Guns 2012-08.pdf - Jeffersonian

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ANA operation in 4 months, with
British troops deploying in support
as part of the International Security
Assistance Force.
The 3-day operation saw Afghan
National Army troops clear south
through the Yakchal area over several
days, with the police following behind
to search and clear more than 200
compounds.
The Afghan troops detained two
key improvised explosive device (IED)
facilitators and made safe 44 IEDs.
They also found seven bomb-making
factories, and discovered over 145
kilograms of homemade explosives,
18 manufactured mines, 18 pressureplate
switches and 12 directional fragmentation
charges.
The Afghan National Security
Forces (ANSF) also found another
five weapon caches with mortar
barrels and ammunition, five rocketpropelled
grenades, long-barreled
weapons and grenades. The most
exceptional discovery was a Taliban
command compound, seeded
with deadly IEDs rigged to detonate
the building and contents if the
compound was raided.
British troops from across Task
Force Helmand contributed to the
operation, but large-scale involvement
came from the Queen’s Royal Hussars,
1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment
(1 YORKS), and 2nd Battalion
The Rifles (2 RIFLES), who form
the Brigade Advisory Group and are
permanently attached to the local
ANA brigade, as well as armoured
infantry troops from 3rd Battalion
The Yorkshire Regiment (3 YORKS)
in Warrior armoured vehicles.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion The
Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (1
PWRR) deployed in their role as advisors
to the Afghan police involved in
the operation, while the ANA Reconnaissance
Tolay (Company) and
the Brigade Reconnaissance Force,
manned by soldiers from the Queen’s
Dragoon Guards and 1 YORKS,
struck at insurgent targets to the south
of the area of operations, supported
by the Warthog armoured vehicle
group.
Counter-improvised explosive
device specialists assisted their Afghan
Some of the 1,000 Afghan soldiers prepare
to deploy on Operation NOW ROZ (above) to
clear Taliban from Southern Afghanistan.
Photo: Crown Copyright/MOD 2012. Afghan
soldiers (below) deploy on Operation NOW
ROZ in an operation involving 1,000 ANA
troops and 1,000 British soldiers. Photo:
Crown Copyright/MOD 2012
counterparts while engineers from 35
Engineer Regiment mentored Afghan
engineers building a new checkpoint
to maintain security in the area. The
soldiers on the ground were also
boosted by search dogs and intelligence
and surveillance capabilities,
with support from Warrior armoured
vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Wright, the
Commanding Officer of 2 RIFLES,
said, “This operation is the latest in
a series of brigade-level operations
planned and led by the ANA. During
this winter they have conducted
a brigade-level operation every 3
weeks—a quite staggering pace. They
have kept us busy just trying to keep
up with them.
“This operation involved over 800
ANA and 200 AUP and is the most
complex, largest and most dangerous
that we have done by a huge margin.
“That they have the confidence to
conceive, plan and lead such a largescale
operation into an area the insurgents
perceived as their safe haven
and had heavily defended is clear
proof of their increasing confidence
and capability. They have been hugely
impressive.”
Brigadier General Shah said, “The
ANSF is ready to provide security for
the Afghan people. Those who are
fighting against our government need
to come and join the peace process, as
this can be the only solution.”—Courtesy
MoD
72
WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • AUGUST 2012