Armed forces chief Jock Stirrup believes Afghanistan aims can be achieved

The long-term goals of the war in Afghanistan can be achieved with the extra troops now being put in place, head of the armed forces Sir Jock Stirrup said yesterday.

He was among more than 500 serving personnel, guests and bereaved relatives who gathered for a memorial and thanksgiving service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast in honour of the Northern Ireland-based 19 Light Brigade recently returned from the war-zone.

The names of 83 fallen soldiers were read out during the ceremony, among them the two sappers shot dead by dissident republicans at a Co Antrim barracks last March hours before the troops were to be deployed.

The Chief of Defence Staff paid tribute to all the soldiers who had lost their lives, but with Britain committed to sending 500 extra troops and after the US pledged an extra 30,000, he said further progress could be made in Afghanistan under plans by Nato Commander General Stanley McChrystal.

"We are going to have hard times ahead, we are going to have sad times ahead," said the UK military leader.

But he added: "We have now a plan drawn-up by General McChrystal which is a coherent plan to deliver our longterm strategy.

"We now have the resources necessary for him to execute that plan.

"That is very important for all of us."

Read more: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

PICTURE of the day: 2 RIFLES medal parade

Five hundred soldiers of 2 Rifles have been presented with Operational Medals at their home base at Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinler, County Down in Northern Ireland.

2 Rifles lost 13 soldiers during their six month deployment to Afghanistan as part of 19 Light Brigade.

Families of eight of the deceased soldiers received Elizebeth Crosses in a private ceremony in the Officers Mess. The presentations were by Viscount Brookeborough of Colebrook, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Main guests at the ceremonies on today included Field Marshal The Lord Edwin Bramell who was inspecting officer and Lieutenant General Sir Nick Parker, Colonel Commandant of 2 Rifles and Deputy Commander of ISAF.

VIDEO: 2 RIFLES parade through streets of Croydon

Hundreds line the streets of Croydon to welcome the 2nd Battalion the Rifles, who paraded through the town on return from their Afghan tour of duty.

The heroes who survived 'one day, one hour of tragedy': Battalion that lost 13 men in Afghanistan enjoys homecoming parade

By Daily Mail Reporter

A brave amputee hailed the public's support of the Army as 'phenomenal' as he watched his fellow soldiers take part in a homecoming parade today.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Croydon, south London, to welcome home the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, which lost 13 men in Afghanistan this summer.

The 100 members of 2 Rifles, based in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland, were invited to parade through the centre of the town by its mayor after the loss of their colleague Rifleman Danny Simpson, who came from the town.

Based in Sangin, the 600-strong battalion endured fierce fighting during their tour of duty, including what was described as 'one hour of tragedy' on July 10 - the day five riflemen were killed in two connected blasts while on foot patrol.

Lieutenant Alex Horsfal, 26, of Chitton, Wiltshire, Platoon Commander C company, lost his left leg above the knee as a result of his injuries suffered that day and suffered damage to his left arm.

Friends from the battalion who had not seen him since that day surrounded his wheelchair as they prepared to march from the Territorial Army Centre.

Speaking ahead of the parade, Lt Horsfal said: 'I've got to say that the general public have been awesome.

'The change there has been in the last few years, the understanding and the sympathy felt towards the Army, and especially those who have been wounded, is phenomenal.'

He praised his colleagues, saying: 'I think what we have managed to achieve is fantastic, although the casualties have been fairly high. It's been a tough tour.

'While I was there, everything was going to plan as it should have been but there was one day, one hour of tragedy.'

He said it 'felt like years' that he was recovering in Selly Oak Hospital, and that it was good to see his fellow soldiers again.

Lt Horsfal said: 'It's quite emotional in a way. It's a lovely feeling to be back, but a strange feeling at the same time.'

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson, said it had been 'the campaign of their lives' and added: 'I'm hugely proud of the extraordinary courage that's been shown.'

Sangin is a notoriously volatile area because it contains a patchwork of rival tribes and is a major centre of the country's opium industry.

He said the Battalion was leaving it in a better state than when they arrived, and added: 'For me, progress in Sangin has not been dramatic but we have moved forward, indelibly so.'

What they had achieved was at a 'huge cost', however.

