Sangin is allowing progress in rest of Helmand

Report by Sharon Kean, Defence Focus.

Senior British officers who were commanding troops in Afghanistan last winter have spoken of the progress made in key areas of Helmand province despite the difficulties of tackling the insurgency in the Sangin area.

The Commanding Officers also spoke about the lack of trust of Afghan people in their local security forces, but added that significant progress was made during their six months in theatre in developing the Afghan security forces which has been helped by the opening of the new police training facility in Helmand province.

The officers were addressing the media at a briefing session in Pirbright yesterday.

Brigadier James Cowan, who led 11 Light Brigade through six tough months from October last year, spoke of a lack of trust in homegrown security forces, in particular the police. He said:

"Often captured Taliban would mention during interviews the police as a principal reason for having joined the insurgency in the first place."

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, the officer in charge of troops in the Sangin area of Helmand province, said he had heard 'anecdotal evidence of bad behaviour' among local police, adding:

"They were most often cited by people in shuras as the reason why there was a problem or why people joined the Taliban. I never personally witnessed anything I would say was bad policing but there was a body of anecdotal chat around the bazaar about how rotten these people were."

Lt Col Kitson's 1,400-strong 3rd Battalion The Rifles Battle Group spent six months in Sangin, the most 'difficult' area where British troops operate in Helmand province. The Battle Group lost 30 men and had more than 100 injured.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles engage with an Afghan local during a patrol in Sangin

However, Taliban propaganda may have been to blame for much of the distrust, he said:

"We've heard reports that the Taliban were wearing police uniforms and mounting checkpoints, taking people's phones and money off them. If you're a little farmer in a remote village, then if he tells you he's a policeman you're going to believe him."

Brigadier Cowan said the situation had improved over 11 Light Brigade's six-month deployment, with the police now receiving better training at the Helmand Police Training College, where between 100 and 120 recruits are graduating every six weeks:

"We began to see some very reliable, very good policemen that were not only impressing us but also impressing the local people," he said.

"It will take time to get to the levels that we want. It is our aim to get to 600 every eight weeks and we've put a lot of time and effort into making sure that the right number of instructors and infrastructure is present to make it work."

Newly-trained Afghan National Police officers at a medal-giving ceremony

Lt Col Kitson's 1,400-strong 3rd Battalion The Rifles Battle Group spent six months in Sangin, the most 'difficult' area where British troops operate in Helmand province. The Battle Group lost 30 men and had more than 100 injured.

A member of the UK Combat Camera Team shows a group of Afghan children his video camera

The Royal Marines of 40 Commando are currently operating in Sangin. Lt Col Kitson said the terrain and an 'industry of IED-laying' in Sangin were factors that made the remote area hard to operate in:

"It's in the middle of nowhere, further away from government control, meaning people were at the mercy of drugs barons," he said.

A change in military tactics had helped, he said, with the Battle Group being broken down into smaller units, allowing the British troops to live nearer the local people they were protecting:

"We needed to be in among the people, not commuting into our engagement with them," he said, "so that we didn't just disappear off and in our wake came the Taliban to cut off their ears and noses and give them a hard time for talking to us."

The new arrangement resulted in more patrol bases among the people and more patrols around local areas surrounding the district centre and bazaar. Lt Col Kitson added:

"These were a real thorn in the Taliban's side. They were permanently shooting them up. That's not much fun for the locals, but they were more grateful that the illegal checkpoints had gone on the route to and from the bazaar."

The number of patrols by the Battle Group increased from eight to ten a day to almost 50 a day. And, whereas during the previous deployment there were just 800 patrols in six months, Lt Col Kitson's men were averaging 1,000 a month with the new configuration, living and working with the local security forces, fighting what he described as 'a different kind of fight'.

Progress in Sangin was also helped by the appointment of a new District Governor, Mohammad Sherrif. The number of stalls in the bazaar doubled from 500 to 1,000, there are now nearly 50 schools, and government-run health clinics are treating more than 100 people a day. Brigadier Cowan said:

"Whilst there were casualties, there began to be a sense of the futility of the struggle among the Sangin Taliban. There was a sense towards the end of the tour that while it was hard for us it was just as hard for them. Sangin has allowed progress to take root in the rest of Helmand."

Despite the heavy casualties, Brigadier Cowan said the focus was on the local people rather than fighting, using Operation MOSHTARAK as an example of how he tried to minimise the use of force, by persuading insurgents not to fight.

