Troops in fiercest Afghanistan fight so far
JASON CUMMING (jcumming@scotsman.com) Thu 11 Jan 2007
Article Link
BRITISH troops encountered some of the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan so far yesterday as they launched an offensive against Taleban forces that were terrorising a market town.
About 100 Royal Marines - including members of Arbroath-based 45 Commando - clashed with militants in a four-hour desert firefight after setting out on a dawn mission dubbed Operation Bauxite.
At times, they were only 40 metres from black-turbaned Taleban fighters as the Marines brought the battle to the "doorstep" of the insurgents.
Two laser-guided 1,000lb bombs were dropped on insurgents holed up in 10ft deep irrigation ditches near Gereshk in southern Helmand. Anti-tank weapons, 105mm artillery guns and mortars were also used.
Apache attack helicopters targeted Taleban positions in walled compounds, while some of the new breed of £1 million Viking armoured personnel carriers took direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades.
Troops led by Major Ewen Murchison, a former Scotland under-21 rugby internationalist, also found a cache of assault rifles and grenade launchers as well as explosives, wires and batteries that could be made into roadside bombs.
British forces were confronted by about 50 insurgents employing Taleban "shoot and scoot" tactics at around 6:45am local time yesterday near the village of Habibolah-Kalay.
Speaking after returning from the battlefield to Forward Operating Base Price, Major Murchison said he had set out to "neutralise" Taleban forces.
"This is one of the fiercest firefights we've been in to date in terms of weight of fire and proximity to our troops," he said.
"We went out there at first light. During the course of four hours, I used the full range of military weapons available to me - namely air attack helicopter, mortars and artillery, machine guns and a couple of anti-tank weapons. A couple of 1,000lb bombs were dropped by GR7 Harriers on what we considered to be a trench system.
"I was trying to stop these men from shooting at my men. They can run away if they want, but if they continue to fight I have to kill them."
From a 40ft observation tower at the joint US-British outpost at around 10am, a huge mushroom cloud could be seen erupting after Harrier jump jets were called in to dislodge Taleban fighters from their positions about 10km from the base.
The contingent was mostly made up of J Company of Plymouth-based 42 Commando, but about 100 Estonian troops and some Danish units provided backup. Afghan National Army soldiers were also involved.
British military officials could not say last night how many militants had been killed.
Major Murchison, 38, from Bearsden, near Glasgow, said:
"We're trying to create a buffer zone to essentially take Gereshk town centre out of the range of mortars."
No British personnel were injured, but one member of the fledgling Afghan National Army suffered a gunshot wound.
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From further into article this commentary on the British equivilant to the LAVIII
Hi-tech fighting vehicle hailed as life-saver
A NEW version of an elite fighting vehicle has been credited with preventing the deaths of dozens of British troops in Taleban bomb attacks and fierce firefights in Afghanistan.
Featuring an array of hi-tech gadgets and weaponry, a state-of-the-art model of the Viking armoured personnel carrier has made its operational debut in the war-torn country.
Designed by Royal Marines, it is capable of firing 350 grenades a minute and jamming roadside bombs. It has emerged from gun battles in Afghanistan with paint barely chipped - while allowing up to seven to make tea while being transported.
Although some initially questioned whether the new vehicle was a betrayal of the Royal Marines' Commando ethos and well-earned reputation for "yomping" on foot, it has won over most on the front-line for its ability to get soldiers to battle more quickly and better protected than in Land Rovers and other alternatives.
It can climb a 45-degree incline, is amphibious and can even be dropped from a C-130 Hercules transport plane.
Sergeant Major Simon Williams, part of the team that redesigned the vehicle, said: "In the three months it's been here, it's proven itself superbly and we would have lost a lot more blokes without it.
"It has survived direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades. You could lose a tank from a mine strike, but this will continue on its way even with just two tracks. There are blokes walking on this earth today because of this vehicle. It's a rock-hard bit of kit."
Its two turrets can be equipped with a choice of weapons - including grenade launchers, which can fire six rounds a second, and .50 calibre machineguns. Both can hit targets more than 2km away.
The Vikings have been equipped with "stand-off bar armour", which prevents RPGs from striking the vehicle by either catching the round or deflecting it to reduce the impact of any such explosion.
