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Battalion Sitrep as at 28 Oct 07
(Archive)
No 1 Company is now firmly
established in Camp Souter in Kabul on the extremities of Kabul
International Airport. The Company has been fully in place now
for just over 3 weeks and has started to fall into a routine not
too dissimilar to operations in Northern Ireland. Regrettably
they were involved in a fatal shooting of an ISAF Interpreter
who drove too close to a vehicle convoy of ‘Snatch’ Land-rovers.
The interpreter was employed at the main prison in Kabul and was
driving with colleagues, one of whom was wounded. This shooting
took place as a direct result of a failure by the driver to obey
legitimate directions from the No 1 Company multiple. To put it
into context, the multiples deploy numerous times daily around
their AOR in Kabul and face daily threats from suicide and
vehicle borne IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) with often
catastrophic consequences. It says much to the professionalism
and restraint of the young NCOs and Officers on the ground that
incidents like these are few and far between. The Company, and
indeed all ISAF troops, operate a policy of force escalation,
using firearms only as a last resort. The incident is being
investigated, although it appears that all of our soldiers
operated well within their guidelines. For all of this, the
Company is having a high degree of influence in their AOR and a
number of Reconstruction and Development Projects are being
undertaken under the guidance of Captain Pete Dale. Day to day
activities sees the Company investing heavily in local
relationships with the various Mayors and District Chiefs of the
AOR. Whilst doubtlessly enjoying some of the better facilities
for deployed Coldstreamers, the Company is working equally hard
with positive results in the complex urban environment.
No 3 Company is also on good
form and was visited recently by the Commanding Officer at
Forward Operating Base Keenan The Company lives in a genuinely
austere environment where they have been contacted several times
over the previous 4 days. Fortunately there have been no
casualties to date in the face of mostly small arms fire and
indirect fire onto the Coy location. The recently formed ad-hoc
platoon commanded by Lt Richard Watkins and the Drum Major had
the dubious honour of being the first Coldstream Guards multiple
under fire in something of a meeting engagement. The platoon who
were caught in open ground were relieved to recover to the
patrol base in good order. These are early days yet, but No 3
Coy have already developed aggressive plans to take the fight to
the enemy whilst striving to win the consent of the locals
striking a delicate and difficult balance between the two.
Right Flank is also doing
well and has recently marked its two month point in the tour.
Warrior has proved a remarkably apt and able asset within the
desert environment providing a good balance between the need for
protection, speed and firepower. The Commanding Officer recently
managed to visit the Company and was surprised to find that he
could hardly recognise members of the Battalion who have all
grown beards!
The OMLT team continue to
train and mentor the Afghan National Army based out of Camp
Shorabak. Captain Crispin D’apice has somehow managed to get
himself detached to Norway for three weeks to help train
incoming ISAF force elements. We wish him well in Stavanger,
doubtless he will have a good time although the difference
between Helmand Province in October and Norway should be
interesting!
Coldstreamers deployed at Lashkar Gar
(the Bde HQ) have been equally busy. Captain Michael Pepper has
managed to find time to spend a week in Kabul at the Counter
Insurgency Academy. This Academy is run by the Americans and is
the first of its kind in the world bringing together elements
from the Afghan National Army (ANA), the Afghan National Police
(ANP) and the NDS (equivalent of the Security Service) to study
best practice in counter insurgency. Captain Pepper has been
asked to re-attend the course as a group leader in the future.
The Sergeant Major continues to work as SO3 Information
Operations and the Coldstream Rifle Platoon attached to the 2
YORKS Company under the command of 2Lt Mark Hayhurst are working
hard. They recently undertook a short MOG (Manoeuvre Operations
Group), essentially a desert patrol covering a number of days,
to recce a number of river crossings to the South East of the
Provincial Centre. This occurred without incident and the
Company has now returned to urban patrolling around Lashkar Gar
and force protection for the Bde HQ. The UK Police Mentoring
Teams (provided by the Recce Platoon) are both well and tackling
the enormous task of training and mentoring the corrupt Afghan
National Police.
In Camp Bastion the arrival
of the TQMS, WO2 John Sheard, heralds what is hoped will be a
concentration of G4 effort to assist those Coldstreamers who are
deployed to the further outreaches of Helmand Province.
Regrettably the penny-packetting of the Battalion has meant that
G4 support has not always been up to a sufficiently (expected)
high standard.
RNR starts in just under a month although many have opted for a
later date so that the ‘final push’ is much shorter upon our
return.
Regards to all from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards,
George Waters
Lt Col
Comd Offr.
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