PICTURE of the day: Guardsmen conduct final operation before tour ends

Days before they return to the UK soldiers from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards have conducted a helicopter insertion operation, alongside Afghan Security Forces, to search a village suspected to be held under insurgent control.

As troops on the ground approached the village in south Malgir from one side, a secondary force was lifted in two Chinooks and inserted to the south of the village. This secondary force then swept north to eventually meet up with the ground troops.


Afghan Security Forces spearheaded the operation, conducting searches of village compounds looking for any signs of insurgent activity while at the same time speaking with locals. British Army search dog Caspian also aided them in their hunt.


The Battalion’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Toby Gray said: “The deployment of Coldstream Guardsmen on aviation operations in Babaji has paralysed the Taliban in the area and reassured the local population.”


Although no weapon caches were found, the operation removed the presence of insurgents from a known troubled area and reassured the population of the Afghan government's presence and commitment in the region.


The guardsmen have been working jointly with Afghan forces on operations throughout their six-month tour of duty.


Images: TFH Combat Camera Team