Humbled by his riflemen - Lt Col Robert Thomson, CO 2 RIFLES

Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson with Major Karim of the Afghan National Army

When we were told in 2008 that we would become the Battlegroup responsible for the town of Sangin and the Upper Sangin Valley, we were only too well aware of the challenge that lay ahead.

Having deployed each and every year over the last ten years, we had the right operational experience but there was not one iota of complacency as we headed out to Afghanistan on our toughest assignment yet.

We have a saying in the Battlegroup that one is only as good as the next operation so, as we grabbed our rifles, body armour and packs, we knew we would be called upon to strain every sinew over six hard months. We were not wrong.

Our area of operations, the patch, was about the same size as Dorset, approximately 2,225 km2, a massive area for a Battle Group numbering 1,100 soldiers; there were over 25 different cap badges represented in our ranks including the RAF and one sailor! A Company 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers joined the Battlegroup to make us five Companies strong.

The Battlegroup was focused on the town of Sangin which has a population of 20,000 people, all living on the equivalent of about $2 per day. Life for the Afghans is harsh. Most are farmers or bazaar stall holders. Electricity, while limited, is improving and water all comes out of a well.

But the people of Sangin are as clever and committed as anywhere else and are determined to build a future for their children, free from the Taliban and its horrific threats.

The threat this summer has been growing rapidly. The enemy knows he loses when he fights us openly so he has resorted to indiscriminate and lethal Improvised Explosive Devices (the infamous IED) which also kill and maim innocent locals.

So, the enemy has planted IEDs in a greater number than ever before, trying to restrict our movements. It has been a hard battle but the Riflemen have found more than 200 IEDs across the Area of Operations.

We have targeted the bomb-maker in his home and in his factory and when he is putting the IED in the ground.

Since the end of July, we managed to kill four IED teams who were laying IEDs. It is difficult to describe accurately the intensity of this fight. When on patrol, everyone is fixed on the job in hand. The Rifleman operating the VALLON metal detector literally holds the lives of his comrades in his hands.

One of My Riflemen has found 19 IEDs whilst on patrol. This extraordinary job is made more difficult by the heat (temperatures have been above 40 for most of our tour) and the weight we all carry (most hump over 40 kilograms around on their back when on patrol). It is not a job for the faint-hearted.

Furthest to my north was I Company at Kajaki Dam, a stunningly beautiful and striking place, but one which harboured a lethal enemy.

I Company faced a largely conventional fight to keep the enemy from the strategically important dam that delivers electricity to the entire Upper Sangin Valley.

Coming south and only seven kilometres north of the Sangin District Centre, home to the District Governor, is Forward Operating Base Inkerman, home to the men and women of B Company. FOB Inkerman is critical to interdicting the routes of the enemy as they try to infiltrate into Sangin from the enemy bases in the Upper Sangin Valley.

B Company has fought fiercely with a tenacious enemy who combine improvised explosives with small arms fire ambushes.

Sangin DC and the town centre was protected by A Company, the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police, all based out of FOB Jackson, which sits on the banks of the wide-flowing Helmand River.

Here, military operations seek to protect the people and prevent the enemy from getting its grip on the town centre.

A British Stabilisation Advisor works shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan District Governor, one of the local tribal elders, to improve the day to day lives of the Afghan people.

FOB Wishtan, just to the east of Sangin, where C Company lived, guards the eastern approaches to Sangin. Like the rest of Sangin, it is a place strewn with IEDs and all movement is dangerous. We have been fighting a battle of wills with the enemy here and gradually we have been able to increase our control of the area and our freedom of movement.

Finally, FOB Nolay, my most southern base, guards the southern route into Sangin, vital to our own resupply but also provides a commercial lifeline for the bazaar in Sangin.

Conditions have been refreshingly basic (austere is the posh word). There are no soft mattresses, no hot showers for the mornings or nights, the most basic toilets you've ever seen and very little fresh rations. But one gets used to a simple and basic existence very quickly.

The heat was the hardest thing to get used to - one could never drink enough and I am not sure I need to eat pasta for a while!

But the true test is whether we have left Sangin a better place. For me, progress in Sangin has not been dramatic but we have moved forward, indelibly so. We will definitely leave Sangin in a better state then when we found it.

Security in the heart of the town has improved, based on new Police Checkpoints and an increase in police numbers.

Afghan Governance has also improved as District Governor Fazil Haq has moved out of the FOB and now works from his offices in the secure Governance zone, protected by Afghan security forces.

A Mayor has been appointed - a first for Sangin - who will pick up some of those unenviable bureaucratic responsibilities which make local government work. The bazaar has got bigger under a sponsored regeneration scheme.

One hundred new stalls were added in June and more are planned. The Afghan Army opened a new Patrol Base which has reduced the enemy's freedom to operate. And the enemy has come off second best on countless occasions.