More on link
JASON CUMMING (jcumming@scotsman.com) Thu 11 Jan 2007
Article Link
BRITISH troops encountered some of the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan so far yesterday as they launched an offensive against Taleban forces that were terrorising a market town.
About 100 Royal Marines - including members of Arbroath-based 45 Commando - clashed with militants in a four-hour desert firefight after setting out on a dawn mission dubbed Operation Bauxite.
At times, they were only 40 metres from black-turbaned Taleban fighters as the Marines brought the battle to the "doorstep" of the insurgents.
Two laser-guided 1,000lb bombs were dropped on insurgents holed up in 10ft deep irrigation ditches near Gereshk in southern Helmand. Anti-tank weapons, 105mm artillery guns and mortars were also used.
Apache attack helicopters targeted Taleban positions in walled compounds, while some of the new breed of £1 million Viking armoured personnel carriers took direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades.
Troops led by Major Ewen Murchison, a former Scotland under-21 rugby internationalist, also found a cache of assault rifles and grenade launchers as well as explosives, wires and batteries that could be made into roadside bombs.
British forces were confronted by about 50 insurgents employing Taleban "shoot and scoot" tactics at around 6:45am local time yesterday near the village of Habibolah-Kalay.
Speaking after returning from the battlefield to Forward Operating Base Price, Major Murchison said he had set out to "neutralise" Taleban forces.
"This is one of the fiercest firefights we've been in to date in terms of weight of fire and proximity to our troops," he said.
"We went out there at first light. During the course of four hours, I used the full range of military weapons available to me - namely air attack helicopter, mortars and artillery, machine guns and a couple of anti-tank weapons. A couple of 1,000lb bombs were dropped by GR7 Harriers on what we considered to be a trench system.
"I was trying to stop these men from shooting at my men. They can run away if they want, but if they continue to fight I have to kill them."
From a 40ft observation tower at the joint US-British outpost at around 10am, a huge mushroom cloud could be seen erupting after Harrier jump jets were called in to dislodge Taleban fighters from their positions about 10km from the base.
The contingent was mostly made up of J Company of Plymouth-based 42 Commando, but about 100 Estonian troops and some Danish units provided backup. Afghan National Army soldiers were also involved.
British military officials could not say last night how many militants had been killed.
Major Murchison, 38, from Bearsden, near Glasgow, said:
"We're trying to create a buffer zone to essentially take Gereshk town centre out of the range of mortars."
No British personnel were injured, but one member of the fledgling Afghan National Army suffered a gunshot wound.
============================================================
From further into article this commentary on the British equivilant to the LAVIII
Hi-tech fighting vehicle hailed as life-saver
A NEW version of an elite fighting vehicle has been credited with preventing the deaths of dozens of British troops in Taleban bomb attacks and fierce firefights in Afghanistan.
Featuring an array of hi-tech gadgets and weaponry, a state-of-the-art model of the Viking armoured personnel carrier has made its operational debut in the war-torn country.
Designed by Royal Marines, it is capable of firing 350 grenades a minute and jamming roadside bombs. It has emerged from gun battles in Afghanistan with paint barely chipped - while allowing up to seven to make tea while being transported.
Although some initially questioned whether the new vehicle was a betrayal of the Royal Marines' Commando ethos and well-earned reputation for "yomping" on foot, it has won over most on the front-line for its ability to get soldiers to battle more quickly and better protected than in Land Rovers and other alternatives.
It can climb a 45-degree incline, is amphibious and can even be dropped from a C-130 Hercules transport plane.
Sergeant Major Simon Williams, part of the team that redesigned the vehicle, said: "In the three months it's been here, it's proven itself superbly and we would have lost a lot more blokes without it.
"It has survived direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades. You could lose a tank from a mine strike, but this will continue on its way even with just two tracks. There are blokes walking on this earth today because of this vehicle. It's a rock-hard bit of kit."
Its two turrets can be equipped with a choice of weapons - including grenade launchers, which can fire six rounds a second, and .50 calibre machineguns. Both can hit targets more than 2km away.
The Vikings have been equipped with "stand-off bar armour", which prevents RPGs from striking the vehicle by either catching the round or deflecting it to reduce the impact of any such explosion.
More on link