'That cost is utterly painful to me,' Lt Cl Thomson added. 'Each of the 13 heroes killed left a hole in our hearts and we mourn them deeply.

'As I've come home to my missus and my kids, there are wives, kids and parents out there who won't be seeing their husband, father and son again.'

He said the Army would hold those families close to their own hearts, and added: 'In some ways, I see those 13 standing behind me and telling me to keep on fighting, keep going for their sake.

'Those who have been wounded, we will march step-by-step with through their journeys of recovery.

'Their grit, their resolve and their determination reflects the way we do business as a regiment and as the British Army.

'It is with great honour, huge pride, and not some inconsiderable humility that we march through the streets of Croydon to show what we have achieved and to thank those people in every corner of our nation who have stood by us.'

As well as the 13 deaths, 14 soldiers in the Battalion suffered 'life-changing injuries' to their limbs or eyes, he said. He praised the courage of all the soldiers, saying it was 'the level of courage I have never seen in my 20 years of service.'

Read more on the Daily Mail Web site here

'Daddy's home!' Heroes' welcome for British troops returning from Afghanistan - Daily Mail

Hugs for a hero as daddy comes marching home. These two sons of a soldier could barely contain their joy as their father returned from Afghanistan.

And after a grueling six month tour, the sons of Staff Sergeant Kevin Vaughan decided it was best for dad that they helped lighten the load by carrying his kit from the plane at Carver Barracks in Essex yesterday.

Sgt Vaughan's two boys Owen, five, and Bradley, six, rushed to their father and then put on his kit as 75 Royal Engineer and Royal Logistic Corps bomb disposal and search specialists returned to base.

The bomb experts, who were part of the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, were responsible for removing all explosive ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the region.

The incredible heroism of Sgt Vaughan and his comrades was highlighted yesterday by the commander who led British forces' bloodiest tour of Afghanistan since the mission began.

Brigadier Tim Radford, praised the 'most extraordinary courage and resolve' of his troops from 19 Light Brigade.

Brigadier Radford said the men and women of 19 Light Brigade had been 'tested to the extreme' but had 'delivered'.

He handed over control of Task Force Helmand to Brigadier James Cowan over the weekend, landing at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, at 9.25am along with 60 members of the brigade.

Stepping on to the concrete at the Carterton base, he said: 'Tragically we have lost 66 brave men over this summer period and many more have been wounded and it's been a very hard tour and our thoughts, particularly at this time, go out to the family and the friends of those who have suffered.

'It's been a long tour and its been a tour where we have seen things changed and we have faced an enemy who do not want to fight us force on force, but want to lay improvised explosive devises to halt us in our path.

'This summer we have had a total of 1,800 improvised explosive devices laid in our path so we have had to adapt quickly and that's never been seen before in Helmand.'

Soldiers from the 19th Light Brigade embraced members of their families in emotional scenes after the end of their six-month tour of duty in Helmand Province.

Brigadier Radford said the brigade had worked successfully to push the Taliban away from country's population centres.

'We've pushed them away from those areas where they could have intimidated and struck fear into the Afghan people,' he said.

Highlighting achievements made during the volatile election period, he added: 'It is important to mention the progress that has been made in terms of the Afghan national security forces.

'We worked really closely with them over the summer and on August 20 it was they who led the security for the election and we were in support of them and that is a real sign of progress.'

Recognising the support shown to troops, he thanked the people of Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, who have repeatedly lined the streets showing 'remarkable respect and dignity to my fallen who have come home'.

Turning to pay tribute to his own troops, who 'fought with the most extraordinary resolve and courage over the summer months', he added: 'They have been tested to the extreme but they have delivered.'

The 19 Light Brigade has been replaced by 11 Light Brigade.

It was revealed today that Barack Obama is sending an additional 13,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced publicly in March.

The additional forces are primarily support forces - such as engineers and medical personnel - bringing the total buildup Obama has approved for the war-torn nation to 34,000.

Brigadier Tim Radford, Commander of the 19 Light Brigade returns home

Colin Brazier, Sky News presenter: Now the commander who led British forces in their bloodiest tour of Afghanistan since the mission began, is returning home today – Brigadier Tim Radford, Commander of the 19 Light Brigade handed over control of Task Force Helmand at the weekend. Let’s go to Brize Norton.