There are too many tales of heroism to tell here but if you want to know more, come and ask.

All of this has not been without a heavy cost. The Battlegroup has lost 24 soldiers killed in action, 13 of them Riflemen from 2 Rifles, and more than 80 soldiers have been wounded in action.

We will never forget the sacrifice made by those who have given their lives and we are holding their families close. The wounded are in the best of care and have got the strength of character and determination to fight back - we will be in close support.

The commitment, courage and sheer grit of every man in the Battle Group has been humbling.

In extraordinary times, extraordinary men and women have day in, day out done extraordinary things for the good of our Nation and for the benefit of the impoverished people of Afghanistan.

Some as young as 18 have taken the fight to the enemy in some of the most arduous and demanding situations faced by British soldiers for a generation.

That they have retained their sense of humour and sanity is, to me, quite remarkable. You would not believe me, but we have faced donkey-borne IEDs - it fell off and the donkey sat on it with inevitable consequences.

So, as we come home to those we love dearly, our first thoughts and prayers are for those families who will not be able to wrap their arms around a loved one because he has gone.

But they would be the first to say, 'thank you for holding the baton high, now go and rest.

We will celebrate our return - the noise will, I am sure, be heard, far and wide, but we will also remember the sacrifice and the courage of every man and woman in this extraordinary Battle Group.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Thomson, commanding officer of 2 RIFLES

Britain's success in Afghanistan is measured in small steps

Better security, a health post, more schools – you know of the sacrifices, but let me tell you about the real progress

Both parents were inconsolable. They stood at the front gate of my patrol base in Wishtan, Sangin, and pleaded for help to find their child. We could give no satisfaction — their six-year-old daughter had stood on a Taleban pressure-pad IED (improvised explosive device); there was nothing left of the poor child. The parents continued to plead — a small part of her broken body would suffice. They had to have something to bury. The 2 Rifles Battle Group know about grief: we have seen friends killed but we had at least been able to salute a coffin. With the heaviest of hearts, my riflemen watched helpless as those heartbroken parents returned home to mourn the loss of a Muslim child who could not be buried.

It is this kind of IED that has been the Taleban’s indiscriminate and careless weapon of choice in the Upper Sangin Valley this summer. I have seen too many Afghans fighting for their lives in my trauma bay. As a battle group, 2 Rifles has dealt with more than 400 IED incidents in our six months here, finding more than 200 devices.

In my first tour of Northern Ireland in 1991-92, my platoon dealt with four IED incidents. We had nine platoons in the battalion then, so perhaps my commanding officer at the time had to deal with 36. These statistics provide some notion of the scale of the fight. One more will suffice — last year in the same period, there were 158 incidents.

And it is in the face of such adversity and such an insidious enemy, which adjusts its tactics almost weekly, that the courageous men and women of this battle group have fought. It is hard to describe the courage required to operate at all, let alone leave one’s base and take the fight to the enemy. But the riflemen and fusiliers of this battle group have patrolled Sangin and its immediate area daily to protect its people. The commitment, grit and indomitability have been humbling to observe.

The heavy cost has been recorded and rightly so — we will never forget the sacrifice made here this summer, and the hole each fallen rifleman has left behind in this battle group is enormous. I remember gathering my officers together to tell them that one of our platoon commanders had been killed. My leaders needed to know before everyone else so they could grieve briefly and be ready to lead their riflemen back out that day.

I remember telling a tough bunch of sappers late one night after they had come off the ground that the man who made them laugh the most had not made it. The cost is perhaps clearer to our country this summer than at any other time and I am grateful to the bottom of my boots for the support we have had from all corners of our nation.

But what has not been so well told by the media is the progress we have made here. The enemy has been hurt hard here in Sangin. Many of its fighters have died at our hands. We have disrupted its IED networks and are maintaining pressure on the bombers at every opportunity. We have removed four active IED teams, permanently, and the gratitude of the Sanginites was palpable.

Yet this campaign is not an attritional one; that is not the route to progress. As soldiers, we have to provide sufficient security to enable Haji Faisal Haq, the district governor, to do his job. His area, just outside the forward operating base , is now secure. He works there daily and is much more accessible to the people of Sangin. The numbers of police have increased.

We have built new police checkpoints in the bazaar and more are planned. As a result, Taleban physical intimidation has ceased and attacks have reduced. People can go about their lives with a touch more freedom. We have opened a small health post, the first government-sponsored public health provision in Sangin. And the bazaar has got bigger. It is definitely not Bluewater but an extra 100 stalls make a real difference.

As commanding officer, I spend as much time discussing reopening the schools (banned by the Taleban in a country fiercely proud of its tradition of learning) as I do where next to go and prove to enemies that they are not invulnerable. And we have done all this while fighting shoulder to shoulder with some very tough Afghan soldiers and policemen who become more capable each month.

