40 Commando Royal Marines take over authority of Sangin from 3rd Battalion The Rifles

Lt Col Nick Kitson, 3 Rifles (left) wishes Lt Col Paul James well for the next 6 months during the short ceremony.

At 14:00 local time yesterday afternoon, 3rd Battalion The Rifles officially transferred responsibility and command of the Sangin area of operations to 40 Commando Royal Marines.

Over the last few weeks, Royal Marine Commandos and attached Ranks have been arriving in Forward Operating Base (FOB) Jackson, in the Sangin region of Helmand province. They have been receiving comprehensive handovers from their counterparts in the 3 RIFLES.

The Area of Operations was formally handed by the 3 RIFLES Commanding Officer, Lt Col Nick Kitson, to Lt Col Paul James, Commanding Officer of 40 Commando Royal Marines.

Lt Col James said: “It’s great to be here. It’s an honor to take up the reins and having the opportunity to help the Afghans improve the lives of their people in Sangin and Kajaki.”

The 3 RIFLES flag is lowered during the handover to 40Cdo RM

The Commandos will be based here and in the other associated FOBs and Patrol Bases (PBs) for the next 6 months where they will continue to provide security to the region, mentor the Afghan National Police, partner the Afghan National Army and enable the continuation of reconstruction projects in the area.

Just prior to 3 RIFLES departing to leave Sangin they, together with their Afghanistan partners, they jointly hosted a ‘thank you and farewell’ Shura. The Shura involved key members of the local community and was also used to welcome members from 40 Commando Royal Marines to Sangin. The Shura incorporated a meal and much reciting of achievements and praise for the progress that 3 Rifles have made during their six month tour in the north eastern corner of Helmand Province.

The Commandos have already made a number of minor cultural changes around the FOBs and PBs to put their Royal Marine stamp on them. Army phrases have been replaced with Royal Navy terms - toilets have been renamed ‘heads’; the ‘cookhouse’ has become the ‘galley’; ‘brews’ have become ‘wets’ and ‘Scoff’ (meals) has become ‘Scran’.

This has all caused much amusement with the Afghan Partners from the Police and Army, together with locally employed nationals and interpreters who all live within the Bases and work with the Commandos every day.

For around a third of the Commandos, this is their second, third or even fourth deployment to the Sangin area and these Marines all commented on the significant changes that had taken place since they were last in the area.

The vibrant bazaar, which is a matter of a few hundred metres from the ISAF Operating Base, is one of the most significant signs of progress achieved by the 3 RIFLES Battle Group throughout their tour. The locals and children are becoming increasingly friendly and comfortable with the present of ISAF troops and their Afghan partners. The children are even starting to talk and play with the troops. This is seen by many as real and tangible improvements to the quality of the local Afghan’s way of life.

After a hard six month tour 3 RIFLES hand over the Sangin region to the Royal Marine Battle Group in a better state then when they took over control in September 2009. 40 Commando now have an excellent foundation on which to build and will continue to provide security to the region, and will show the local people that the Government is the best choice for them, and that the insurgency has nothing to offer them but fear and oppression.

CO 3 RIFLES reports from Helmand

Picture: Commander of 2 Platoon, A Company, 3 RIFLES, Lieutenant Palmer Winstanley, discusses the patrol with his Afghan National Army counterpart

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer, 3 RIFLES

We had the great honour to take over from our sister battalion, 2 RIFLES, on Monday 19 October 2009 here in Sangin. It was fantastic to arrive, to catch up with many familiar faces and trade stories.

2 RIFLES have given much and made many sacrifices but they have also made remarkable progress during their time here. They have left us many opportunities which we are eager to take forward for the people of Helmand.

We have assumed the role of Battle Group (North), with our area of responsibility in northern Helmand province stretching from Sangin up to the Kajaki Dam.

Throughout the area the Helmand River winds its way along the flood plain from the dam southwards through the mountainous desert landscape. It creates a strip of richly farmed fertile land either side of it, laced with irrigation channels and known as the Green Zone.

Patrolling is our main activity. We are bringing security and stability to the area, reassuring the local population around us and encouraging them to go about their normal routine.

As and when the need arises we will launch deliberate operations and take the fight to the enemy, clearing areas of insurgents and disrupting their activities.

We also work closely alongside our Afghan hosts in the nascent Afghan National Army and Police, exchanging ideas and tactics with them so they grow in ability and confidence in order to tackle the insurgency.

I am hugely impressed by their professionalism and dedication. We all have much to learn from them too and have much faith in their abilities.

Most have been pleasantly surprised by the living conditions in the Forward Operating Bases, not exactly home-comforts but certainly manageable, and accommodation is generally decent.

The majority of our food comes in the form of 'compo' rations, prepared by a small and dedicated detachment of chefs, who are always finding new ways to turn fairly basic ingredients into exciting meals for hungry riflemen. We top these up with fresh produce whenever the opportunity arises.

The Royal Engineers are always hard at it, trying to make our stay more comfortable by improving the showers, toilets and lodgings.

The temperature is now a very agreeable 25 degrees in the day but drops off sharply to around five degrees overnight. We expect the cold weather to hit over the next few months.

Who knows, maybe we shall see a white Christmas in the desert! We shall certainly see rain and the liquid mud it will create around us.

This is already proving to be a tour that will test and shape us all. The operation remains a difficult and a dangerous one but all the men and women under my command are totally up to the challenge.

We have all received excellent training to get us to this point and we have access to some of the best kit I have seen during my time in the Army.