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Escalation
‘We came over the brow of a hill, and as we crested it we saw a group of Taleban with RPGs and AK47 rifles. Someone said that our engagement sounded like something from Star Wars.’
Corporal 'M', Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 3 PARA
The summer of 2006 saw the UK Task Force sorely tested with a growing number of contacts with the Taleban. These included rocket attacks, increasingly sophisticated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonations, ambushes and ground assaults on outposts. On any single day several units could be engaged in combat in widespread locations.
An Arms and Explosives Search (AES) dog searches for Improvised Explosive Devices with her handler, May 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-74. Crown Copyright
‘I don’t think anyone expected the intensity of the operation and the amount of ammunition that was needed. We were getting up to 150 tonnes a week coming into Kandahar and then flying the same amount to Bastion.’
Corporal Hutchinson, Royal Logistic Corps (RLC)
The emphasis of the Task Force moved from hearts and minds and supporting reconstruction to fighting a battle to keep Coalition and Afghan National Army units supplied and safe.
The units of 16 Air Assault Brigade were divided, dispersed and allotted multiple tasks including, command and control, reconnaissance, training, security, critical artillery and air support, crucial logistical and medical support as well as vital intelligence gathering.
Heavily armed soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment move out of Musa Qala having completed their mission, August 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-246. Crown Copyright
Core tasks like supply, vehicle maintenance and security were complicated and disrupted by increased levels of insurgent violence. Whether engineers, mechanics or military police the security situation in Helmand meant they were, first and foremost, fighting soldiers.
The personnel and resources of the Task Force were severely stretched. The limited number of supply helicopters available and the threat from anti-aircraft fire meant supplies often had to go by road. The threat of IEDs and ambush meant these convoys had to be well protected, which put a further strain on resources.
A Royal Air Force CH47 Chinook helicopter brings supplies into the base at Sangin, June 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-260. Crown Copyright
Army Air Corps Apache attack helicopters, Royal Air Force Harrier and American A10 ground attack aircraft were often vital in the support of combat troops. In combination with artillery and mortars, their firepower, called in by Fire Support Teams, could turn the tide against enemy forces. With several contacts often happening at once, tough decisions had to be made on where the air power should be used.
British soldiers watch as a 500lb bomb is dropped on an enemy position in Musa Qala, August 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-229. Crown Copyright
‘They threw everything at us, small arms, mortars, and 105mm rocket assisted shells. From then on life on the hill went back to normal…as normal as you can get in Afghanistan with a load of local heroin poppy farmers trying to kill you.’
Signaller Mazzone
Units deployed to outposts were often under constant threat of attack and movement in around compounds could become very restricted. Some posts like Musa Qala, where the main building was nicknamed ‘The Alamo’, withstood weeks of bombardment and assaults. Troops expended hundreds of mortar and thousands of machine gun rounds to fight off the Taleban encircling them, sometimes calling in air strikes to within 50 metres of their own positions.
Soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment stop in a wooded area in Musa Qala having cleared it of enemy, August 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-232. Crown Copyright
‘When it came to my 21st birthday I was very depressed and my morale was really low. I got very homesick and really wanted to speak to them [family and friends].’
Soldier based at Kajaki
When not under attack the soldiers spent their time improving defences and communications, organising re-supply and gathering intelligence on opposition forces. Once these duties, were completed, eating, sleeping and, where possible, washing were the next priorities.
At outposts like Kajaki, where re-supply was difficult and communication home limited, keeping up one’s spirits could be a problem. To combat boredom today’s soldier goes to war armed with an array of personal technology including MP3 players, games consoles, camera phones and compact video cameras. This has led to an unprecedented volume of recordings and pictures that help record the soldiers’ experiences.
Soldiers try to stop the persistent flies getting at them while they try to sleep during a break in their duties, July 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-203. Crown Copyright
‘We started to run out of food, water and ammunition and the lovely meal of corned beef hash that I looked forward to EVERYDAY. We were buying food off the locals and drinking purified water from the reservoir.’
Soldier based at Kajaki
Shortages or lack of variety in their rations led some troops to acquire food from local sources. In some posts improvised gyms were set up to maintain fitness and occupy time, others pursued more intellectual pastimes such as chess. The Taleban were increasingly on hand to ensure that no one got too comfortable.
Gurkhas killing a locally-purchased goat for the pot, June 2006
NAM. 2008-01-1518-13
‘While the Taleban are still a challenge, I believe we have had a significant effect in degrading its fighting capability in the past few weeks.’
Brigadier Ed Butler
As well as manning outposts and patrolling, specific Task Force Operations were launched to demonstrate the presence of Coalition forces, aid security and provide relief and supplies to outposts. These were also tactical strikes against Taleban forces and their allies, sympathisers and supply lines.
Members of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment await evacuation after an operation against a Taleban stronghold, July 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-29. Crown Copyright
In July 2006 Operation AUGUSTUS was launched to remove a ‘High-Value Target’ in Sangin. Days later a ‘Shura’, or meeting, was organised with local leaders in an attempt to gain their support. The situation was secure enough for the Governor of Helmand Province to attend.
Throughout the deployment offensive operations were mounted against Taleban strongholds like Now Zad. What were once thriving market centres had become virtual ghosts towns because of Taleban intimidation and renewed insurgency.
‘Shura’ with town and tribal leaders in Sangin, July 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-16. Crown Copyright
Operation SNAKEBITE in August 2006 was one of the largest operations since British Forces arrived in the region. It targeted Taleban forces in the disputed northern town of Musa Qala. The heavy fighting around Musa Qala led to several British casualties and made life for the local people very difficult. In September 2006 a form of ceasefire, brokered by village elders, was negotiated leading to a controversial withdrawal of combatants.
Operations in the towns and villages of Afghanistan are particularly gruelling. As well as contending with the threat of booby traps, ambush and snipers, troops have to use sledgehammers, explosive mouse-hole charges and ladders to enter and secure mud brick compounds and houses. All this, wearing body armour, in temperatures close to 47C.
British troops move into Musa Qala early on 24 August 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-241. Crown Copyright
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