Brigadier Tim Radford, Commander 19 Light Brigade:
It’s been a very hard tour as many of you will know, and tragically we’ve lost 66 brave men over this summer period, and many more wounded. It has been a very hard tour and our thoughts, particularly at this time, go out to the family and the friends of those who suffered.

It has been a long tour and it’s been a tour where we’ve seen things change. We have faced an enemy who do not want to fight us force on force, but rather they wanted to lay improvised explosive devices to halt us in our path.

This summer we’ve had a total of 1,800 improvised explosive devices laid in our path so we’ve had to adapt quickly and that’s never been seen before in Helmand. We’ve had to adapt quickly and along with the Americans and the Afghan National Security Forces, we have planned synchronised operations to push the Taliban away from the population centres. And we’ve been successful, and we undermined their command and control, their logistics, and we have pushed them away from those areas where they could have intimidated and struck fear into the Afghan people.

I think also it’s important to mention that the progress that’s been made in terms of the Afghan National Security Forces - we worked very closely with them over the summer and on 20th August it was they who led the security for the elections and we were in support of them, and that’s a real sign of progress and something which is a milestone towards transition as well.

In terms of other tangibles, in terms of illustrations of the progress that’s been made, we have built 10 schools, we have built roads, we’ve seen the first opening of a domestic airport north of Lashkar Gah and my soldiers have also found over 1,000 tonnes of chemicals and opium. So my feeling at this stage is that the grip that the Taliban have on the population in the central belt is certainly weakening and I know it’s something that the 11 Brigade who’ve taken over from us, will push forward over the winter months.

Finally, I’d just like to say a couple of words of thanks. The first is to the people of Wootton Bassett who have supported us extremely well over the summer and they have shown remarkable respect and dignity to my fallen that have come home.

And if I may just pay tribute to the men and women of this Brigade who have fought with the most extraordinary resolve and courage over the summer months – they have been tested to the extreme, but they have delivered. Thank you.

Romance the casualty as Joe Long proposes to girlfriend Emma Smith on Afghanistan frontline

Rules of engagement in Afghanistan? No bubbly, no touching

When Emma Smith dreamed of her boyfriend Joe Long's proposal, she imagined she'd wear a glam dress, sip champagne and slink away with her new fiance for an early night. Well, one out of three isn't bad...

When Joe popped the question, Emma wore regulation combats and desert boots. They toasted their engagement with cans of pop. But they did have an early night - in separate beds yards away from each other.

The couple, both 29, are Army officers serving in Afghanistan's Helmand Province living under strict and, in their case, frustrating segregation rules in Lashkar Gah.

Emma, a Captain in the Royal Logistic Corps currently serving with 19 Light Brigade, says: "I'm thrilled to be engaged to Joe. Although it might not have been the proposal most girls dream of, I still think it was very romantic all the same. Alcohol is off limits out here so the bubbly will have to wait.

"There's also a no touch policy. So although Joe and I have been together for three years, the closest we are able to get to one another is a few yards away, sat on a bench to share a drink."

Joe, a Captain with the Royal Signals, explains: "Our jobs are polar opposites so we rarely chat during the day.

"Sometimes we meet briefly in the evenings for a can of Diet Coke before we go our separate ways." So have the besotted pair adhered to the no touch rules? Emma, of Royston, Herts, confesses: "Sometimes we've gone a bit crazy and given each other a high-five!"

The couple, who met at university in Newcastle upon Tyne, are working so intensely during the long, hot days of their six-month tour of duty they barely have time to even talk to each other.

But after their return to the UK in October, they will enjoy a well-earned break in Bath, Somerset.

Joe has promised to splash out on an engagement ring and a trip to a spa to make up for the far from luxurious setting of the proposal. He says: "We were sitting in a pergola in the surreal surroundings of a garden at Lashkar Gah and Emma was talking about her future with the Army, saying, 'I could do this, or I could do that'.

"Suddenly I said, 'Or maybe you could become my wife?' Emma looked stunned and said, 'Did you mean that? I'll give you one opportunity to take it back'.

"The proposal kind of popped out. But I assured her that I definitely meant it."