All of this would be worthless if Sangin was unimportant. But Sangin is important and has a significance at the provincial, regional and national level. The town is a political centre with reach to Kabul; the tapestry of tribes here in the upper Sangin Valley has an echo in Kabul. Its market, which supplies the whole of the upper Sangin Valley, is a vital commercial centre. For the drug barons, Sangin is a gateway that helps to fund the Taleban and their terrorism. And the Taleban use Sangin as a route along which to infiltrate fighters, IEDs and technology further south into Helmand. The Taleban will continue to fight us here in the coming months. As a result, our work has been not just important and urgent but full of purpose.

Success has not been glamorous — as soldiers in Sangin, we talk of edging forward, taking small but essential steps in the right direction. This battle is not one we have lost nor are we losing. There is much to do but as I take my gang of extraordinary men and women home, I know that the baton in Sangin has not been dropped (nor is it likely to be) and we have played our part in the security challenge of our generation that, for the UK and this region, we must tackle. And, in a small way, we have helped to improve the lives of impoverished Afghans of Sangin. It has been the campaign of our lives.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 3

JUNE UPDATE

The two principle subsistence harvests, of poppy and wheat, are now over. The maize is already a foot high and the fighting has resumed again in earnest. It is a cat and mouse game out there in the Green Zone, but fortunately, although the mice are dangerous, we mostly play the cat. Our patrols continue to disrupt the insurgents and constrain their freedom of movement. It all seems quite predictable. We leave as early as we can to try and beat the heat and the dickers who constantly watch our every move, relaying to the insurgents where we are and where we are heading.

Gradually, during the course of the morning, once the insurgents have completed their call to prayer by the local Imam and had breakfast, they find their weapons and make their way towards the patrol to get into position. Our patrol, in many ways, is a big block of cheese. Once they are confident that they are in a safe position, especially with adequate safe routes to extract, they open up on us with everything they have got. It is very difficult to see the insurgents before the contact because of the thickness of the vegetation, the numerous compounds and rat runs all provide ample cover from view.

At this stage, the mouse has the upper hand but not for long. Once the firing points have been located, the Company puts down a staggering amount of small arms fire which results in the suppression of their firing points. We then set about trapping the mouse with artillery and mortars, using aircraft and attack helicopters to search in depth. We close the trap of indirect fire and soon we are engaging directly onto their firing points. Occasionally, an insurgent will break and dart for a safer location, only to run into the Riflemen’s fire. The game is now well practised and routine.

Life in the FOB continues peacefully and we find respite in it from all the challenges and discomfort of patrols. It is a comfortable existence however R&R is now in full swing and we are doubling up duties in order to release our comrades for their much needed break. The task is not onerous with the knowledge that they will soon be repaying the favour. The rations continue to fill us and although we have not had any frozen food for 37 days now, we are all resigned to the fact that something or somewhere is a higher priority than us. We are just grateful that we are getting out for R&R. Our E-bluey machine has been a godsend during this period and although the parcels and other mail are taking their time reaching us, the written word is nearly immediate and much appreciated.

Fashion trends are beginning to emerge whilst we are out here. Not just the normal things like 70s-style moustaches and extra-long sideburns but others too. In particular, washbags are clearly a prized FOB accessory, but not just any washbag. They have to be re-cycled claymore anti-personnel mine bags. It is amusing to see the NCOs strutting to the showers with their claymore bags across their chests, like some metro-sexual man bag. There is also a pecking order to get access to this re-cycled equipment, with the NCOs having access to the claymore bags whilst the Riflemen have been seen using 5.56mm ammo containers for theirs.

Most of us have been subjected to a haircut since we have been here now. Mostly, we have tried to leave it as long as possible but the heat and sweat has meant that most have opted for a short crew-cut. Others have resisted and seem intent on doing so until R&R and so we have a few Art Garfunkel lookalikes cutting around. Whether they are resisting a poor cut or the dire hairdressers’ chat that goes with it is unconfirmed. I had my haircut by Cpl ‘Slick’ Alford, our Forward Air Controller, the other day and most of the time I was sat in the chair was spent listening to him natter to Gunner Kean, who spends most of his time in tanning oil and army issued underwear obscenely ‘tucked in’ to maximise exposure! Their mid-cut work chat is excruciatingly painful.

We are looking forward to 5 Platoon returning shortly to the B Company fold. They have been attached to A Company in Sangin and their return will be most welcome. We have watched with interest their progress in Sangin and their contribution to the security of the town has been great. After a short adjustment we will be united at last to take the fight to the insurgents in the Upper Sangin Valley .

Throughout all of this our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of Rfn Cyrus Thatcher and Lt Paul Mervis. In addition, we thrive on the spirit, guts and determination of the injured who are recovering exceptionally well in the excellent medical facilities in the UK.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company

Lance Corporal Rhian Evans - B Coy Medic, 2 RIFLES - FOB Inkerman

I am LCpl Rhian Evans and I am the B Coy medic. I am one of five females here at FOB Inkerman and have the task of telling you what life is like here in the FOB from a female’s perspective.