He described a 'war by mobile telephone' where his commanders would work with district governors to conduct 'precision influence operations', calling them to 'convince them of the inevitability of their own defeat'.

Lieutenant Colonel Roly Walker was in charge of the Battle Group based in the Nad 'Ali area, some 70km south of Sangin.

During the six-month tour his men were involved in more than 1,300 firefights, found more than 500 IEDs (62 of which detonated, mostly on vehicles) and built 20 new checkpoints.

Fifteen soldiers died and 69 were wounded, and just under a hundred went back to the UK with non-battle injuries. He said a 'conservative' estimate of insurgents killed would be 'north of 600':

"This gives you a sense of the scale of the effort that the soldiers went through," he said. "Our job was to be with the people, if we had to fight to be with the people then so be it."

4 Mechanized Brigade take control of UK forces in Helmand

The command of UK troops in Helmand province, Afghanistan, was officially handed over from 11 Light Brigade to 4 Mechanized Brigade today, Saturday 10 April 2010.

The Transfer of Authority took place at Task Force Helmand Headquarters in Lashkar Gah when 11 Light Brigade, who have been in command for the last six months, lowered its flag over the base marking the end of their deployment.

Brigadier James Cowan of 11 Light Brigade said:

"I am immensely proud of every member of 11 Light Brigade. They have endured a difficult tour but shown courage and professionalism at every turn. Their successes have brought security and stability to many Afghan people."

"I want to pay particular tribute to the 61 members of the Brigade who made the ultimate sacrifice. We are all deeply saddened by their loss and they will live on in our memory. Also, our thoughts are with those who have suffered injuries in the line of duty."

Brigadier Richard Felton of 4 Mechanized Brigade said:

"11 Light Brigade have done a fantastic job over the last six months. We will build on the progress they have made here.

"All of 4 Mechanized Brigade are keen to start work and enthusiastic about the difference we can make to the ISAF mission and to the Afghan people."

A ceremony to mark the Transfer of Authority was attended by Governor Mangal, the provincial Governor of Helmand.

He read a prepared statement in English thanking 11 Light Brigade for their efforts and saying that Brigadier Cowan and the servicemen and women in the Brigade would go down in Afghan history:

"None of your losses will have been in vain. You have worked hard to help the people of Afghanistan and we will never forget you."

Brigadier Cowan and Governor Mangal then exchanged gifts. Brigadier Cowan presented the Governor with a brass statuette of a bull, the symbol of the Brigade. In return the Brigadier received a marble minaret.

4 Mechanized Brigade will be deployed to Afghanistan from April 2010 to October 2010.

Operation Moshtarak: Gen Stanley McChrystal visits subdued former Taliban capital

Thomas Harding, The Telegraph


Three days earlier we had been crouching against walls and treading with trepidation down a road that carried the threat of hidden bombs with just our body armour for protection.

Today the American general who might one day be hailed as the man who defeated the Taliban strode through the former insurgent capital of Showal dressed only his fatigues.

It was, said an accompanying British general, “the end of the beginning” in the fight against the Taliban. Gen Stanley McChrystal had his own words. Helmand had “turned the corner” in its four year war, he told The Daily Telegraph.

For Showal it was by a distance the most remarkable day in its history.

In sub-zero temperatures shortly after dawn less than a dozen of us had made our way to the Taliban flag flying on top of a disused crane at the northern tip of the town.

After three days of pushing patiently north checking for hidden bombs we finally reached the site that had been the pinnacle of Taliban dominance over a wide area and their centre for bomb-making and arms deals.

Two years of brutal rule dropped away when the Afghan soldier, Private Aziz Watandosd, cut down the white flag of the Taliban that had defiantly flown from a disused crane and replaced it with the red, green and black national flag.

There were a few handshakes and back-slaps with pictures taken of the fallen insurgent emblem before the deadline for another patrol forced us back to base.

“We shall forever remember this as the day when we ended the insurgent’s rule in this area,” said an Afghan officer.

But we were unaware of the tremendous effect that the simple act would have on generals and politicians.

As word got out, by mid-morning a stream of helicopters almost replicating the vast armada that carried us in on the air assault on Saturday, ferried in brigadiers and deputy governors who soon shrank into the background as governors, generals and top ranking ministers arrived.

Moving en masse, surrounded haphazardly by British, American, French and Afghan troops, Afghanistan’s elite brazenly moved up the same road that we had so painstakingly inched our way up.

At one point the local population spotted Governor Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand, and shook his hand, smiling openly for what must have been the first time in two years. They also stopped to talk to the both the defence and interior ministers who belatedly joined the parade.

