On patrol in Helmand Province - CNN

CNN's Atia Abawi spends the day on patrol in southern Afghanistan with British soldiers.

US Commander thanks UK for contribution to Iraq and Afghanistan

General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command, thanked the UK for its military and non-military contribution to progress that has been made in Iraq and Afghanistan, yesterday.

The General expressed his appreciation of the UK's contribution when he met British Defence Secretary John Hutton and other civilian and military leaders at the Ministry of Defence to discuss routine business.

The visit was a routine stop as part of a larger visit by the General to visit other NATO allies. A wide range of important issues were discussed at the MOD and General Petraeus said:

"The visit highlights Central Command's engagement with our NATO partners to reiterate the strategic importance of the alliance and the critical role it plays in the Mid-East region and especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The United Kingdom is a strategic partner and we value the strong military and civilian co-operation between our two countries that advances our common goals of peace and security in the Mid-East. We have in recent years stood together against forces and elements that have sought to destabilise the region.

"The significance of the United Kingdom's contribution should not be underestimated. Its military activities and non-military assistance have been instrumental in successful capacity- building and the progress that we have made in various endeavours.

"I want to thank the UK in particular for the great contribution it has made, military and non-military, in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The everyday battle - DFID

In Afghanistan, inspirational women are making slow, significant progress, reports Glyn Strong for the Department for International Development (DFID).

Afghanistan has long been defined by men and war. The men have included politicians, religious leaders, foreigners and warlords. The wars have been waged by them, or on their behalf.

Four years after Hamid Karzhai was sworn in as President, and three years after the first ‘democratic’ elections for 30 years, the country is still described as a failing or failed state. It is still a battleground on many fronts. Fundamentalism, poverty, tribal rivalry, greed and the drug trade have taken their toll. Corruption is a fact of life and freedom of movement for women still a pipedream.

On her first visit to Britain, in October, to receive The Anna Politkovskaya Award for human rights activity, the suspended Afghan MP Malalai Joya told the House of Lords that while her country has received $18 billion in aid in the last seven years, “ordinary people have not benefited from it. Only 2% of Afghan people have access to electricity and, according to recent figures released by the UN FAO, 70% (18 million people) live on less than $2 a day.”

But behind this grim analysis, behind the claims and counter-claims of national and international politicians, lies the story of the ordinary women of this country, whose experiences depict a more inspirational tale – albeit shot through with fears that funding might be withdrawn or fragile initiatives left to founder as security deteriorates. Everywhere Afghanistan’s women are both frustrated and hungry for a better life.

In Kabul their number includes Fatima and Arifa whose loans from the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) enabled them to make money from curtain making and embroidery. Loans of 10,000 then 15,000 AFS (£250 in all) made it possible for Fatima to open a shop, train and employ other women and enrol her son in English and computer classes.

Just days after a suicide bombing, many citizens are nervous but Fatima is upbeat and keen to show off her shop.

Not far from the ruined palace of Zahir Shah, two other women benefit from resources provided by NGO CURE International to fund its flagship hospital.

Afghanistan will not meet any of the MDGs, which means that too many women will still die needlessly from pregnancy-related complications. But if they can get to the CURE Hospital and come under the care of Head of Midwifery Victoria Parsa, 27, they are blessed. Pioneering treatment of fistulas, obstetric and gynaecological training for GPs and an excellent midwifery department is something the charity is justifiably proud of. Musuna, 27, has just given birth to quads by C-section. Against the odds, all will survive.

In Helmand province, women attending a residential midwifery course at Lashkah Gar’s Bost Hospital, range from late teens to mid-30s and they will take skills back to their remote villages that will save lives.

Not all female empowerment is related to gender issues however. The green energy company Tolo-e Zanane- Afghan (TZA), in partnership with the Department of Renewable Energy, provides women with the chance to build on engineering training and give the country desperately needed reliable and cost-effective energy.

By harnessing wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric resources, engineers like Shafiqa, Halima and Samiya are able to earn a living and transform lives. A five-volt panel that absorbs sunlight all day can power four light bulbs for an entire night enabling children to read and study. It isn’t cheap by Afghan standards but it’s reliable and, once purchased, attracts no further running costs.

A job at the solar project for Samiya, 25, means that one day she may be able to live with her children again. She was forced into marriage during the Taliban era by a man who spotted her in the bazaar.

“One day he followed me home and told my parents ‘I want to marry your daughter’. He already had a wife and I didn’t want to marry him, but my parents were scared. He was an important man. Now I want to divorce him. I live with my parents but they have no room for my children and I cannot afford to rent anywhere.”

The tiny village of Hazrat-e-Sultan, a seven-hour drive from Kabul in Samangan province, was once the conservative stronghold of anti-Taliban guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Nothing stirs in this arid place where the sky goes on forever and the mountains stand like sentinels in the distance. The classroom of Khadija Hadiri and her girls peer group are reached via a gateway in a mud-walled enclosure where a sign acknowledges the support of Comic Relief.