I will start by telling you that it is not that different from a male’s perspective! I eat the same food even though it is the same every lunch time, consisting of noodles, rice, corned beef and a bit of tuna. I wash in the same facilities as the lads do but the females have one shower sectioned off so it is more private. I do most things just like the lads, so really it is not that different but I would like my hair straighteners and to let my hair down and to use some make up occasionally, just to feel like a girl once in a while. I will have to wait for my R&R for that and I really cannot wait!

My daily routine in the FOB is to look after the everyday needs of the soldiers on camp and the Local National ‘walk-ins’ seeking medical aid from primary care and the seriously wounded. Local Nationals come into the FOB virtually everyday with some sort of medical reasons. We had one Local National come in when he had been shot during a land dispute and on another occasion, we had two Local Nationals come in with lacerations all over their backs from a knife fight. The reason for the fight was that one of them had stolen the other’s milk. We have quite a few children come in where they have fallen over and opened their heads and needed stitches to grazes that needed dressing, so in all I think we have a well trusted medical facility for the locals to come in for treatments.

My normal day in the medical centre starts at 0745 when I go and check and feed the people in The Priory (Diarrhoea & Vomiting (D&V) isolation ward) accommodation. The Priory is a HESCO building with a tin roof next to the burns pit where all the soldiers with D&V, or just showing the signs of D&V, go. It is not nice being down there and I have been unfortunate and have been down there myself. It is hot and really boring so if you have not taken a book or your Nintendo DS down there you will be pulling your hair out after a day. The average soldier will spend about 2-3 days down there. You get treated like you have leprosy; no one wants to come near you just in case they catch it, and it’s only the Doctor that can discharge you from there.

When that is done I go back up to the medical centre where I treat the soldiers that have come in on sick parade, but hardly anyone comes in unless they are dying! So my mornings are quite boring.

On most days I go on patrols into the Green Zone or sometimes we do desert patrols, so I sort out my kit to make sure that I have everything in my medical kit sorted and re-supplied, my camelpak is filled and my stretcher is secure onto my day sack and go to orders.

Corporal Steve Childs, 10 Platoon, 2 RIFLES, FOB Gibraltar, Helmand

10 Platoon arrived in FOB Gibraltar around the 15th of April, taking over from a group of very large, tanned Royal Marines. There was an element of ground rush almost immediately as the enormity of the task ahead presented itself. However the lads soon got ready and we were on patrol almost immediately.

The Green Zone, where we operate is a strip of irrigated land either side of the Helmand River. It is made up of poppy and wheat fields, tree lines and deep irrigation ditches. Interspersed among all of this are mud walled compounds that could have been there for hundreds of years. The fields are divided up in a similar way to England with tree lines and irrigation ditches taking the place of hedges. The heat can be intense. When you take a knee in the wheat field the heat is trapped among the stalks and it can get oppressive.

The first few days we were here the Poppies were in full bloom and you could be mistaken for calling the local area beautiful. Since we have been here, we have watched the poppy harvested and the fields cleared for maize and the wheat ripen and turn yellow. The Afghans trying as much as possible to carry on with their everyday lives despite being caught in the middle of an intense conflict between ourselves and the Taliban.

The local Afghans are an interesting lot. 30 years of near perpetual conflict has left them philosophical about their future and their present. Most of the elders are illiterate although they are no fools; they are resigned to their fate of being middlemen in our current deployment.

The Afghan National Army, which we work with on a daily basis down in their own Patrol Base are very different. Most of them are from the North of Afghanistan, so they look different. The locals here are ethnic Pashtuns where as the ANA are Tajiks and Uzbeks. They can be very funny not least in their partiality to some of the younger, better looking members of the platoon. Strangely Cpl Waldron has been invited to the ANA Commander’s summer house on leave, sorry Steph but you have some competition.

As far as welfare in the FOB is concerned we need to correct the expectation that there is internet and text link in the FOB. There was the former but all the terminals are broken and are now back in Bastion so the only means of communication is by Satellite Phone.

The lads are writing letters but you must realise that helicopters come so rarely to the FOB that there can be at least a month disconnect from the letter being written to it arriving to you so please be patient.

I cannot emphasise how important Parcels are for morale and every fortnight when the Helicopter comes in it is like Christmas morning for the guys so keep sending them!
My job as platoon commander is made so easy by the hard work, dedication and diligence of the men under my command. They are an inspiration to me and you should all be very proud.

Corporal Steve Childs
1 Section Commander
10 Platoon

Lt Andy Huxter, 11 Platoon, 2 RIFLES, FOB Gibraltar, Helmand

Greetings from Forward Operating Base Gibraltar (FOB GIB)! It has been a busy period for C Coy. The handover/ takeover was in full swing by the advance party when the first main body flight arrived by Chinook on the 10th April.