A sense of liberation took hold as Afghans grinned and sometimes waved at the melee heading towards the national flag now fluttering over the crane.

“The operation’s gone very well,” Gen McChrystal told me as we passed a hole made in a compound wall by the SAS as they apprehended a Taliban suspect hours before Moshtarak began. “Of course you were here up close from the beginning so you would know”. The Telegraph was on the first wave of helicopters into Showal.

The American commander of all coalition forces in Afghanistan said the population was clearly grateful for freedom after they had been “effectively occupied while in their own country”.

But had the corner been turned in defeating the insurgency? “I am not prepared to make pronouncement on the country but they have clearly turned the corner here,” Gen McChrystal told me as we continued what was to be an eight minute walk up the road. “If we make it durable then I think it will become contagious.”

“What an insurgency needs is to undercut the government legitimacy and win popular support but what you have had here is an uprising against the insurgency. If I was an insurgent I would have to recalculate the future.”

He also had praise for the British effort. “They have fought in Helmand courageously for a number of years now and the sacrifice that Britain and a lot of individual soldiers have made is extraordinary.”

For the full article read here

Helicopter armada heralds Afghan surge

Thomas Harding, The Telegraph

An armada of helicopters lifted a vast force against Taliban strongholds today in the biggest operation ever mounted in Afghanistan.


Wave after wave of helicopters landed across central Helmand marking the start of the major offensive that aims to finally defeat the insurgency.

Two hours before dawn the first Chinooks swept low over the Taliban district capital of Showal disgorging a force of British, Afghan and French troops signalling “D-Day”, the start of Operation Moshtarak. The aircraft swept into landing zone Pegasus at 4am local time with three Chinooks packed with British, Afghan and French soldiers. The Daily Telegraph accompanied the ‘break-in’ force becoming the first journalists onto the ground.

The landings marked the start of the offensive involving 15,000 American, British and Afghan troops in the Marjah and Nad-e-Ali areas.

Hours before midnight the Afghan leader President Hamid Karzai gave his personal approval for the operation to go ahead. It had been delayed for 24 hours as Afghan officials entered last minute negotiations to broker a deal with power-brokers in the area to get the Taliban to lay down their arms.

Brigadier James Cowan, the commander of 11 Light Brigade, in an eve of battle speech told his men they were embarking on an operation that “will clear the Taliban from its safe havens in central Helmand”. “Where we go, we will stay. Where we stay, we will build,” he told to the troops in Camp Bastion.

“The next few days will not be without danger.

“Hold your fire if there is risk to the innocent, even if this puts you in greater danger.

“For those who will not shake our hand they will find it closed into a fist. They will be defeated.

“I wish you Godspeed and the best of luck.”

Landing in the cold, dark night into a ploughed field the soldiers of the 1st Bn The Royal Welsh slogged their way through clinging mud to assault the compounds.

The men picked their way cautiously across the ground constantly checking for the ever-present threat of hidden bombs.

Accompanied by Afghan commandos they seized several compounds.

A few minutes after the initial wave other troops from A Company flew into landing zone Varsity to surround another village.

The airborne attack marked the biggest air assault since the first Gulf War in 1991.

Hours before the landings a special forces raid targeted Taliban redoubts that overlooked helicopter landing sites.

The fleet of helicopters included 11 Chinooks, four American Blackhawks, eight Apache attack helicopters, three Merlin and four Griffin helicopter gunships.

In a pre-operational briefing troops were told that if one aircraft went down it would not mean “mission abort” but that they should be prepared to “quickly rejig” the planning.

British, American and Afghan ground forces also crossed over the Taliban front line pushing the enemy back from areas that they have held for years.

The operation dwarfs the Panther’s Claw assault in the Babaji area last summer in which 10 British soldiers were killed.

Other troops from the Royal Welsh were landed across the area a third the size of the Isle of Wight, some by Canadian Chinooks guarded by Griffin helicopter gunships.

Within two hours the entire assault force was set down across six different landing zones in the northern Nad-e-Ali area referred to as the Cat Triangle that contains a population of 40,000.

To read the full article click here

Brigadier Cowan's address to the troops at Camp Bastion – Thu 11 Feb 2010

We stand here today as partners. In the past few weeks we have trained to be a combined force.

Soon we will be part of an operation the like of which has not been seen since the start of this campaign: Operation Moshtarak, or in English, “Together”.

I can think of no better name to describe this venture. For we are in this together: we have planned it together, we will fight it together, we will see it through together.