The 16 girls receive an education, instruction in handicrafts, children’s rights, women’s rights and business. Khadija finds their bank book with everyone’s name in it. “They are saving as a group; they want to invest in a shop where they can sell their own products.”

It’s supported by Afghanaid, which is involved in 195 projects in Samangan alone. ranging from water provision, training for women, carpet weaving and tailoring to establishment of kitchen gardens and agriculture. Afghanaid’s Women’s Coordinator in the area, Khori Gul, navigates the dusty roads that lead to the kitchen garden and home workshop of Najiba – ventures that enable the family to eat well through the harsh winter. This cultivated plot, invisible from outside the dried mud walls of the compound that contains it, is idyllic. It is also a thriving commercial enterprise that owes its existence to international aid and mentoring.

Attached to the home that Najiba shares with her husband Zainuddin and three children, is a 12,000 sq m garden and flourishing orchard. It is a breathtaking testament to what can be done with advice, provision of quality seed and cookery lessons. “This is the first year of the seed programme,” says Najiba. “I grow lettuces, radishes, onions, tomatoes, leeks, and squash – all sorts of things. There is so much – already I have sold some vegetables and given some away to my neighbours.”

Her struggle isn’t against insurgents. ‘Confl ict’ for her doesn’t mean rocketpropelled grenades raining down on her village. But like so many Afghan women she is still engaged in a daily battle for survival. In a country left vulnerable by war and underinvestment, access to clean water and healthy seeds is as important as ambitious building projects. It’s a slow process, but this is an area where change does not come quickly and all progress is significant.

Changed for good
DFID in Afghanistan Despite the daily struggle of life in Afghanistan, real strides have been made since the Taliban regime ended in 2001. Under the Taliban only 1 million children went to school, all of them boys, but now 6 million benefit from regular schooling – including 2 million girls.

Today over 80% of districts have access to basic levels of health care compared with 9% in 2002. As a result infant mortality for children under five has fallen from 25% to 19% in five years. Improved health care and cleaner water and sanitation has also saved thousands of lives. Also, improvements in maternity care mean that figures for death in childbirth have been drastically cut.

For the full article click here for the DFID website

Commandos strike ‘significant blow’ in raid - Press & Journal

Angus-based marines knock out Taliban lair

By Mark Dowie


Commandos from an Angus-based Royal Marine unit have delivered a “significant blow” to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Their aim of “catching the enemy napping” worked as planned when they stormed a Taliban base in the mountains near Kajaki, in the north of Helmand province, killing the commander.

Backed by artillery and their fire-support group – heavy machineguns and grenade launchers mounted on Land Rovers – the troops made their move under cover of darkness.

After a fierce bombardment of the Taliban defences, the marines called in an air strike and two precision bombs destroyed the remaining Taliban bunkers and defensive positions.
Intelligence reports soon revealed that a local Taliban commander had been killed during the raid.

Afterwards, a member of the Victor Company, 45 Commando, said: “We left very early in the morning, with a bitter winter wind in our faces.

“We moved carefully and stealthily into our positions with the aim of catching the enemy napping. We knew we had done it when we reached our final RV (rendezvous point) in his backyard without detection.”

The marines, who are from RM Condor, near Arbroath, are on a six-month tour of duty in Helmand, patrolling the Upper Sangin Valley. Their tour is due to end in April.

Victor Company, trained in high-altitude, cold-weather warfare, is stationed at a remote operating base, Zeebrugge, 4,000ft up in the mountains and has the role of defending the Kajaki dam.

The dam is of critical importance to southern Afghanistan as it supplies power and water to most of the population of Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The Taliban base that was attacked was north of the dam.

Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Jim Morris said the operation had been well planned and executed “with ruthless precision”. He added: “Defence of the Kajaki hydro-electric station is a task of strategic importance. The power it produces is vital to sustain the livelihoods of the Afghan people who live in Helmand and Kandahar.”

Victor Company operations officer Captain Paul Forrest said: “This is a significant blow to the Taliban which will disrupt their ability to co-ordinate future attacks in Kajaki. It should also send a powerful message to them that their roadside bombs and threats against the local community will not be tolerated.”

See the article on the Press and Journal website

Skilled, prepared and ruthless … all in a day's work for Arbroath's finest - Scotsman

By Emily Pykett

CREEPING under cover of darkness, the bitterly cold wind in their faces, a crack squad of Royal Marines embarked on an audacious raid that destroyed an enemy communications base in Helmand province.

As the sun rose above the mountains, the company commander of 45 Commando gave the order to engage, and the soldiers unleashed a skilfully orchestrated ground and air assault, killing a local Taleban chief.