Jokingly Joe adds: "It was my first night here. So I was a bit jet-lagged and probably I was not able to think straight!"

At that quip, Emma is tempted to give Joe a sharp nudge in the ribs but holds back.

She smiles: "That blasted no-touch policy..."

PICTURE: Brigade Reconnaissance Force rides out

The soldiers from the Brigade Reconnaissance Force soldiers come together and form a heavily armed light role infantry unit able to deploy wherever the Brigade requires them.

Wearside soldiers reluctant to leave Afghan campaign

Two Sunderland soldiers who have just weeks until they return home from Afghanistan are surprisingly reluctant to come back.
Corporal Marie Oxley and Corporal Terri Lee, both 26, are based at 19 Light Brigade's Headquarters in Lashkar Gah.

For Marie, who is from Carley Hill and Terri, from Millfield, leaving Afghanistan after a gruelling six-month tour will be bittersweet, as they will leave loved ones fighting on the frontline.

In a cruel twist of fate, Marie will return home as her boyfriend is deployed to Afghanistan for six months.

Also, Terri arrives home on the day that her younger brother leaves the UK for the same six-month tour.

Cpl Oxley, who is part of 209 Signal Squadron, said: "To tell the truth I don't really want to come home. That's partly because my boyfriend has just deployed here and I'd really like to be here with him.

"Having said that, going home, seeing my family and doing some clothes shopping will be some small consolation."

Cpl Lee, of the Adjutant Generals Corps, also has mixed feelings.

She said: "I've found out the day I'm due home my baby brother, who is serving with 3 Rifles, is due to fly out to Kajaki and begin his six-month tour.

"But what's almost as strange is that he will be taking over from my boyfriend who is with 2 Rifles and is based in Kajaki at the moment.

"So on the one hand I'll be happy to be home and happy to see my boyfriend again, but I'll also miss my little brother."

Both corporals, who hope to be home by early October, play crucial roles at Task Force Helmand HQ working closely with Brigadier Tim Radford, the Commander of all British forces operating in Afghanistan.

One of Cpl Oxley's jobs is to act as the technical expert for video-link conferences between staff in the brigade headquarters and colleagues all over the world, from London to Brussels and Kabul.

She said: "After I've set up the link I wait outside the door in case there are any technical problems, which if there are, I come in and fix."

Cpl Lee, who works as the PA to Brigadier Radford, said: "I've met the Prime Minister and all the top brass who come out to have meetings with the brigadier. Anyone that sees him goes through me first, so it's an interesting job."

Life in Helmand, Afghanistan

My soldiers have fought with resilience... When the Taliban have tried to take them on we have won every time

The Co Down man in charge of British forces in Helmand Province has spoken of pride at his troops' achievements during one of the military's most difficult tours of duty.

Brigadier Tim Radford, head of 19 Light Brigade, the first full-sized brigade to deploy from Northern Ireland since WWII, paid tribute to the bravery, courage and sacrifice shown by the 3,000 soldiers who left bases at Antrim, Holywood, Lisburn and Ballykinler for a six-month stint in one of the world's most dangerous places.

Speaking during a rarely given media briefing, the Thiepval-based Brigadier said: “The soldiers in my brigade have worked extremely hard over a hard summer and they have fought with resilience and fortitude at every turn. And when the Taliban have tried to take them on with force we have won every time.

“I think what's really important is how they have done it in terms of the judgement and measure they have shown on the ground during very trying conditions.”

He added: “19 Light Brigade is the first brigade to deploy from Northern Ireland since the Second World War. It is a reflection of military bases in Northern Ireland being treated the same as those in England and elsewhere in the UK, rather than as an operational theatre for the British Army. On a personal level I am very proud to be commanding a Task Force that has left the place where I grew up and where I still have many friends.”

But Brigadier Radford, who is a former Methodist College student, also warned that peace could not be achieved by the military alone.

With the death toll soaring to 207 and casualty figures undisclosed it is the military who are taking the biggest losses.

“Afghanistan, like Northern Ireland, will not find a solution by purely military means. But the physical environment in Afghanistan is very different and the fighting here is much more intense,” he said.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Mercians, 2 Rifles, 38 Engineer Regiment and Combat Service Support Battalion, deployed from Northern Ireland back in March, have been the lead forces in Helmand.