Afghans with Allies, soldiers with civilians, Government with its people.

In the last few weeks we have seized the initiative from the enemy. Day after day for six weeks, we have killed and captured the enemy's leaders, shaping the conditions for success.

Soon we will clear the Taleban from its safe havens in central Helmand. Where we go, we will stay. Where we stay, we will build.

We will establish security so that the people are free once more to live their own lives under their own government.

The next few days will not be without danger. To reduce the risks, you must know your enemy. Avoid the places they would expect you to go. Stay off the tracks. Check vulnerable areas before you enter them. Watch out for propaganda traps. Be first with the truth.

Above all else protect the people. Defeat the enemy by avoiding civilian casualties. Hold your fire if there is risk to the innocent, even if this puts you in greater danger.

That kind of restraint requires courage. The courageous restraint you have shown throughout our time in Afghanistan

Offer an open hand in friendship to those who do not wish to fight. They can join the people of Afghanistan and their Government in rebuilding their society.

For those who will not shake our hand they will find it closed into a fist. They will be defeated.

With my Afghan friends, I am proud to be one of your commanders. Together, Operation Moshtarak will mark the start of the end of the insurgency. I wish you Godspeed and the best of luck.

Helmand Refugees Fleeing Ahead Of Anti-Taliban Offensive

Helmand Refugees Fleeing Ahead Of Anti-Taliban Offensive


By Elias Dai, Ron Synovitz, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Hundreds of Afghan families have been fleeing Taliban-controlled territory in the southern Afghan province of Helmand ahead of an expected offensive by NATO and Afghan government troops.

As many as 2,000 Taliban fighters reportedly are concentrated and fortifying themselves in and around the town of Marjah.

Fearful of being caught in the violence, some residents are heading for Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah or places in neighboring Kandahar province that they consider to be relatively safe.

At the central bus station in Lashkar Gah, buses arriving straight from the town of Marjah have been packed full of the displaced in recent days. Meanwhile, many trucks can be seen along the road -- loaded with furniture, home appliances, and other personal belongings of fleeing families.

Mauwla Dad, a truck driver from Marjah, tells RFE/RL he has made more than a dozen recent journeys, shuttling families and their belongings to safe haven.

"Every day, I have been providing transportation for three or four families," Dad says. "People are leaving Marjah amid rumors that the [anti-Taliban] offensive could begin any day now."

A Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent in Helmand Province reports that villagers also are escaping to the nearby districts of Baba-ji, Nad-Ali, and Gereshk.

But Brigadier James Cowen, the British commander of Task Force Helmand, tells Reuters in Lashkar Gah that he thinks reporters are blowing the civilian movements out of proportion.

"I think those reports of fleeing residents is a little exaggerated, in fact. I mean there are some leaving the area, but by no means the numbers that the news are reporting," Cowen says, according to Reuters. "I think we may see more of that in the forthcoming days, but we are keeping a close eye on it."

Families Uprooted

Ghulam Farouq Noorzai, who heads the Afghan government's refugee affairs department in Helmand Province, says officials have formed an "emergency commission" with plans to receive 15,000 families. They have also sent a delegation to meet with UN humanitarian aid officials responsible for southern Afghanistan.

"The World Health Organization, the World Food Program, and the United Nations Refugee Agency -- the UNHCR -- have accepted our plan," Noorzai says.

Noorzai tells RFE/RL that villagers in and around Marjah are gravely concerned about the expected military offensive. He says many are staying in their homes for now because they have no place to go, but adds that a flood of displaced families are expected in Lashkar Gah and in nearby Kandahar Province once the anticipated offensive begins.

"Around 400 to 500 families already have arrived [in Lashkar Gah]," Noorzai says. "Our emergency commission is registering these displaced people. We have created a refugee center at a school ground in Lashkar Gah and plan to move them there soon."

Haji Akhtar Mohammad, a resident of Marjah, tells Reuters that he considers the offensive a necessary step by Afghan and NATO forces to keep the province free from the kind of intimidation that Taliban fighters have imposed on residents of his community.

"The military operation is being launched in our village in order to keep us from any possible danger," Mohammad says, according to Reuters. "I decided to leave the village [for now] and we are heading to Lashkar Gah to rent a house."

Military Might

Meanwhile, NATO and Afghan government checkpoints have been set up around the Marjah district in an attempt to stop Taliban fighters from slipping out of the area among the fleeing civilian population.

RFE/RL's correspondent in Helmand reports that scattered clashes were occurring today at villages in the nearby district of Nad-Ali, where NATO and Afghan government troops have set up blocking positions.

