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Helmand and the British Role
‘In the middle of nowhere…this extraordinary piece of desert is where the future of world security in the early 21st century is going to be played out’
Prime Minister Tony Blair, Camp Bastion, November 2006
Helmand is half the size of England with a population matching Cambridgeshire in number. It is divided by the River Helmand, a significant obstacle in both summer and winter, along which run towns and villages. The river supports the production of crops and narcotics. The provincial capital at Lashkar Gah houses 60% of the population. There are few tarmac roads other than Route One, the key transport route across the province. Air supply is therefore essential.
A British compound in the Helmand desert, 2006
NAM. 2008-05-2-26
To the south, flat desert extends to a mountain range along the Pakistan border. Control of the town of Garmsir in the south was hotly disputed during 16 Air Assault Brigade’s deployment but Coalition activity in the far south was limited.
To the north lie the strategically significant towns of Now Zad, Sangin, Musa Qala and Kajaki. At Kajaki a dam controls the flow of the river and a hydro-electric power station supplies most of southern Afghanistan.
Temperatures are extreme, falling to -15C in winter and rising to +45C in summer and varying widely from day-time to night-time hours.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment move into Now Zad, July 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-25. Crown Copyright
‘United Kingdom Task Force entered a Province rich in opium, the Pashtanwali Code and weak in Afghan institutions and its tolerance of outsiders, especially the British.’
23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) on Operation HERRICK IV
Camp Bastion was built in early 2006 near the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, ‘The Place of Soldiers’. The largest British military base constructed since the Second World War, Camp Bastion, became UK Task Force Headquarters as British troops moved into Helmand. The cross-governmental Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), set up to help the Afghan Government build strong governmental institutions, enforce security and create jobs, also operated from Laskar Gah.
A queue outside 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment’s dining hall at Camp Bastion, June 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-295. Crown Copyright
One of 16 Air Assault Brigade’s key responsibilities was providing transport and protection for the military and civilian personnel of the PRT within Lashkar Gah. They also mounted Framework Patrols within the provincial capital, meeting the locals and providing reassurance, whilst at the same time deterring and hindering Taleban activity. Long range Out Reach patrols visited distant villages and Bedouin encampments within Helmand. These patrols also provided quick fix projects including medical assistance.
As Taleban activity increased, patrolling by 16 Air Assault Brigade became more aggressive. Manoeuvre Outreach Groups (MOGs) were formed from across the Brigade, including armour, artillery and medical units. They were designed to operate independently over long distances and periods of time in an attempt to deny the Taleban freedom of movement in the countryside.
A joint Afghan National Army and Provincial Reconstruction Team patrol near Lashkar Gah, July 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-309. Crown Copyright
‘At first this wasn’t taken very well by the Afghans, obviously they are a very proud nation and they consider themselves fighters…but after a while they started seeing what we were doing was good and that we were training their men to a good standard, better than what they had received.’
Sergeant Lewis 7 Para RHA
The development of effective national security forces is regarded as crucial to the future of a peaceful and secure Afghanistan. Units of 16 Air Assault Brigade were to the fore in training and mentoring new formations of the Afghan National Army using Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLT). OMLT were based at Camp Tombstone and the Afghan National Army at Camp Shorabak, both situated near Camp Bastion. OMLT deployed to Sangin, Musa Qala, Now Zad and Garmsir. British troops trained and, as Taleban resistance grew, increasingly fought alongside Afghan National Army in these towns and the surrounding countryside.
An Afghan soldier being trained to use the .50 calibre machine-gun by members of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team, May 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-10. Crown Copyright
‘Suggestions that British forces are being out-gunned or facing a Rorke’s Drift scenario are incorrect.’
Lieutenant-Colonel David Reynolds
Once established, British forces moved out to support Afghan security forces occupying strategically vital district centres like Sangin and Now Zad, in northern Helmand. Forward Operating Bases (FOB) Price and Robinson were established at Gareshk and Sangin respectively. Platoon Houses were set up in Now Zad, Sangin, Musa Qala and Kajaki. Hotbeds of resistance like Sangin and Musa Qala would occupy the Brigade for most of their tour.
A soldier from ‘A’ Company 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment on guard duty at the Sangin base, June 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-17. Crown Copyright
From these fortified compounds British forces, working with the Afghan National Army, undertook reconstruction work where they could and mounted patrols, meeting with locals and attempting to instil confidence as well as establish security. The Taleban took up the challenge and began an increasingly aggressive campaign against these outposts and patrols operating on their home ground.
Soldiers of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment patrol through Sangin with members of the Afghan National Army, June 2006.
NAM. 2006-10-3-18. Crown Copyright
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