News from the Commanding Officer 2 Rifles

Lt. Col. Bill Wright

12th February 2012

The first weeks of 2012 have seen a continuation of the fast pre Christmas tempo with two Brigade operations and a Kandak level one too.  The cold weather has continued (though not as cold as the UK is experiencing this week!) and there have been occasional very heavy down pours of rain.  The days have by and large been bright and sunny and by 1100hrs the biting night cold has gone, but it only takes the sun to go behind a cloud and you can feel the temperature immediately drop by a few degrees.  January to March are when Helmand gets the vast majority of its rain and so we can expect warmer days but lots more mud over the coming weeks!

The big events of the last 5 weeks have been two more Brigade level operations.  Having completed Op ZAMESTANI PEEROZI on Christmas Eve we then had 2 weeks to plan before we were back out on Op ROZI ROSHAN (it means ‘Bright Day’ but was also named by the Afghan National Army (ANA) in honour of Capt Roz Ashworth our Education Officer!).  This operation involved some 600 ANA drawn mostly from the 3rd and 6th Kandaks (Battalions) and their Advisors (principally from Maj Bobby Bryan’s and Maj Rich Smith’s teams).  Capt Ollie Little and Sjt Morrell, both newly arrived in Theatre, had their first big run out too (see attached photo!).

 The aim of the operation was to clear the enemy from an area north of Gereshk called Dah Adam Kahn and to build some new ANA and Afghan Uniform Police (AUP) check points in order to secure the area and prevent the insurgents returning.  The operation lasted 4 days with 3rd Kandak sweeping through the area.  It was almost completely unopposed and a large number of IED were found and then destroyed.  6th Kandak and some Danish Leopard tanks formed a block on the steep ridge immediately overlooking the area.  There is nothing quite as intimidating as a large tank looming over you, and the deterrent effect of that probably convinced most of the insurgents that it was time to leave!  The ANA Engineers and their advisors then jumped into action and within days there were 6 new check points in place and manned.  The northern approaches to Gereshk are now secure and the locals were extremely relieved that the insurgents had been driven out.  It was another resounding success.

The next operation finished yesterday.  The operation was called Op HORHARY AFGHAN meaning Afghan Sister (named in honour of Sophie Waters one of our Military Linguists – you may have noticed a theme!).  It lasted 6 days and involved two discrete operations.  The first part was a very successful clearance of the Kopak area in Nar e Saraj (South) – the 5Rifles area.  5Rifles and the 2nd Kandak (with much of Maj Rich Smith’s team) planned and conducted the operation over a three day period.  As well as achieving its aim it also greatly increased the confidence of the 2nd Kandak. 

At the same time pretty much all the rest of the Brigade Advisory Group were involved in the clearance of a huge rural area between Highway One and Nar e Saraj (South) (11km by 8km).  3/215 Brigade (ANA) cleared through the area in three days, with the Afghan Police following on behind searching compounds.  The area is supposed to be desert but over the years it has become covered in small compounds each growing crops on small patches of land.  Maj Tom Jefford (Queen’s Royal Hussars and commanding the Advisors on Highway One) spent the operation on the ground juggling the ANA’s tactical support and commanding all the advisors – he and the Advisors did a great job throughout.  As with the other recent operations the insurgents but up only a limited fight and were quickly sent packing by the ANA.  The rain held off too and so we were saved the nightmare scenario of our heavy armoured vehicles becoming bogged down in the irrigated fields!  We all returned to our respective bases last night pretty tired after completing two very successful operations and spending some cold nights sleeping out under the stars.  However, we have seen once again how all our hard work in developing the ANA is really paying off. 

A and C Companies, working with 5 Rifles, have continued their busy pace of life too and have had some really good arrests and operations over recent weeks.  I am hoping to visit them again in the next week or so and will send more gossip then.

I hope that the New Year has begun well for all of you.  All of 2 Rifles, and the BAG, are now over the half way point of the tour and so the light is on at the end of tunnel.

Keep safe and stay warm!  

Keep checking back for more 2 Rifles updates.