Few regiments have escaped without serious casualties or losses but for the Ballykinler-based 2nd Battalion The Rifles it has been a particularly devastating tour. The unit is based at Sangin — a Taliban stronghold in northern Helmand — and have lost 12 men to date.

For the engineers’ deployment was made even more difficult after the shooting of Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar in a RIRA attack at Massereene in March.

Brigadier Radford said: “We have had a tough tour but morale remains high. In many cases the loss of a colleague only serves to harden the resolve of the soldiers to continue the fight in their name.

“I speak to the Commanding Officer of 2 Rifles, Lt Colonel Rob Thomson, on a daily basis and I visit them in Sangin and the outlying stations as often as I can. Whilst they have taken some big hits during the tour the commanding officer has led them brilliantly.

“I am full of admiration for them and what they have achieved.”

Asked about whether the threat from dissident republicans made it more difficult leaving family back at base in Northern Ireland, the brigadier said his soldiers were looking forward to finishing the operational tour and returning to their bases.

He added: “Everybody who leaves home for six months misses their family and friends but I think we are extremely well looked after by the home team and it will be great to be able to go back home at the end of the summer.

“I believe the public in Northern Ireland are fully behind the soldiers serving in Afghanistan, judging by the letters we receive and the send-off we received when we left back in April. We are very much looking forward to returning to Northern Ireland in October.”

Replacement troops deploying to Afghanistan

125 British Service personnel are to be deployed to Afghanistan to help sustain the progress of current operations following recent casualty rates, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth has announced today, Friday 24 July 2009.

Since deploying to Afghanistan in April 2009, 19 (Light) Brigade has been engaged in a number of high intensity operations.

Most recently, Operation PANCHAI PALANG has seen British forces engaged in hard fighting in an effort to bring security to parts of Helmand previously under Taliban influence.

The operation has been extremely successful, driving fighters out of towns and providing the necessary security that will allow Afghan families to vote in next month's presidential elections.

But this intense period has resulted in a significant number of casualties, both due to enemy action and the harsh terrain in which they operate.

Today's announcement follows requests by commanders on the ground to enable them to sustain the required operational effectiveness for the remainder of their tour, in particular, through the election period.

The personnel, who will deploy from Monday 27 July, will comprise of a company from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's), specialist counter Improvise Explosive Device personnel from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps, and members of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery.

They will deploy for the remainder of the current 19 Light Brigade tour, due to end in October when 11 Light Brigade take over.

The company from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) had previously been scheduled to deploy to Iraq. But with the mission in Basra now winding down they are no longer required and are instead available for Afghanistan duties.

All troops deploying have received the appropriate training and personal equipment, like all troops do, for conducting operations in Afghanistan.

This deployment will ensure specialist skills, notably counter-IED operations, are not lost to commanders.

VIDEO: NATO Bringing out the big guns

Mentored by the British, the Afghan National Army demonstrates their new Artillery Unit, which will be used to support joint operations in southern Afghanistan.

Taleban grip on Helmand remains strong after eight years of war - Times

Eight years after the Taleban were toppled from power, with hundreds of millions of pounds spent and more than 150 British lives lost in trying to defeat them, they still have a pervasive influence in the heartlands of Helmand province in Afghanistan.

According to the commander of British forces in the province, about 40 per cent of the most densely populated central region of the Afghan province remains under their sway.

Brigadier Tim Radford, commander of the 8,300-strong 19 Light Brigade, told The Times that although the Taleban do not necessarily control the ground in these areas of Helmand they have a presence sufficient to intimidate the local people.

Brigadier Radford’s strategy is to squeeze the Taleban out of the most populated central belt of Helmand, which includes Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, Nad-e Ali, about 19 miles northwest, and Gereshk.

After two operations designed to clear these areas, the first by The Royal Marines codenamed Sond Chara in December, and the latter more recently by troops under Brigadier Radford’s command combined with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), they have succeeded in pushing the enemy just a few miles north of the provincial capital. Soldiers from the Afghan National Army now hold the ground to prevent the insurgents from returning.

