Page 20 - Mercian Eagle 2013

18
years. Previously the Green Zone was the traditional contested space, providing that familiar backdrop for troops moving through deep irrigation ditches and heavily cropped fields. Recent successes by both British and Afghan forces have now largely tamed this problem in Nad Ali, and a heavy Afghan police and Army presence has pushed the combat aspect of the insurgency out of the Green Zone into the surrounding desert. The dividing line between the Nad Ali Green Zone and the desert or ‘Dashte’ is the somewhat infamous Nahr-e-Baghra Canal, a significant arterial water feature built by the Americans in the 1950s to irrigate the land either side of the Helmand river. The Dashte remains populated and presented new challenges when dealing with the insurgent. Large open spaces leave little cover and dense compound clusters proved problematic. Combined with the fact that Afghan forces considered the Dashte and its population an irritating irrelevance, the determined insurgency, that operated with a degree of impunity, remained a lethal threat.
The initial stages of the tour were frantic. The Platoon were initially utilised as a manoeuvre asset to support the various ground-holding and strike companies
as well as conducting our own discreet operations to support the Battle-group. The initial pace of life did not give much respite to the Platoon nor the Jackal vehicles we used to patrol. In retrospect our confidence in our own driving ability encountered a cruel nemesis; the Nad Ali Dashte. Pte
Chris “Talledaga Nights” Harper and LCpl Dave “Days of Thunder” Hodson proved early frontrunners in the vehicle demolition business, resulting in some most un-officer- like tantrums from the Platoon commander. Happily as our experience grew so did our ability to tackle the difficult ground quickly and effectively. Nevertheless our vehicle recovery skills became so slick that the men of the Recce and Sniper Platoons would have given a Formula One pit team a run for their money!
hugely successful patrol. Happily all four are now well on the road to recovery.
Op HERRICK 17 proved to be a tour
of significant campaign progression, as Afghan forces gradually took more primacy in security. As the Platoon had less direct patrolling to conduct, the role switched to one of target-development. In line with the Commanding Officer’s priorities, the Recce and Sniper Platoons sought to build upon intelligence leads on suspected targets. By utilising various technological capabilities
hand with both specialist Afghan and British forces and greatly enhanced both our personal skills and our confidence in taking a new approach to the insurgency.
Towards the end of the tour frequent opportunities arose for the Snipers amongst the Platoon to quietly exploit their talents. Campaign constraints increasingly pointed to the Sniper weapons system as being a preferred weapon of choice for the obvious reasons. A number of requirements allowed the Snipers to be inventive and cunning in their planning and ultimately support several British and Afghan patrols as well as patrol- bases to great effect, most importantly at PB Folad towards the end of the tour.
The close of the tour saw a smooth handover to 2 LANCS followed by a rambunctious whistle-stop visit to Cyprus for decompression and home for some much needed leave. The Platoon now enters a new phase, the usual personality changes have taken place and the
Recce Platoon welcomes a new Platoon Commander and 2IC. As the future forecast remains uncertain, but with
a merger on the horizon the Platoons
now focus on retraining those basic reconnaissance and sniping skills and maintaining their reputation at the top of the 1 MERCIAN OrBat.
The first half of the tour culminated
in what was to be the major Brigade operation of Op HERRICK 17, namely Op TUFAAN. The operation saw a significant deployment of British
troops supporting an
Afghan National Army
push through the
contested Dashte. It is
strong testament to the
soldiers’ professionalism
that the Commanding
Officer had the
confidence in the
Platoon to ensure that
we played a crucial role in the operation. Combined with a patrol from the FSG, the Support Company block to the East of the Afghan National Army stood firm. However the operation was not without incident: frequent contacts and a developing game of cat-and-mouse led to an IED incident and four casualties from the FSG. This incident marred what had been a challenging but
as well as a great deal of painstaking and,
at times, frustrating observation the Platoon had some significant triumphs in developing potential targets for strike opportunities for both British and Afghan forces. This element
of the tour certainly
The operation saw a significant deployment of British troops supporting an Afghan National Army...
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
provided a different
us a chance to exercise our minds in order to try and understand our adversary over an extended period of time. Patience
and dedication frequently paid off and the Battle-Group and therefore the Platoon had overwhelming success in this arena. Subsequent ‘strikes’ on to mature targets allowed us opportunities to work hand-in-
challenge for us, giving