen bore the brunt of the hardship. Temperatures at Al Anbar during the tour uctuated from 34 degrees celsius during the day to -18 at night. The Ri emen, who would rather have been engaging Da’esh alongside the ISF, found the routine of manning sangars to be repetitive, and tedious, but despite the unglamorous nature of the task, they carried out their tasks superbly and were simply fantastic.
The Ri emen also excelled whilst patrolling. The Company Group was insatiable conducting over 2000 patrols during the six-month period. A mixture of mounted, dismounted, joint patrolling with our ISF partners and OP/ ambushes were all common place.
The relationships the men forged with our US and
Danish partners was also a huge success story, with the Company maintaining excellent bonds with all of our allied partner nations throughout the entirety of the tour. Mutual respect and professional attitudes ensured that our interoperability was always seamless. After 6 months of painstaking effort, B Company handed over B Company 4 SCOTS. The incoming unit was eager to impress and really set off with a bang ready to take the mission forward and build upon the 4 RIFLES vanguard deployment. We wish 2 RIFLES all the best in Al Asad when they take over 4 SCOTS at the back end of 2017.
OC B Company, Maj S C Pengilly
THE COMPANY GROUP WAS INSATIABLE CONDUCTING OVER 2000 PATROLS DURING THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD
THE RIFLES
FOURTH BATTALION 89
Lt Tom Lane building relationships whilst on patrol at one of the ISF checkpoints
A B Company security patrol watches over the vastness of Al Asad Airforce Base