To read the full article click here

New Afghan police officers graduate

The first class of Afghan police officers to attend a new training centre graduated in a ceremony in Helmand yesterday.

More than 130 recruits of the Interim Helmand Police Training Centre attended the event in the Lashkar Gah district.

The centre was set up last month to help with the recruitment push for 160,000 police officers across Afghanistan by the end of this year. From March, the centre is expected to train 2550 students a year.

Helmand deputy governor Sattar Marzakwal told the graduates: "You have the responsibility of serving the Afghan people with dignity.

"Our people face problems in this country; however, we can solve them because you can solve them."

Brigadier James Cowan, the Commander of Task Force Helmand, said the newly trained policemen were the first step towards a safe Helmand.

"The task ahead is to bring security to Helmand in order to allow development and economic prosperity," he said. "The policemen who graduate today will join the ranks of the Helmand police force, deploying their new-found skills where they are most needed."

Guardsman Michael Harrison, a member of the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, was an instructor for the first training cycle.

He said: "To see them actually graduating now is fantastic.

"Training them has actually benefited us just as much as it's benefited them."

VIDEO:11 Brigade Xmas Message

A Christmas message to the families of 11 Brigade, currently deployed in Afghanistan, from the Brigade Commander

VIDEO: ITV News in Afghanistan

Broadcast on ITV News in November 2009 - correspondent John Ray visits the distant outposts of the war in Afghanistan and talks to Brigadier James Cowan, commander of British Forces in Helmand Province.

By kind permission of ITN.

© ITN 2009

Biometric tests to identify rebels in Afghanistan

By Stephen Grey

THE inhabitants of combat zones in southern Afghanistan may face biometric tests in a new initiative to prevent the Taliban from infiltrating villages.

After studying counter-insurgency methods employed from the Boer war to the conflict in Iraq, British commanders are drawing up plans for “gated communities” from which the enemy can be excluded by identity checks. The checks may involve fingerprints, retina scans or even DNA tests.

Brigadier James Cowan, the new commander of British forces in Afghanistan, revealed last week how far the campaign in Helmand is being rethought.

“In counter-insurgency you are not here to beat the enemy. You are here to win the people — because the enemy will always be able to regenerate,” he said in the first newspaper interview he has given in his new role. “What you have to be able to do is give people the security they crave.”

The shift in emphasis from killing Taliban fighters to counter-insurgency has often been misleadingly presented as simply trying to win “hearts and minds” — perhaps with crude bribes such as building wells or health clinics, or through short-term job creation.

For the full story click here for the Times Online

Soldiers will not pull back to avoid casualties, head of British forces in Afghanistan says

Troops will not pull back from outlying bases in Helmand to avoid casualties, the head of British forces in Afghanistan has said.

Brigadier James Cowan denied reports that forces would withdraw from remote posts such as Musa Qala because they were overstretched.

Military officials also denied there were plans to scale back operations in advance of a British election to prevent deaths further swinging public opinion against the war.

Brig Cowan, commander of 11 Light Brigade, said: "We are here to protect Helmand, we are in those areas, we have no plans whatsoever to withdraw.

"We are here in those areas and there are no plans to withdraw from those locations."

Gen Stanley McChrystal, senior commander of Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, has said the 110,000-strong coalition should concentrate on securing cities and population centres to defeat the Taliban.

However British commanders have said they will continue to hold the densely populated Helmand river valley and outlying outposts.

Brig Cowan said "What I would like to see is the centre of Helmand, where we currently are putting our main effort, our hold of it deepened and the assurance that we give to the local population strengthened.

"Because this is about the confidence of the people of Afghanistan and of Helmand so my aim is to improve that confidence in the government of Afghanistan."

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, head of the Armed Forces, admitted that progress in Afghanistan was "painful, slow and halting".

He said: "What we see is the downside and it is a very, very painful downside, tragic losses bereaved families back home that are having to cope with that loss, people who are injured and having to deal with a complete change in their life.

"But, out there on the ground, talk to the people who are doing it on the ground and they will tell you that they are making real progress.

We have got to do much better at describing their progress.

"It is painful, it is slow, it is halting, but it is in the right direction."

Initial thoughts after the first week in Helmand

Picture: Brigadier James Cowan, commander Task Force Helmand and Brigadier General Mohaiuddin Ghori, commander of 203 Brigade, Afghan National Army.

Brigadier James Cowan, 11 Light Brigade: initial thoughts after the first week in Helmand.