The marines, who are based at RM Condor in Arbroath, have been responsible for patrolling the Upper Sangin Valley since October last year. Their patch stretches from a base code-named Gibraltar, near Gereshk in the south, and follows the Helmand River up to the Kajaki Dam.

45 Commando's Victor Company are holed up in another base called Zeebrugge, in a remote outpost in the mountainous region of Kajaki. Their mission is to defend the Kajaki dam from Taleban attacks.

The dam is critical to the infrastructure of southern Afghanistan. Its turbines provide electrical power and water to a huge proportion of the Afghan population in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.

At an altitude of 4,000ft, Victor Company are specially trained for cold weather warfare, their combat skills honed by surviving on limited supplies, while training and living in the most basic of conditions.

The Taleban may surround them, but Victor Company "owns" the high ground and patrols continuously to control the area. Very few Afghan civilians live here now, most driven away in fear of the Taleban.

The key to keeping the upper hand in such a hostile environment is "offensive spirit". Thus, Victor Company executed a strategy to destroy a Taleban command and communications base to the north of the dam. Marines from the reconnaissance patrol's troop set off very early in the morning, moving carefully and stealthily into their positions with the aim of catching the enemy by surprise. They knew they had succeeded when they reached their final rendezvous, in the enemy's back yard, without detection.

By now, the assault troops were in place, and a fire support group moved in to cover their flanks.

Victor Company was poised for ambush. From their makeshift headquarters, hidden on a sand dune overlooking the target, they could see the Taleban sentries change guard. When the commander gave the word, they triggered a punishing assault on the Taleban defence network, co-ordinating ground, mortar, artillery and air weapons. Stunned and confused, the Taleban were pinned down, fixed in their trenches by the ferocity of the attack.

The troops' aim had been to cause maximum disruption with the minimum collateral damage to the wider area. An aircraft then dropped two precision bombs, destroying enemy bunkers and dug-in defensive positions. The operation was a success. Almost immediately, a flurry of intelligence reports indicated that a local Taleban commander had been killed.

Captain Paul Forrest, operations officer for Victor Company, said: "This is a significant blow to the Taleban, which will disrupt their ability to co-ordinate future attacks in Kajaki.

"It should also send a powerful message to them that their roadside bombs and threats against the local community will not be tolerated."

On completion of the operation, the marines withdrew to their operating base.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Morris, Commanding Officer of 45 Commando, said: "This raid was well planned and executed with ruthless precision.

"Defence of the Kajaki hydro-electric station is a task of strategic importance.

"The power it produces is vital to sustain the livelihoods of the Afghan people who live in Helmand and Kandahar."

See the story on the Scotsman website here

'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

Light Dragoons train for Afghanistan - Eastern Daily Press

The Swanton Morley-based Light Dragoons are set to become the latest contingent representing East Anglia in the bloody war in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Defence correspondent BEN KENDALL joined them during their final exercise before taking up the fight against the Taliban.When they arrive in Kandahar in April at the start of their latest detachment in Operation Herrick, the 350 men from Swanton Morley's Light Dragoons will find themselves fighting in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees centigrade.

Yesterday, as they carried out their final preparations on Salisbury Plain, it was an altogether different picture as the thermometer read minus five. Men in desert fatigues and vehicles more accustomed to sand than snow painted a surreal picture against a blanket of white.

But as Brigadier Tim Radford, who will lead units from all corners of the UK, pointed out, while the challenges may be different, the unusually harsh Wiltshire winter would help the troops focus on the hardship that lies ahead.

Speaking to the fighters themselves, the tough Afghan conditions are the least of their worries.

The name Helmand is one etched on the East Anglian consciousness - nine Royal Anglians were killed and more than a hundred injured during their last tour.

The Dragoons themselves fought in Helmand as recently as 2007, although their tour was a less tragic one with no fatalities. This time around they are part of what the Army claims is the best equipped brigade in British history. Criticism of previous equipment levels has been high profile - not least from the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannett, but it seems the government's multi-million pound investment is beginning to trickle through.

As well as the greater protection, manoeuvrability and fighting capacity offered by armoured vehicles including the Viking, Panther and Mastiff 2, each individual will be carrying improved kit.

This ranges from enhanced body armour and new rifles to personally tailored ear plugs which can block out the loudest of blasts.

Trooper Lee Dobbs, based at Swanton Morley for the last four years, said: “We're told it's the best equipment the Army has ever had and we've no reason to question that.

“I'm at the bottom of the food chain but I can see the improvements there have been and it gives us a lot more confidence that we can go out their and do our job knowing we're as well protected as we can be.

“I was in Afghanistan in 2007 as a gunner and this time I will be commanding the troops out in the field. It will be interesting to see what progress has been made since we were last there and the progress that is made in our six-month detachment.”

