Army bomb disposal team clears Afghan highway of IEDs

Corporal James Carr keeps a look out with a member of the weapons intelligence service during the improvised explosive device clearance operation

Army bomb disposal experts from the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Task Force have cleared the road to the market town of Shahzad in South West Helmand, in the heart of the Green Zone.

The road, littered with improvised explosive devices and surrounded by insurgent positions, had previously been impassable for the local population in an area controlled by the Taliban until Operation MOSHTARAK.

The task took five weeks to complete and saw the team painstakingly clearing improvised explosive devices.

At each stage, soldiers of Fire Support Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, cleared insurgents from compounds at the sides of the road to provide a circle of protection so that the C-IED team could continue with their task.

Ammunition Technical Officer Captain Ciaron Dyer, who commanded the C-IED team, said:

"My team and I were tasked to clear IEDs from the area. We were working alongside the Royal Engineer Search Team who were providing a high assurance search of the road so we could then clear any devices and make the route clear for future traffic."

Like many of the IEDs in Helmand, the devices were created from homemade explosives, ranging in size from 15 to 25kg. They were then buried in the road ready to target both ISAF forces and civilians.

Lance Corporal Kofi Dzando, a Territorial Army soldier from London who is currently attached to the bomb disposal team, said:

"As an infantry escort, my job is to go there and make sure that the guy who clears the device is safe. It is my job to ensure that any threat is eliminated and support the Number 2, who is the assistant to the boss, helping him with his equipment.

"The hardest part is when the boss goes out there to do his job. We don't know what to expect, apart from the fact that we know there is a device down there. It's a hard time because anything can happen at any point."

As Captain Dyer and his team move on to other taskings, members of Fire Support Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, are continuing to provide security to the local population around the area, and ensure that the road remains open.