Brit Soldiers Spearhead Attack On Taliban
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
One of the biggest helicopter assaults in British military history is underway against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
At Camp Bastion, the British military's centre of operations, I joined thousands of British and Afghan troops boarding dozens of helicopters as Operation Moshtarak began.
The Royal Welsh are taking the lead with their troops and Afghan partners flying at only 500ft above the desert into a series of specified targets in the Nad-e-Ali area of Helmand under cover of darkness. All will land in just 120 minutes.
The objective, initially at least, is very simple: to wipe out the Taliban's main stronghold in this part of Helmand. Nad-e-Ali for the British and the town of Marjah for an even bigger force, between eight and 10,000, of American Marines.
The Operation has taken months of planning. Campaigns of disruption - 'shaping' its called - have been going on for two months.
The SAS have carried out attacks on the Taliban leadership - killing many and taking out their heavy weapons.
The Coldstream Guards, the Grenadier Guards and the Royal Welsh have all been on the ground testing the Taliban positions and trying to get the message out to local people that the battle is about restoring order and allowing normal government develop.
In his eve of battle speech the British forces commander, Brigadier James Cowan, told hundreds of troops standing on weapons systems and vehicles to be used in the assault that this was an operation to embrace the civilian population.
"Soon we will clear the Taliban from its safe havens in central Helmand," he said.
"Where we go, we will stay. Where we stay we will build. We offer an open hand in friendship to those who do not wish to fight. For those who will not shake our hand they will find it closed into a fist."
The Brigadier told me they would make a difference this time because that there will be enough troops to dominate the ground.
It confirms what many believe that there have never been enough British troops to carry out the sort of missions expected of them.
This is just a battle of course, but the British, American and Afghan governments hope it will bring about a permanent change in Helmand.
It is just the start and a big ask. As the operation gets going there will be many many families huddled together in their homes scared and frightened by the noise. How they react to this over a period of days and weeks will be critical to its success.