The British commander says that intelligence shows the Taleban’s strategy continues to be to threaten the provincial capital, and Allied efforts to turn it into a thriving city. He expects a “spike in violence” in the summer.

Donations from Britain and cash from USAID have funded extensive development projects here, including Lashkar Gah’s first civilian airport, a provincial courthouse, roads and street lighting, a new office for Alhaj Gulab Mangal, the Helmand Governor, and the experimental Bolon Farm complex, where farmers are shown alternatives to growing poppies.

Mr Mangal said that the Government’s counter-narcotics strategy was working. He said: “Mullahs are telling everyone that growing poppy crops is against Islam and we’re using the media to spread the message.

We’re also distributing wheat seeds to farmers. Some people don’t follow the government rules and still grow poppy, but cultivation has been reduced.”

Over the next few weeks 10,000 US Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade will arrive in southern Afghanistan and Brigadier Radford is working with them to draw up a plan to safeguard the construction work.

The British commander of Task Force Helmand will also have an extra 700 troops for four months to provide additional security for the presidential elections on August 20. He will be able to make use of the reinforcements only until the end of October, by which time his brigade’s tour will be over.

He will be in the unique position of having 9,000 British troops under his command. His successor will have to make do with the pre-surge 8,300, after Gordon Brown’s decision to reject the military option favoured by the Service chiefs to send another 2,000 troops to raise the total to 10,000. Brigadier Radford plans to divert 700 British troops from the south of the province, where they are currently based, to the central belt to boost the manpower in this key area.

NI based units in Helmand command - BBC

A Northern Ireland-based army unit has taken command in Helmand in southern Afghanistan.

This is the first time 19 Light Brigade - which has about 3,000 troops normally stationed in NI, has provided the bulk of the UK force in Afghanistan.

The units are based at Lisburn, Ballykinler, Holywood and Antrim.

Brigadier Tim Radford said that they were "well prepared" for the challenges ahead.

"We are very well prepared for the myriad challenges that we face and through the provision of security, stability and reconstruction we will undermine the insurgents, help to expand governance and improve the day to day lives of the Afghan people," he said.

The flag of 19 Light Brigade replaced that of 3 Commando Brigade in the task force headquarters in Lashkar Gah.

The Commander of 3 Commando Brigade, Brigadier Gordon Messenger said they had "made a real difference to the security and wellbeing of southern Afghanistan".

"We will never forget those who have been killed or injured on our watch but as we reflect on the last six months the overriding feeling of 3 Commando Brigade is one of pride and satisfaction at a job well done," he said.

The UK currently has some 8,000 troops serving in the country, most of them in the southern province of Helmand.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has offered to send more British troops to serve on operations in Afghanistan.

The troops would be sent to provide security ahead of the country's presidential elections in August.

19 LIGHT BRIGADE

Headquarters and Signal (209) - Lisburn

40th Royal Artillery - Lisburn

38 Engineer Regiment - Antrim

2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment - Holywood

2nd Battalion, The Rifles - Ballykinler

173 Provost Company Royal Military Police - Lisburn

The Light Dragoons - Norfolk

1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards - Aldershot

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion - Inverness

2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - Hounslow

British soldiers from Northern Ireland begin Afghan deployment

Nearly 3,000 soldiers from 19 Light Brigade, based in Northern Ireland, started deploying to Helmand province, Afghanistan, this weekend for a six-month tour.

This marks the first brigade-sized deployment from Northern Ireland on operations worldwide since World War II.

19 Light Brigade are replacing 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines as the lead formation of UK forces in Afghanistan.

As well as Headquarters 19 Light Brigade led by Brigadier Tim Radford the units who have started deploying include 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, 2nd Battalion The Rifles, 40 Regiment Royal Artillery and 38 Engineer Regiment as well as combat support troops and signallers.

The first to leave, this weekend, were soldiers from 38 Engineer Regiment who will establish base security and infrastructures for the incoming brigade. The brigade is moving into theatre by air-trooping flights direct from RAF Aldergrove over the next few weeks.

All troops have completed gruelling pre-deployment training not only in Northern Ireland but also in Germany, Kenya and Belize and, according to Brigadier Tim Radford, are "in good shape" for the tasks ahead in "trying to give a better life and freedom of choice" to the Afghan people.