Letter Home on 17 October 09

On the 10th October Brigadier Tim Radford and 19 Light Brigade completed their tour in a short, simple military parade here in Laskhar Gar. After 2 years of preparation and training it’s finally good to get going.

The key theme of the tour will be one of consolidation. This does not mean inactivity, far from it. It means understanding that our 6 months is but the next phase in a campaign; recognising we will not defeat this insurgency in our time here, but that we will move the campaign forward.

We will sustain this counter-insurgency campaign’s continuity, driving on hard to meet General McChrystal’s imperative for change and passing to our successors, as 19 Brigade have done to us, a situation even further along than we found it.

Back home, I sense there is some lack of awareness of the words we use and what they really mean in Helmand. To take two examples;

The first is “counter-insurgency”.. A counter-insurgency conflict is fundamentally different from normal war because in an insurgency it is the people, in this case the Afghans, who will decide who succeeds.

We will not prevail by simply killing insurgents. Instead it is the will and support of the Afghans which is the prize for both sides. Protecting them from the insurgent is our mission and every action we take must be to gain and maintain the support of the people.

That does not mean we will not seek out, confront and capture or kill those who are irreconcilable. We will kill only when we must. Part of our task is to demonstrate to the Afghan people that we use such force in support of them and their security. The Taliban cannot defeat us militarily but we can defeat ourselves if we alienate the people.

The second example is what I mean when I talk of “we” and “us”. I am not talking only of the men and women of 11 Light Brigade. The British Military is most definitely not the only force in Helmand fighting this counter-insurgency. Broadly there are three other groupings.

First, the Afghans, the men of the Afghan National Army and the men and women of the Afghan National Police in particular, the people to whom this land belongs.

Secondly, our allies. There are 11,000 United States Marines of Task Force Leatherneck operating alongside us in Helmand, responsible for the bulk of the province’s landmass and about 30% of the population.

Within Task Force Helmand, under my command, are soldiers of one of our staunchest European allies of recent years, the Danes. From the Balkans to Iraq and now here in Helmand they have soldiered with us. They are here with us today. With an Armoured Battle Group, they hold one of the absolutely key areas in Helmand around the town of Gereshk, just to the north of Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital from where I write.

There are also Estonians with an Armoured Infantry company embedded in the Grenadier Guards Battle Group. We even have a troop of Australian gunners on exchange with 1 Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery.

But it is the third group who don’t get deserved recognition: the men and women of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, the civil-military mission staff. There are 91 civilian, 94 military and 27 police mentor multi-national staff acting as the single PRT for all of Helmand, including the Task Force Leatherneck area, and based in Lashkar Gar and 7 districts of Helmand’s 13.

Their work is utterly fundamental to success in this counter-insurgency: without the security brought by ISAF and Afghan security forces the PRT cannot move forward with its governance, reconstruction and redevelopment, “Rule of Law”, socio-economic, agricultural and counter-narcotics programmes, channelling international aid into progress. Yet equally, without the vigorous pursuit of such PRT programmes in the security “space” achieved by ISAF and Afghan security forces, such security would have little hope of enduring.

VIDEO: Brigader Cowan in Babaji, Helmand Province

In his first interview since assuming command of British troops in southern Afghanistan, Brigadier James Cowan has struck a cautiously optimistic note. He believes that where British and Afghan troops are now able to hold territory support for the Taliban appears to be waning.

The Brigadier made his comments in an area that was only secured after fierce fighting over the summer.

Brigadier’s Afghanistan peace goal

By Calum Ross

A Black Watch commander has vowed to help the people of Afghanistan find a lasting solution after taking charge of 9,000 UK and coalition troops in Helmand province.

Brigadier James Cowan, from Edinburgh, took over the command of British forces in Helmand during a handover ceremony at the British Army’s regional headquarters in Lashkar Gah.

It marked the transfer of authority to Brig Cowan’s 11 Light Brigade and brought to an end 19 Light Brigade’s six-month tour of the country, during which it suffered 70 deaths.

Brig Cowan, of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, said the theme of the tour would be consolidation in the centre of Helmand and close co-operation with Afghan allies. “We have been preparing for this operation for two years and are looking forward to the challenge,” he added.

“We aim to emulate the success of 19 Brigade, which has done a magnificent job.

"It is in all our interests that we succeed. Only the people of Afghanistan can provide the lasting solution. We will do everything we can to help achieve this goal.

“To this end, we will consolidate our close relationship with our friends in the US Marine Corps and our civilian counterparts in the provincial reconstruction team, in order to bring prosperity to the people of Helmand.”

