Welcome to the
OP Telic 6 (IRAQ) Section
- Bn Sit-Rep
*NEW*
RADIO INTERVIEW - For the latest update
see the recent radio interview between the Commanding
Officer and Eagle FM
For the latest
articles, including a recent Battalion Sit Rep see
HERE
1 COLDSTREAM GUARDS OP
TELIC VI
The Battalion deployed on
Op TELIC VI, as part of 12 Mech Bde, as the Basra
City Battlegroup in mid-Apr 05,
 taking
over responsibility for the AO on 21 Apr 05 from 1
DWR BG. The Battlegroup (BG) consists of the
Battalion (less 1 Coy detached to 1 STAFFORDS in Al
Amarah), A Coy 1 STAFFORDS, C Coy 2 RRF, 127 Bty and
19/5 Bty from 19 Regt RA, plus assorted Sappers,
Medics, Loggies and RMP. We also look after A Coy 1
R ANGLIAN, a Romanian (UN) infantry company, yet
more Sappers and an array of groups that don’t seem
to appear on any Taskorg. To add a cosmopolitan
flavour, various civilian protection companies camp
on our patch – some working with us, others working
with UK and US government departments – the latter
also requiring support from the BG. It is, to put
it mildly, a large and diverse organisation that
ensures we are kept busy just to keep standing
still.
Having now completed 2
months of the tour and it is racing by. As we
commenced our takeover the first bombs for many
months exploded in the City; this was the beginning
of a concerted campaign targeted at the Iraqi
Security Forces (ISF) and ourselves. Mortars,
rockets and small arms fire added to an equation
that
focussed our minds immediately – at a time when we
were expecting a short honeymoon period to ‘bed-in’
and get to know our AO. There has been at least 1 x
IED each morning and normally another incident at
night – all the companies are quick to prove their
drills, reacting quickly and efficiently.
The Battlegroup have
undertook numerous surge operations and we have had
some success, along with the ISF, in deterring and
disrupting insurgent activity. Latterly, the
bombings have died away and the main activity
revolves around abductions and murder of prominent
individuals – sometimes tied in with the programme
of de-Ba’athification, sometimes rivals using the
current political vacuum to settle old scores. The
current period is significantly quieter than
hitherto but one is never sure what is around the
corner and there is continuous, but potentially
lethal, background noise. All this while patrolling
in body armour, carrying water and (lots of)
ammunition in 120° heat through the crowded markets
or in the back of cramped SNATCHs
>More images are available in the
OP TELIC 6 PICTURES
section.
>More info is available via the
THE BASRAH BULLETIN
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