After a quick set of QBO’s, Cpl Davenport’s section headed down to the Afghan National Army (ANA) Patrol Base located about 500m South of the main FOB, where they met the ANA Platoon with whom they would be living and patrolling for the next few days. In no time Rfn Querino had learned how to bake bread – in an oven made out of an 81mm Mortar ammunition tin. Cpl Warrillow was focussing on feeding us, and his flair in the kitchen was soon displayed through a classic Pasta Bolognaise, only bettered by Cpl Edwards’ Pizzas (based on prior Pizzeria experience, no less!).

10 Pl had a less rushed start, but certainly no less tricky, taking over the mantle of Patrols Platoon from Zulu Coy 45 Commando, who were both experienced and battle hardened. They had several patrols that proved their ability and allowed them to gain good ground experience and confidence in both their kit and their training. Rfn Malou engaged well on joint patrols with the ANA and is doing well learning the local pattern of life. Carrying weight has come as a shock to some, not so LCpl Wilson who is more than happy to carry his fair share and some!

Meanwhile, back in the insular little world of our FOB there has been a lot of work taking place getting to grips with improving security, making life more comfortable and considering how long it will take us to turn ourselves into ripped, tanned, and for some, moustachioed men, as well as wondering if there is a short cut! Some, mentioning no names (CSM!) could do this, if only he didn’t drive from the Ops room to the cook house on his quad bike, a massive 15m walk as the crow flies!

The changeover with the patrol base went smoothly, if not happily for the 10 Pl partner section who discovered none among their number could cook! 11 Pl went on their first couple of Platoon level patrols and, although not striking out very far are quickly getting to grips with patrolling in this environment.

The poppies are beginning to shed their petals and the harvest is in full swing so the fields are busy with local farmers and the insurgents’ priorities are currently on capitalist matters in our area. The temperature is increasing day by day, and the unseasonable rainstorms of late are fading into memory – the feeling of ‘cold’ isn’t a factor any more and there is a lot more warming up to go yet! Our flip flop and watch strap tan lines are coming on nicely.

Lt Andy Huxter
OC 11 Platoon

LCpl Neil Strachan, 10 Platoon, 2 RIFLES, FOB Gibraltar, Helmand

This is my first tour as an NCO and naturally that comes with pressure. While ensuring my section is administrated on and off the ground I am constantly aware at some stage this tour I will need to step up as Section Commander. This is something that I don’t think any NCO Cadre can prepare you for.

On the ground I am at the back of the Section watching the blokes all the time making sure they are alert and concentrating all the time knowing full well how difficult it is with all their kit across unforgiving ground in the intense heat.

Since arriving in Afghanistan last month we have all found ourselves constantly on the go and the tempo of life within and outside FOB Gibraltar is ever increasing.

From a slow five days or so of RSOI in Camp Bastion we have really hit the ground running so to speak here in the FOB. With each patrol longer and more arduous than the last, the operations we conduct are always planned to outthink the Taliban and avoid the Afghan Sun. However sometimes we wonder whether the latter is worth it with temperatures reaching highs of 40+° and it will only get hotter.

Helicopters here are few and far between and the food is far from ideal with spam and plain noodles being the norm. Small treats out of parcels from loved ones and protein shakes are important to keep weight and maintain health.

Our living arrangements are tight and privacy is considered a luxury. 10 Platoon is a close one and everyone’s is working for each other day in, day out. This will be paramount in getting through this tour and everyone is anxious to see what the next five months have in store for 10 Platoon, C Coy.

LCpl Neil Strachan “Big Strachs”
2 Section 2ic
10 Platoon

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 2

This month has been a real rollercoaster of a month. On 7 May 09 we tragically lost Rfn Adrian ‘Shelly’ Sheldon to an IED. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and friends.

We held a camel racing night here in the FOB in memory of Shelly and most of the ‘camels’ were auctioned for over $100 each. A total of $2,260 was raised and will be given to Project 65, a charity that will split the money between the RBL, ABF, H4H, St Dunstan’s, BLESMA and others.

Whilst we are on the subject of Project 65, we are very conscious that BG HQ is racing the wives in Ballykinler, to row from Belfast to Kabul, and vice versa, to raise money for the same charity. We are delighted to learn, here in FOB Inkerman, that the wives are currently thrashing BG HQ. Our view is that it is all the lobster and cream teas that they have in, by under slung, courtesy of the civilian helicopters that is at the root of their demise. There is a separate blog article of the event but thanks must go to everyone in the FOB for their generosity, especially the Riflemen, Gunners and Sappers who gave up so much of their hard earned cash to an excellent cause and the memory of a fellow Rifleman who is still sorely missed.