According to commanding officer Lt Col Gus Fair, the changes in Afghan stability have been far greater over the last two years than has been widely reflected back home.

He recently visited the Garmsir district, where the Dragoons will once again be in action, with outgoing commander Lt Col Angus Watson. A buffer zone has been established inside which the Afghan army, police and civil bodies are able to operate in relative normality.

“We visited an area which would have been deserted in 2007 and it was vibrant, thronging with people,” he said.

“A local governor has been installed, there is a chief of police and a board of police. Our role this time will be much more centred on allowing the people of Afghanistan to run things themselves.

“A key part of that will be the upcoming elections. We hope our involvement in that will be indirect, by allowing additional movement or protection for example, although there is always potential for the situation to become volatile.

“There are also a number of initiatives such as distributing thousands of tonnes of wheat seed to the local population of subsistence farmers to replace their poppy crop. We hope this will help in the anti-narcotics fight but, at the very least, it should help them feed themselves at a time of soaring wheat prices.”

The Dragoons are well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. About 80pc of them have previously served in Helmand and those that have not are well briefed by their colleagues.

Much of their time will be spent in Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicles which have had extra armour added for this tour.Crews can spend days in the field in these cramped tin cans, fighting targets at a variety of ranges. But the confidence in the Scimitar among the Dragoons is clear as the men speak with passion about it capabilities.

The training process began early last year. Salisbury Plain has now been mapped out to match Helmand and troops have dealt with an escalation in simulated incidents, rising to 14 major events each day this week as an approximation of the fighting that lies ahead.On arrival there will be a two-week acclimatisation process. This will undoubtedly coincide with an upsurge in insurgent activity as the enemy is well aware of the Army's change-over schedule and the potential weaknesses that come with it.

A potential bright spot in the tour will be the promised uplift in the American presence. Lt Col Fair stresses that this has not been confirmed but adds that, if it materialises, it will allow “deeper” activity among British troops.Until now the “butter has been spread thinly” whereas increased troops numbers would allow each unit to focus more thoroughly on establishing security and in turn allow the Afghan public to go about their lives.

Click here for the Eastern Daily Press

Under fire but Rachael enjoying life in war zone - The Northern Echo

A STUDENT has swapped her textbooks for Army fatigues to serve her country on a sixmonth tour on the front line in Afghanistan.

Teesside University student Captain Rachael Davies is serving in the Territorial Army (TA) with 3 Commando Brigade, based in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan.

The 23-year-old, who is working towards a degree in disaster management, is helping to rebuild and stabilise the country during a year out between her second and third years at university.

Capt Davies, who has been in the TA for six years, is working for the Civil-Military Co-operation group, which is led by the multi-national, civilian and military Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Capt Davies, who plays rugby for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, has career ambitions to work for the UN or an international non-government organisation doing postconflict reconstruction.

During her time in Afghanistan, she was based for three weeks at Nad-e-Ali, an area just regained from Taliban control, following heavy fighting during Operation Sond Chara.

“Operation Sond Chara was all about extending the security into new areas – therefore, the local people were not used to the presence of British Force,” she said.

“Understanding and appreciating their culture was very important to them.”

The brigade also helped with governance by supporting the work of a local elder in showing them how to organise the community in building two wells. During that period of service in the former Taliban stronghold, Capt Davies came under fire.

“It sounds strange to say, but it really has been part of the experience. At the time, it is just the training that takes over, you don’t feel scared, you just grab your body armour, helmet, take cover and react how we are supposed to. When you look back, it is terrifying, but hugely exciting,” she said.

“I would have been gutted not to have had this experience.”

Now her assistance to Operation Sond Chara is complete, she is now based in the 3 Commando Brigade HQ, in Lashkar Gah, where she will be out on patrols in outlying areas, gathering information on the progress of reconstruction and development.

She said she had enjoyed her experience on the front line.“It felt as if we were really doing something useful,”

she said. “We dealt with the local people on a daily basis, dealing with their problems and explaining who we were and what we are trying to do.

I saw it as being an ambassador for British Forces, helping to solve their problems and give them answers.”

*Pictured with her is Warrant Officer 2 Colin Butler and Afghan villagers

See the article on the Northern Echo Website

Return to Afghanistan - Sky 1

Ross Kemp returns to Afghanistan one year on, to see what has been happening in the year that he has been away, realising that the battle is far from won.

“I don’t care how good a journalist or filmmaker you are, there is nothing that will ever explain what it is really like to be there unless you’ve been there. I think we have to be pretty sympathetic, particularly in the future, to some of the young men who have experienced things that no young man should really experience in this day and age, ” said Ross Kemp in an interview with Soldier Magazine.

Ross Kemp: Return to Afghanistan.

On Sundays from February 1 at 2200, only on Sky1 HD and Sky1

To find out more about the TV series click here