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The Kandak Liaison Team – Maj Andy McLachahan
The Kandak Liaison Team was formed from the five Kandak Advisory Teams. Based
out of Main Operating Base Price our remit stretched across central Helmand from the 1st Kandak in Nadi Ali through Lashkar Gah to the 3rd Kandak covering the Helmand valley to the North of Gereshk and as far west as Camp Bastion with the 6th Kandak guarding Highway 1. Anywhere in between where the ANA operated we had a remit to support them. For those of us in the Kandak Liaison Team this made it one of the best jobs of Herrick 19 working from arguably the best location in Helmand. That is not as big a shout as it might sound.
MOB Price had reduced down from two battle groups to what was on our arrival
a small community of around 200 mainly British solders based just outside Gereshk, the financial centre of Helmand. For the majority of the tour it was just big enough that you didn’t have to speak to the same people every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner but small enough that you knew everyone and so there were few arbitrary decisions from nameless bosses imposed on us all. This was partly because the highest rank was Major so clearly I was fairly safe but I think the guys felt the same for the most part.
The Kandak Liaison Team was only 20-24 blokes, depending on leave, who primarily provided force protection under the watchful eye of CSgt Bowles and later Lt Hudson. Mixed in with the Mercian capbadge was
an RAMC Medic and a Fire Support Team from 3 RHA led by Capt Hudson and ably supported by Bdr Rose and Prophet. All of this existed to allow me to visit the Afghan Army Colonels who run the Kandaks in Central Helmand and provide them in- extremis support when they deployed on operations.
The team spent most days out of camp visiting one Kandak or another and often travelled further afield than Gereshk to visit the 4th Kandak near Lashkar Gah or the 1st Kandak in Pimon,
discovered that I was legally old enough
to be our driver’s dad and loved to pass
the time commenting on what they saw
as the father-son relationship that I had
with Pte Nicklin. We also got to see how the Helmandi people lived, whether it was observing them from roof tops through LCpl Pogmore’s sharp shooter sight or disturbing the peace by rolling through their Kalays
in our protected mobility vehicles. One of my favourite spots was a small hash farm on the Lashkar Gah road which was half- heartedly hidden behind a thin layer of dying corn. It reflected the lazy opportunism of the area well. And no, we didn’t stop to try the local produce from the farm shop.
Meeting the Afghan Commanders was generally a social affair. Usually I would be accompanied by Capt Hudson or Capt Priggs, the KLT 2IC, and an interpreter. The idea was that I would then have someone to scribe so that I could concentrate on
Outside the meeting the rest of the
team would provide security. This was a careful balance between relaxed interaction with the Afghan Warriors and providing a professional guard force that a potential insurgent sympathiser would not choose to take on. The team got this just right, they were able to joke with the Afghans about how pretty Rfn Lindop and Pte Lock were, play football and volley ball but still have a presence that left no one in any doubt that they would lose if they took us on.
During the day to day business the ANA got on with it and we just kept in touch.
If something went wrong then we would get a call telling us they wanted to bring casualties to the front gate for us to fly to hospital. When this happened we provided the link between our med team and the ANA. The team medics in our team were also an important part of the Price medical set up and would help to treat casualties. Pte Ponter and Rfn Breeze were two of
the most diligent team medics. Mostly they were the rank and file of the ANA so it was very easy to separate the man from the job.
Whilst everything was geared toward empowering the Afghan Army to conduct operations independently, the opportunity to deploy with them was still one of the best parts of the job. Whilst the KLT did deploy out to support the Afghan Army (ANA)
on an operation to clear the insurgents from certain areas or to strike insurgent compounds, we did not get to do it as often as we wanted too but in hindsight we probably did it more than we really needed to. Persuading the British Army to let go
of control of operations is probably harder than getting the Afghan Army to conduct operations without us!
For the majority of operations we would be based near the Afghan Commander
in or close to one of his checkpoints that
Nad-e Ali. Mostly this
was done by road after
a long and often painful
CONOPS ping pong
match with the Brigade
staff, their scrutiny of
what was essentially a
multiple patrol perfectly
demonstrated the limited activity that was taking place in Helmand during Herrick 19. Occasionally, after considerable effort, we were supported by helicopter which allowed us to avoid setting patterns and reduced the saddle sores from long journeys wearing the Kevlar nappies that were stipulated in the force protection measures.
We undoubtedly saw more of Helmand than most. The longer trips and inevitable sitting around gave everyone a chance to get to know each other well. LCpl Neale and Cpl Vass, the KLT signal det, soon
the meeting and not
the action points. This worked well up to a point but as we quickly got to a stage where we could talk comfortably about stuff other than work; I noticed that Capt Priggs was often
far too involved in the conversation to remember to write anything down! In one memorable meeting we discussed tattoos, international news, skiing in Norway and girls (they are clean and beautiful). Freddie didn’t record any action points in that one.
Mostly the meetings took place over
chai (green tea) and a tray of nuts but occasionally we would have a lunch together which was usually Afghan food. This hospitality would usually be extended to the guardian angels. Some embraced the food more readily than others...
Meeting the Afghan Commanders was generally a social affair.
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