The Green Zone has transformed from something of beauty, as I described last month, to something that is slowly dying by asphyxiation. The heat is choking everything. The poppy is dead and has been reaped, so now there are just bare fields. The wheat has turned brown and the local nationals are setting at it with scythes and bundling it onto anything that can transport it to their stores, be it tractors, cars, or donkeys.

The farmers are re-planting again with more drought resistant crops such as curry beans and maize – these crops are more heat resistant but also require less water as the Helmand River yields less and less life-giving sustenance into the irrigation ditches. This drop in the water level has had a positive effect on certain challenged members of the company, who can now cross the ditches and canals without fear of drowning. Sgt Baker, our MFC from 3 YORKS, no longer patrols with his snorkel and arm bands.

Now that the heat has increased and it no longer rains, so the insect life has become more prolific. Shoes now need to be shaken to avoid the odd scorpion; feet need to be lifted off the floor to deny the incredibly fast camel spiders who run with such determination and speed that any pre-emptive move of feet from the floor would be pointless; and lights have to be turned off to avoid the haze of midges and other ‘night-flyers’. An individual walking around the FOB at night, with a head torch, now gathers a personal little swarm of insects, and requires a moment or two of darkness before entering the sanctuary of one’s mosquito net.

Fresh rations arrived into the FOB this week for the first time in 35 days. Hoorah! This is no fault of anyone’s just that fresh food is always a lower priority than ammunition, water, equipment, 10-man rations and mail. It has been such a treat to see a piece of chicken, a burger, real sausages and even steak. Sadly, the supply will end and it will be back to the mundane and the predictable 10-man rations.

Operations continue and we have conducted a number of long, hot patrols into the Green Zone. These have been really rewarding and have allowed us to understand where we are at the end of the harvest season. Everyone is extremely focused on why we are here and doing a cracking job. Everyone has performed exceptionally well and delivered when required.

Finally, I just want to say a collective ‘Thank You’ to you who is reading this for all your support. There have been so many well-wishers, not just an individual’s family and friends, but those who are generously sending welfare parcels to be distributed amongst those Riflemen who are not so fortunate.

We are extremely grateful for your support and generosity. Not only do your gifts alleviate some of our hardship but your messages of support galvanise us and push us on. To do this without your incredible support back at home would make it infinitely harder. We really do appreciate your kindness and collective support. Thank you again.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company

2 Rifles Battle Group - Afghan Helmand Rowing Challenge

7 Men, one woman, two rowing machines and 40 degree C heat. Rowing the distance from Sangin DC, Helmand Province to Pegasus Bridge, Normandy within 50 days. A total distance of 5,800 KMs

Raising money for Project 65, a project to build a memorial on Pegasus bridge to commemorate the D-Day landings 60 years ago. Any remaining money will go to a group of charities including Help 4 Heroes and the ABF.

Lt Tom Parry, 8 Platoon, 2 RIFLES, FOB Inkerman, Helmand

I could not write about the past week without mentioning the tragic death of Rifleman Adrian Sheldon. Shelly was a much loved member of the Fire Support Platoon here at FOB Inkerman and his loss has been extremely hard to come to terms with. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shelly’s family at this time.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Rifleman Sheldon was held on Friday evening. As well as prayers, the Fijian community sang with the Fire Support Group (FSG), and the Buglers gave Shelly a good send off. Rfn Michael Letts, Ricardo Arnold and Tommy Smith Sounded the Advance capturing the offensive spirit of B Company.

8 Platoon, or the FSG as they are known are cracking on with their three main roles within the FOB. Day and night the boys don their Osprey body armour and helmets to man the sangar overlooking the green zone. They have become subject matter experts on the daily pattern of life of the locals living and working in the lush wheat and poppy fields next to the FOB. The guys also secure the Helicopter Landing Site on the few occasions when the Chinooks drop in to resupply us. It is always great receiving all your post and parcels, and it is amazing to see how morale rockets over some biscuits and magazines.

The primary role of the FSG are patrols into both the green zone and into the desert. Patrols vary in length and size. The guys perform extremely well despite their heavy loads in the heat of the day. We often leave the FOB under cover of darkness to make the most of the cooler temperature, as well as to move unnoticed through the waist high irrigation ditches and amongst the hard baked mud compounds which litter the green zone.

Vehicle patrols give us the chance to explore the open desert. We pass through deep wadis and huge flat expanses, stopping occasionally to chat to village elders. Most are friendly, but the children just want the pens we keep on us, as well as the wind up radios.

We have spent the odd night out under the stars before popping up to set up a defensive position on a hilltop or piece of high ground. It is always fun to spend time away from the FOB exploring a new area or somewhere off the limited mapping we possess.