The 11 Light Brigade’s tour ends in April 2010.

Once a guard of Adolf Hitler's imprisoned Nazi party deputy Rudolf Hess, Brig Cowan took command of the Black Watch in July 2003.

He was deployed to Iraq, fighting in Basra and Al Amarah in 2004 during the Shi’ite uprising, and was made an OBE in 2005.

Now in his mid-40s, Brig Cowan takes over from the commander of 19 Light Brigade, Brigadier Tim Radford, who said: “The efforts of every soldier in 19 Brigade this summer have helped to deliver security and governance in Helmand.

“I want them to be remembered for the courage, fortitude and resolve they have shown in the harshest operational environment.

“They have been tested to the extreme and they have delivered.

"We have suffered 70 fatalities plus many more personnel with life-changing injuries.

“Every loss cuts deeply and we will never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will continue to support those individuals and all the families.”

The weekend’s handover ceremony coincided with the transfer of the UK civilian head of the mission in Helmand.

Hugh Powell, who is in charge of the provincial reconstruction team, handed over to his successor Lindy Cameron.

Next stop Helmand: On manoeuvres with the British Army - Independent

The men of 11 Light Brigade are preparing for a mission from which some may not return.

Kim Sengupta joins them on Salisbury Plain

The task is to scramble into the searing heat and swirling dust of Afghanistan on a few minutes' notice and fly into combat zones, manoeuvring through some of the most difficult flying conditions in the world. Some missions will involve trading fire with the Taliban on the ground, others will mean landing in the middle of a battle. This will happen day after day, month after month.

This is the reality for British helicopter pilots in Afghanistan, amid accusations and recriminations at home over shortages of aircraft.

For the men doing the flying – and for those they ferry – the focus is on survival with what they have got, rather than what may materialise from the promises of politicians.

Yesterday, pilots and infantrymen trained on Salisbury Plain ahead of 11 Light Brigade's deployment to Helmand in September, under Brigadier James Cowan, the former commander of the Black Watch.

Wing Commander Simon Paterson and Captain David – who did not wish to give his surname – were among the pilots training. They have toured Afghanistan before and learnt of the dangers in the conflict, which has cost 188 British lives to date.

The latest fatality named was 28-year-old Captain Daniel Shepherd, an explosives specialist, killed while attempting to defuse a roadside bomb of the type which has taken such a terrible toll among British troops. A soldier from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, attached to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed yesterday morning by an explosion while on a dismounted patrol in Nad e Ali District.

A lack of helicopters, senior officers say, makes the soldiers dependant on road movement and so more vulnerable to lethal blasts.

Wing Cdr Paterson, a Chinook pilot, and Capt David, who flies Apaches, are returning to the war. Wing Cdr Paterson, 36, Officer Commanding 28 Squadron, RAF, also served in Iraq. He will be taking in a squadron of Merlins, some of the much-needed additions to the helicopter fleet due to arrive at the end of the year.

"Flying in Afghanistan poses more dangers than we faced in Iraq, we have to cope with a lot more ground-to-air fire, something we did not have to really cope with in Iraq after the initial phase," he said. "We have problems because of the altitude and the dust which is very fine, almost like talcum powder, which makes visibility quite difficult. Of course, it also takes its toll on the aircraft. But we do feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the guys on the ground. We need to evacuate the injured, ensure that the supplies get through. We do not take unnecessary risks – we will not fly in the mail in the middle of a battle for instance, but essential jobs must be done and the transport helicopters get invaluable help from the Apaches."

The Taliban have learnt to fear the Apaches, with their devastating firepower, and melt away at the sight of the aircraft. "They are right to be nervous," said Capt David, of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps. "Our role is not just to fight but act as a deterrent as well and if that works, that's fine.

"I am not in a position to talk about the numbers of helicopters, all I can say is that we are working very, very hard and this is going on 24/7. We are on a very short notice to move, you could be just sitting around with a cup of tea and then 15 minutes later you are flying. Obviously it does get very tense and you are on edge, but it is a question of learning to cope.

"It is dangerous, we have to climb high enough to get beyond the Taliban small arms fire, but we have pretty good defences and we have adapted our flying to be as safe as possible. At the end of the day it is a very good feeling to know that you help bring some casualties out because these guys are going through a hell of a lot out there. They need all the help and support that they get."

The 11 Light Brigade will specialise in counter-insurgency and Brigadier Cowan's plan has been approved by the Army's high command. His soldiers are preparing for the campaign against a backdrop of almost daily news of bomb fatalities, and approach the mission with trepidation and hope.