Brigadier Radford takes over in Afghanistan as Commander Task Force Helmand leading the British Battle Group of around 8,000 British forces. The backbone of the deployment comprises the units under his command in 19 Light Brigade - the majority of them now based permanently in Northern Ireland.

He said:
"It has been an intensive and focused training period over the past six months and we are all now ready, willing and eager to get on with our jobs in theatre. The tour will be physically and mentally demanding. It will also be long but in many respects very rewarding. Of course we are all very aware of the dangers and threats ahead but we are also trained in how we respond and indeed deal with those threats and consequences."

The deployment means leaving their families and friends behind in Northern Ireland. Brigadier Radford continued:

"We are going to be working very hard in Afghanistan for the next six months and the support of our families and friends in Northern Ireland is vitally important to us."

Antrim soldiers embark on tour of Afghanistan with 19 Light Bde

SOLDIERS from 38 Engineers based at Massereene Barracks in Antrim were part of the biggest deployment of troops from Northern Ireland since World War II when they deployed to Afghanistan on Sunday morning.
The local unit - part of 19 Light Brigade - set off for Helmand Province from RAF Aldergrove to Kandahar in the first tranche of departures for the six-month tour. 38 Engineers will be responsible for establishing base security and infrastructures ahead of the arrival of the remaining units.

19 Light Brigade will take over from 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, as the lead formation of UK forces in Afghanistan.

Along with 38 Engineers, soldiers from the Brigade's Northern Ireland-based units - 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, Ballykinler; 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, Palace Barracks; 40 Regiment Royal Artillery, and 19 Combat Service Support Battalion, both Thiepval Barracks - and the English-based The Light Dragoons; The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland; 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards, will face combat in searing temperature of over 40 degrees as the height of the Afghan summer approaches.

Despite the challenges of the arid conditions in Helmand Province and a rising insurgency, 19 Light Brigade will be the "best equipped UK brigade in Afghanistan" with a new range of devices designed to detect deadly roadside bombs.

"I've no reason to doubt that we will be the best equipped brigade to go out to Afghanistan; we've a lot of great equipment coming on line when we're out there," Brigadier Tim Radford OBE, of 19 Light Brigade, told the Antrim Times.

The equipment includes metal detectors which help uncover IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices], and wiring in bombs, as well as ear defenders that block out all the main noise that could affect hearing, but at the same time allows the soldier to listen to the orders that are being given on the ground.

Brigadier Radford added: "All soldiers will have upgraded body armour. We also have nine new variants of vehicles including the Ridgeback coming online, and the Mastiff to provide protective mobility."

Brigadier Radford takes over as Commander Task Force Helmand in April leading the British Battle Group of around 8,000 British forces. The backbone of the deployment comprises the units under his command in 19 Light Brigade – the majority of them now based permanently in Northern Ireland.

He said: "It has been an intensive and focussed training period over the past six months and we are all now ready, willing and eager to get on with our jobs in theatre. The tour will be physically and mentally demanding. It will also be long but in many respects very rewarding. Of course we are all very aware of the dangers and threats ahead but we are also trained in how we respond and indeed deal with those threats and consequences."

There will be several main themes for 19 Light Brigade in Afghanistan which include counter-narcotics, developing the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, improving equipment, and providing support for the country's presidential election in August.

Brigadier Radford is confident that 19 Light Brigade's intensive training over the last 12 months serves them in good stead to cope with what may lie ahead, with exercises both at home in Northern Ireland and in Germany, Belize and Kenya, completed in anticipation of there deployment to Afghanistan.

"We've been training for the last 12 months within the units and as a brigade. It's taken that time to get us where we are now and to plan for our time in Afghanistan," Brigadier Radford said.

He added: "We'll be there at an interesting time - the Americans will be coming into southern Afghanistan, there's the election in August, Taliban insurgency, and the challenge of the arduous conditions and high temperatures in the country.

"We will be ensuring that election is delivered in a safe environment and prior to that, giving the Afghan people the confidence to support the election."

Brigadier Radford is well aware of the stresses that his troops will be under but is confident that their families back home in Northern Ireland will get all the support they need when their love ones are away.

"It is very difficult being away from your loved ones but we've got a very good welfare package which is being run by 38 Irish Brigade back in Northern Ireland," he explained.