When back in the camp we meet every night as a Platoon to discuss the day’s events throughout Helmand and we vote on who gets to carry ‘Rusty’ inside the FOB for the next 24 hrs. Rusty is an old Heavy Machine Gun left over from the Royal Marines. A kangaroo court normally ensues, with lots of laughing and outrageous accusations before the culprit is chosen and is introduced to the old .50 cal.

The three sections within the FSG have all created their own chill out areas by their accommodation. It has got a bit competitive as each try to outdo the latest adaptation. The only thing missing now is a rock pool water feature!

The guys have adapted extremely well to their new living conditions and have proved very resourceful. Washing is no longer laboured over in buckets, they have ‘liberated’ some concrete mixers from somewhere in which goes their post patrol kit, some suds and a couple of rocks. Job done! Spirits are high again and the men of the FSG will ‘bash on regardless’.

2Lt Tom Parry
OC 8 Pl

Lt Col RJ Thomson, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 1

Dear All,

I write for the first time from Sangin and the Battle Group is now well established in its temporary home. Afghanistan is the most fascinatingly diverse and striking country. The inhospitable mountains rise, seemingly out of nowhere, at the edge of the desert, which rolls, in places, all the way down to the River Helmand. The river is currently in spate and, up at Kajaki Dam, the water thunders off the spill-way with a vehemence to rival the River Zambesi in Zimbabwe. We need our canoes.

The Green Zone is like England in spring - the most brilliant green. The wheat is growing fast but, for now, the locals are focused on bringing in the poppy harvest. And it involves everyone, right down to the smallest child. The roads… well the roads are like driving across hardened sand dunes.

Life is very hard - most people here are subsistence farmers who work the land and sell anything which is left over. Sangin itself is a very linear town - one high street but you can buy pretty well anything. I was being offered an engraved head-board for my bed on my last visit! Not convinced about the butcher's shop but the bread (khobs) is delicious.

We have five major Forward Operating Bases where we mostly live and a handful of Patrol Bases, where we live alongside the Afghan National Army. The RSM and I have made it round almost all the FOBs and most of the PBs. You will be glad to hear that we are not living in discomfort but it certainly isn't The Marriott Hotel. The food is amazing and the chefs are doing stirling work.

For those of us who like bacon grill (a sort of bacon-y spam), we are in seventh heaven because it is on the menu every morning. The bathrooms are 'al fresco' but there is no better way to start the day with a wash and shave in the sun (temperatures are Mediterranean at the moment but will rise another 14-16 degrees - help!). The showers have fancy, zip-up curtains and there are no real decisions to make about the temperature as they are all cold, but in an encouragingly refreshing way.

We are a huge Battle Group - there are over 1000 soldiers working in the team with over 18 different cap-badges. There is a tremendous sense of purpose and you can almost see the determination of the Riflemen to make a difference - both for the government of Afghanistan and, (in a way) more importantly, the Afghan people.

The Riflemen have made a cracking start - everyone has got to grips with the job in hand very quickly - and we are working closely with Afghan soldiers and Policemen. We have established a good understanding of the ground on which we operate and have been struck by the friendly reaction from most people. The Afghans desperately want security so that they can go about their daily business without fear and intimidation. The Taleban Insurgent influence though is never far below the surface.

We know that you are supporting us and we are hugely grateful; it makes a big difference. I have had some great letters wishing us well and I know that we are in the thoughts and prayers of many back at home. And there have been some huge parcels - keep them coming. I know that the separation is not easy but hope that the news, blogs and photos on the website can bring us a little closer. We miss you all and think of you often. And it is great to hear that there is much happening back in Ballykinler. We will certainly returned bronzed heroes and probably a good deal leaner. For some of us, that is no bad thing. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we do our important work out here.

Bugle Major, Sound the Advance

Lt Col RJ THOMSON

CO 2 RIFLES BG/BG(N)

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 1

I am writing this piece from a dusty hillock on the edge of the Helmand River surrounded by fields of white and red flowering poppies and sweeping desert, which eventually reaches the mountains to the east. Forward Operating Base (FOB) INKERMAN is a basic, yet tranquil spot at this time of year, with flocks of tropical birds swooping over the lush vegetation of the ‘Green Zone’ while nomads herd their goats in the wilderness.

Occasionally the peace is spoilt by a low-flying fighter aircraft circling overhead or a helicopter arriving to drop of mail, people and all manner of supplies and spares that keep us going and our morale high. Life is good in INKERMAN and everyone is definitely pleased to be out of the sprawling tented maze that is Camp BASTION.

B Coy is almost complete, having received a very comprehensive handover from a very sun tanned Yankee Company of the Royal Marines. The main issue has been getting our heads round the Marines’ terminology, for example try and decipher: ‘I’m off to get some ogin to make a mega hoofing wet to go with my scran in the galley before I use the heads’. It's a completely different language and the next hurdle is learning Pashto. Snowy, Mick Brandon and Lusio Tanoa have brains spinning enough with all the serial numbers and complicated army abbreviations they have had to deal with taking over endless signals kit and stores of stores without having to deal with ‘Jack Speak’ and ‘Pusser’s Gen Dits’.