Corporal Rob Whiffin, of 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, said: "People are nervous. There is anxiety about what is happening. But this is what we do and we are looking forward to going. The main thing is to do our job well and come back alive."

Sergeant Gareth Gardner, pictured left, of the same regiment, said: "Anyone who says they are not nervous is lying. But we have trained very hard and that will be hugely helpful... I have been in the Army 11 years and we have seen a lot of improvement in kit in that time, that is something we should bear in mind."

Lance Corporal Liam Jones, also of 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, said: "The feeling is that this tour... is going to be particularly difficult. But that isn't surprising. There is nothing we can do about it except put everything we have learnt into good practice." Major Mark Melhorn, 30, fire support group commander, said: "I hope all my boys come back. But I'm a realist. The boys are nervous, they'd be crazy not to be, but they're still desperate to get out there."

The man taking them all, Brigadier Cowan, said: "One can always do with more helicopters, but one needs to cope with the reality on the ground... As far as more troops are concerned, it is up to the ministers to decide, I'll make do with what I am given, I am a practical man." He will lead Britain's new strategy in Afghanistan, which aims to dovetail with the plans of General Stanley McChrystal, the new US commander of Nato forces there. The strategy emphasises winning over the public, hastening reconstruction and adopting new measures to avoid civilian casualties.

"In conventional warfare the aim is to defeat the enemy," said Brigadier Cowan. "In counter-insurgency it is winning over the people. That is what we will be doing."

11 Light Brigade ready for Afghan deployment

In preparation for 11 Light Brigade's deployment to Afghanistan this October, 4,000 troops have come together on Salisbury Plain over the last two weeks for a mission rehearsal exercise.

Troops from 11 Light Brigade, which was specially formed from many different regiments for operations in Afghanistan, have been training on the plain on and off since December 2008.

The Brigade will be commanded by Brigadier James Cowan who was tasked with assembling the force in 2007:

"I formed it, trained it, I will deploy it, fight it, bring it home and disband it," he said. "We are ready for the task."

Brigadier Cowan explained that the training on Salisbury Plain is the climax to many months of preparation and likened his role so far to that of a conductor of a symphony orchestra, bringing together many disparate and specialist units to act together as one:

"This is the culmination of our training," Brigadier Cowan explained. "What has gone before is about people learning to play their instruments or play as a quartet. Here the whole orchestra comes together for a full dress rehearsal."



As well as the thousands of troops, the other component of the orchestra on Salisbury Plain over the last two weeks is equipment, including some 400 wheeled and 20 tracked vehicles, Apache, Lynx, Gazelle, Sea King, Merlin and Chinook helicopters as well as a small number of Fast Jets and Air Transport C130 Hercules aircraft.

Brigadier Cowan added:

"The performance [in theatre] is only the tip of the iceberg. What delivers success is rehearsal and if you rehearse properly and train hard you fight easy."

Much of that rehearsal and training has been based around counter insurgency, and with one of the main weapons currently used by the insurgents against coalition forces being Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) 11 Light Brigade will have several specialist teams to discover and disarm the bombs.

A veteran of a previous deployment to Afghanistan, Sergeant Ken O'Dwyer of 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) has being working with the counter IED taskforce and will be one of those charged with the task of discovering the IEDs before they pose a threat to his comrades.

He has been impressed with the progress made in his training and equipment since his last deployment in Afghanistan in 2007:

"Since then the equipment has got a lot better and we have everything we really need," Sergeant Dwyer said. "I feel much more confident going out there now. The training we have had is phenomenal."

In addition to counter insurgency there will be several other main themes for 11 Light Brigade during their six month tour of duty in Afghanistan which include counter-narcotics and developing the Afghan National Security Forces.

Now together, 11 Light Brigade will continue to carry out final preparations on Salisbury Plain until deployment in October.

Surveying his force, Brigadier Cowan was optimistic and proud of what his men have achieved so far but said that the task would be a difficult one and that theirs was just a small part of a much bigger and ongoing effort:

"What I see are soldiers who are cheerful, whose morale is high and who are looking forward to what lies ahead.

"In a counter insurgency we are seeking to win Afghanistan for its people. But that is not going to be in my time because counter insurgency requires patience. I'm not seeking at the end of six months to declare success or victory.

"It is about inching our way towards that success. Others will achieve it in the longer term. We are merely one task force in one half of a province in a much longer campaign that will endure over time."