NAVY NEWS, MAY 2009 25
on town, the British forward operating base and other group – the Military Stabilisation Support Team – trigger mines, and other bomb components in a undermine him by bringing the local populace
nd strongpoints in the Musa Qaleh valley. fi nds life in Gereshk has been rejuvenated. series of compounds and old trenches from the onside.
Above all, it commanded respect from the That is thanks largely to small – but vital – changes war with the Soviets in the 1970s and 80s. All were To that end, IX Commanding Offi cer Lt Col Andrew
ed enemy. to the lives of ordinary Gereshk residents. destroyed by the men of X-Ray Company. McInerney had a plethora intelligence gatherers to
… “The Taleban are running scared because of the Bridges and wells have been built, water towers “The enemy has been hiding weapons and call upon:
in Dragon,” said Gnr Thomas Alder, whose gun is erected, roads improved, schools refurbished, explosives for years in this area. To fi nd anything Brigade Reconnaissance Force – 3 Commando
so dubbed by the insurgents thanks to “the huge clinics and the town’s hospital overhauled. is always a plus and, most importantly, it gives the Brigade’s elite scouts who are sent ahead of the
he belching fl ame that spits out of the barrel when it Work has been given to local men clearing rubbish
lads confi dence in their own ability,” said section main body of troops to observe the enemy. In
he fi res”. and cleaning the irrigation ditches.
commander Cpl Alex Tingle. Helmand, they have been joined by the Afghan
on And what’s not to be afraid of? The 105mm can
“They’re small steps at the moment, but we are Capt Jamie Jamison, second-in-command of Territorial Force who have shared their knowledge
as acquire, engage and hit a target at two miles’ range
seeing defi nite progress,” said Lt David Joyce RN, X-Ray Company added: “The devices we destroyed of the terrain and culture.
in under fi ve seconds.
the senior British member of the Anglo-Danish were obviously ready to be used and would have Y Squadron – the Royals’ electronic warfare
he
The gunners’ vantage point on Roshan Tower
team. had a catastrophic effect. No doubt we saved some specialists who’ve been listening in on Taleban
nts
allows them not merely to engage Taleban
“Working in Gereshk has been a fantastic lives or spared others life-changing injury. ‘chatter’. “As any self-respecting member of Y
on
forces moving in the valley below, but also give
challenge. We’re making every effort to win the
British troops a running commentary of enemy
consent of the local people.”
“The Taleban know that they cannot match
Squadron will tell you, ears are weapons too,” said
us in a fi ght and have had to resort to the
Lt Col McInerney.
t a
movements.
His boss, Maj Anders Johansen, says that
“The gun is phenomenally accurate – the Dragon’s
sustained effort over the past 12 months is paying
cowardly use of bombs which target local
Unmanned drones – robot eyes in the sky
men, women and children as much as us or
providing ‘real time’ (live) video footage as well as
an
the most feared weapon in our area by the Taleban.
off: more and more locals are tipping the Allies off
They are genuinely frightened by it. And it’s the most
about Taleban movements.
Afghan forces.”
still images for experts to analyse at more leisure.
‘Info ops’ – once called propaganda – is the
ent
loved weapon by our forces,” said Maj James Vigne,
“There hasn’t been an attack in Gereshk since ALL these operations have been driven by attempt to infl uence the morale and attitude of
es
Commander 8 (Alma) Commando Battery.
August 2008 and the last suicide bomber was in June intelligence, a shadowy area in warfare which the populace. There’s little in the way of ‘media’ in
n –
“Since it was nicknamed the Dragon, the effort of
2008. That’s a good indicator that the insurgents are normally doesn’t appear in these pages… for Afghanistan, so the Allies have set up radio stations
ern
uncamoufl aging the gun is now called ‘bringing the
not welcome,” the Dane added. about 30 years. and handed out wind-up receivers to the populace
Dragon from its lair’.”
“The majority of Afghans do not wish to go back And we’re not about to change that. But we can to tune into a mix of music, news and educational
ers AFTER war eventually comes peace. The town to the way things were in 2001.”
give a broad brushstroke of operations by the Royal programmes. Leafl ets have also been scattered
wn of Gereshk, 50 miles south of Musa Qaleh, is Stable though life is slowly becoming in Gereshk,
Marines’ UK Landing Force Command Support among towns and villages.
regarded as the hub of Helmand’s economic the Taleban presence in northern Helmand can Group – at the heart of the intelligence effort on the “What should be clear to anyone is that there are
ma) life. never be discounted. ground in Helmand. no quick fi xes. It’s been an intense and demanding
nd It was a Taleban stronghold at one time. In fact, A routine search by 45 Commando near Sangin, With local and international forces bolted on, the experience, and a challenge to which everyone has
ers barely a year ago it was still deemed unsafe by another one-time hotbed of insurgent activity, support group became the ‘information exploitation risen admirably,” said Lt Col McInerney.
its many civilian organisations looking to rebuild daily unearthed yet another Taleban weapons cache. group’ or IX Group. “I am proud to say that the unit delivered an
life in Helmand. The insurgents left improvised explosive devices In simple terms, its role is to fi nd the enemy, outstanding performance – but this success carried
he Twelve months on, an 18-strong Anglo-Danish – bombs – ready for use, rifl es, pressure plates to understand him, then strike, and at the same time a high price.”
● A green beret of Whiskey Company, 45 Commando
tests a grenade launcher and (right) two men from
42 Commando pause while clearing out a suspected
Taleban compound during the fi nal stage of Operation
Aabi Toorah
pictures: la(phots) gaz faulkner, 42 cdo, and nick tryon, 45 cdo
NEW 023-025_NN_May.indd 3 23/4/09 10:55:41
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