On the intelligence and influence front Cpl ‘Jona’ Jones has certainly been making an impression with the local farmers by hosting a number of Shuras (meetings), he has already received a number of gifts including; bread, a knife and even a pet cockerel, which the Interpreters promptly cooked up and ate.

The majority of the company have now been on patrol into the local villages and through the local ditches, the latter being a refreshing escape from the mid-day sun. The locals are generally friendly, greeting us with a wave and a few words of Pashtu that we are yet to understand. The children are always curious, especially if there are pens and sweets involved.

Most people that surround the FOB are extremely poor, living in very basic mud-walled compounds with their animals and the extended families. The only piece of modern technology being the ‘wind-up’ radios that are handed out by the patrols and on which they can listen to DJ Pete Manley's INKERMAN FM aka Radio-in-a-Box - a combination of wailing noises (Afghanis’ version of Top of the Pops) and educational programmes for the young ‘The Rabbit and the Cat’ being a particular favourite (I won’t spoil it for you but it is bad news for the rabbit).

The next week will be busy as B Coy settle into our new home, building shelves out of ammunition tins, learning how to do our own washing and thinking up imaginative ways of digesting the diet of noodles and dried scrambled egg that is served up to the troops every day.

They say that a six month deployment feels like twelve months, and for B Company that may almost be true. Our pre-deployment training started in October 2008 and we have been flat out ever since.

The training delivered by the Company, Battalion and Operational Training and Advisory Group has been thorough, focused and demanding. The exercises have been realistic, challenging and, dare I say it, fun. The resources that we have had have enabled us to do realistic and relevant training although we could have always done with a bit more time with a metal detector, more time on the specialist weapons, or half-decent weather to actually see an Apache helicopter. Despite this, the Company is well-honed and up for the challenge that awaits us in Forward Operating Base (FOB) Inkerman.

FOB Inkerman will be our home for the next six months. It is an impressively large FOB made out of Afghan compounds and purpose built shelters that will deliver all our infrastructure requirements. It is well placed to launch us on our patrols to provide security for the local Afghans, support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and assist the Afghanistan National Security Forces, both Police and Army, whilst we are there.

It will prove to be a challenging tour, with everyone being tested to the limits. That said, it will also provide us with the best opportunities that soldiering can offer. I have no doubt that everyone in the Company Group will deliver. We are ready for this.

Our equipment has been issued, and although we have received everything that we could have wanted, it still has not stopped certain members of the Company spending small fortunes to get their ‘rig’ just right. The importance of this is paramount, and although many of you will be wondering where on earth all the money has gone, it is critical that in the heat and terrain, we have it just right.

The test will be when we return and you see what has not been used. We are hugely grateful to B Company, 2 PARA and Y Company, 45 Cdo Royal Marines for helping us to get ready. Their advice, patience, expertise and willingness to impart information to us has been invaluable. From Toms’ and Marines’ Top Tips to the top of the shop – all has been greatly appreciated, so thank you.

Our FOB will be one of the most austere locations we will have ever served in. We will be on 10-man rations mostly and one day of fresh food a month if we are lucky. The communications home are not great although there are plans to improve this. There are already six internet terminals in the FOB but they are slow and we have 200 people trying to get on them. We are hoping to get an E-Bluey machine into the FOB to improve mail times, giving us our mail 24hrs after it is sent. Parcels are a different story because of the tortuous supply chain and can take anything up to five weeks to arrive. Please bear with this as it is out of everyone’s control and we will do what we can to speed things up. Bearing this in mind, please pack your parcels accordingly: we would hate to hand the enemy an easy victory because of an over-ripe camembert!

We will all get R&R and will look forward to seeing you at some stage during the tour. The opportunity to spend time with loved ones, getting some decent ‘scoff’, sleeping in a comfortable bed, having a washing machine doing our ‘dhobi’ and having flushing toilets will be a great punctuation mark and we all anticipate it eagerly.

Finally, thank you for reading this and for your support. We have had the privilege of it in the past and will be reliant on it over the course of the next six months.

Please know that it is never taken for granted and that everything is hugely appreciated. Please keep those letters, parcels; blueys etc coming because news and treats from loved ones at home is what will keep us going. Thanks again and more news next month.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company

2 Rifles Battle Group introduction - Upper Sangin Valley - Helmand - Afghanistan

2 Rifles is part of 19 Light Brigade, which took over responsibility for Helmand Province for six months on 10 April. 2 Rifles is a battalion of approximately 600 soldiers in strength, but while in Afghanistan is receiving support from troops in all three services making up what is known as a Battle Group, of more than 1100 troops.

This is the first time 2 Rifles has been to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick. Its last six month deployment was to Iraq in 2007