Adv 60 (B coy) written 8th February 2012

12th February 2012

 So here we are 75% of the way through the tour, only 52 days left and time for the next Company installment. We have had a busy month with most of the Advisors from B Company rotating back for their R&R. Running alongside this we have also gone through a change in ANA, the 6th Kandak (Battalion) swapped with the 2nd Kandak who where previously responsible for guarding Highway One.

 The swapping of ANA was something that was always going to be logistically very hard to manage; luckily we facilitated it with relatively few problems. One of the biggest problems we did face was the old ANA gutting their camps and taking pretty much everything with them, at least everything that wasn’t physically attached to the ground. This was particularly difficult to understand as it was members of the same Brigade replacing them, in many instances it was a swap between good friends. We came to accept that this was the ‘Afghan way’ and that actually it allowed to us to have a fresh start with the new Kandak.

 Since the Relief in Place we have been very happy with the standard and with the progress our new ANA are making. In PB SALAANG we have had the best possible start, the 1st Tolay conduct a lot of independent patrol activity, we have managed to remove the last of the ANA from the rooms in the ISAF side of camp and as such we now have a healthy amount of separation. Further to this we have helped them to construct a grand new kitchen, a gym and further develop their independent operations room. We have also found that they are extremely keen to learn from us and we have been running an hours training each day, except for Friday which is their day off.

 We have all taken our R&R now and are feeling thoroughly refreshed for the final quarter of the tour. We also have clearly defined goals for exactly what we want to achieve, this coupled with a much more motivated and co-operative ANA means the final push will more than likely fly by.

 From the OC:

 2012 has been really busy already and it looks to continue in the same vain for the next few weeks. The Afghan Army are continuing to show real improvements and the arrival of the HERRICK 17 recce this week has raised morale. The Afghan winter continues to prove how cold it can get and the recent rain has been particularly unpleasant. As we move in to the last 2 months of the tour it is really good to see the hard work starting to pay off and see the Afghan Army doing more and more on its own! It is also really good for morale to be able to say that we fly home next month!

Keep checking back for more 2 Rifles updates.