Lance Corporal Mark Allen of 38 Engineers is all too well aware of the dangers facing him and his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan and how it feels for family members left behind.

The 32-year-old has already done a tour of Afghanistan with the Grenadier Guards in 2007, where he came into hand-to-hand combat against the Taliban.

This time the local man "knows what to expect" but is still nervous about what awaits.

"I'm with the engineers this time so have a specific role, rather than as infantry soldier the first time," Lance Corporal Allen said.
He added: "This time it will involve things like building bridges, that sort of thing."

Lance Corporal Allen, who is due to get married next March, admits leaving his fiance and family behind is difficult but that this time they are more prepared.

"We've gone through this before and they know what went on the last time so they know what to expect but it's still a nervous time," he said.

One thing he's not prepared for is the Afghan heat.

"Last time it was temperatures of over 50 degrees so with a typical Northern Ireland complexion they're will be plenty of factor 50 slapped on," Lance Corporal Allen added.

Northern Ireland unit deploys to Helmand - Middle East Times

An army brigade from Northern Ireland has begun deploying to the volatile Helmand province in southern Afghanistan to take the lead for British units.

The Northern Ireland-based 19 Light Brigade has deployed almost 3,000 troops for a six-month tour to take the formation lead for British troops in the south of Afghanistan. Officials said the unit replaces the 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines unit in the region, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

The Northern Ireland troops head to Afghanistan at a time when the Taliban insurgency has grown considerably after regrouping along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border. The 19 Light Brigade will lead the Task Force Helmand, a British battle group of around 8,000 forces.

"The tour will be physically and mentally demanding," Brigadier Tim Radford, commander of 19 Light Brigade, said in a statement.

"Of course we are all very aware of the dangers and threats ahead, but we are also trained in how we respond and indeed deal with those threats and consequences."

Soldiers' Snow Training - Sky News

British troops take advantage of snow

British soldiers have been taking advantage of the heavy snowfall in England to train in harsh environmental conditions like they'll face in Afghanistan.

While much of the United Kingdom has been struggling to dig out from the above-average snowfall, more than 2,000 soldiers from the British 19 Light Brigade are trying to make use of the excess snow ahead of their deployment to Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

The soldiers, who also recently conducted training in Kenya, Belize and Germany, have been conducting Mission Rehearsal Exercises using the snow to replicate what the conditions are like in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan. Officials are simulating a "fictional" Afghanistan to replicate the ongoing challenges soldiers face in the volatile south of the country where a growing Taliban insurgency continues.

"The snow has mirrored what the soldiers will face in Afghanistan, not in terms of temperature, but in terms of the extremity of the conditions," Lt. Col. Nick Richardson, 19 Light Brigade spokesman, said in a statement.

"While the guys have battled with subzero temperatures this week, they will be working in an equally arduous environment during the summer. The conditions have pushed the guys on the ground to dig deep. … That's what will be asked of them in Afghanistan, so, although tough, these last two weeks couldn't have been better preparation."

'Black Panthers' prepare to take out Taleban in Afghanistan - Telegraph

Michael Evans, Defence Editor

In the biting cold and snowy landscape of Salisbury Plain, soldiers of the Black Panthers, nickname of 19 Light Brigade, were doing their best to imagine what life would be like for them in Afghanistan when they begin their first tour there next month.

Teenage soldiers frozen to the core during training at Westdown Camp yesterday will be thrust into their first operational environment in temperatures that will reach 50C (122F) before their six-month tour is over.

Facing his first venture to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, 19-year-old Rifleman Aaron Fell, of 2 Rifles, who joined the Army 18 months ago, is fully aware that as a member of a recce platoon he will be involved in seeking out the Taleban. His cheeks bright red from the cold, he repeated what his training instructor must have told him: “The Taleban are adapting to us but we're adapting to them.”

Rifleman Fell, from Bournemouth, is one of about 4,000 soldiers attached to the Black Panthers who will be the first in the British Army to go to war with a set of individually fitted digital earplugs to prevent deafness caused by the constant noise of high-velocity rounds, mortar rockets, heavy machinegun fire and other explosions.

See the full article on the Telegraph Online