SAS crack team kill 30 Taliban in night-time desert firefight

The soldiers were sent in after a Taliban attack on a fort in Helmand province manned by Afghan government forces British special forces troops killed around 30 Afghan Taliban fighters in a night-time desert battle. The crack team of SAS soldiers were sent in after a Taliban attack on a fort manned by Afghan government forces. A US pilotless drone aircraft spotted the attackers and fired missiles at their convoy of trucks, blowing up two. The survivors fled into the desert and the SAS were quickly flown in to hunt them down. They set up an ambush and after the rebel fighters opened fire, a battle raged through the night. One SAS man survived a “quick-draw” shoot-out when he stumbled across a Taliban fighter. He pulled his gun and shot the rebel dead as a bullet from an AK47 hit him in the chest. His body armour stopped it and saved his life. The battle last Wednesday in Helmand province was one of the most successful by special forces in recent years. And it came as 80 troops from the 4th Battalion, The Rifles were also sent into Sangin province to take on insurgents. Read more HERE

Good Drills.

UK soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan

A British soldier has been killed by enemy fire while on patrol in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. The soldier from 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) had been on patrol in Helmand Province when he was killed. A spokesman said the soldier was "the brightest and the best" who had "died defending his comrades". His death brings the number of UK service personnel who have died in Afghanistan since 2001 to 445. The serviceman's next of kin have been informed.Read more HERE  R.I.P.

Britain's new F1 star: The Army's Foxhound carrier built for battle

Christened the Foxhound, the new hi-tech armoured car is currently undergoing final testing in the Helmand desert before being deployed on operations later this year
Afghanistan might seem far removed from the glamorous world of Formula 1, but British troops serving there are set to benefit from their own F1 machine.
Christened the Foxhound, the new hi-tech armoured car is currently undergoing final testing in the Helmand desert before being deployed on operations later this year.
Designed to replace the Army’s Snatch Land Rover – which has been criticised as providing inadequate protection – the Foxhound is fitted with cutting-edge technology.
So this is no ordinary combat vehicle. ‘The MoD’s design brief was to make it lightweight and agile and easy to service, while offering the crew enhanced protection,’ says a designer at Force Protection Europe, the Midlands-based subsidiary of General Dynamics which designed and built the vehicle.
‘The only way to do this was to use the sort of composite materials and modular components found in F1 cars, which, for instance, enable a car’s engine to be changed so quickly during a pit stop.’
The Foxhound’s advanced features were developed with the help of engineers from the McLaren F1 team, as well as Ricardo, a leading British automotive-technology firm, and BMW.The resulting vehicle weighs 7.5 tons yet is faster than its small, lightweight predecessor. Read More HERE

I think its fabulous that our brave forces get the best protection possible whilst in Afghanistan, but I wonder what will happen to these vehicles when we pull out? Given to that ungrateful Taliban fodder  Hamid Karzai? or our old friends Pakistan or even the Global superpower India? Maybe they may see some service on

 the Korean Peninsular?

Scots Guards return from Afghanistan

70 soldiers from the Scots Guards Battle Group have returned home early from Afghanistan as the Afghan Police take responsibility for security in their area of operations.The soldiers, from the Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, have been based at the remote Forward Operating Base Ouellette since September 2012, located between the ‘Green Zone’ of the Helmand River and the desert. The guardsmen have been working alongside the Afghan National Civil Order Police to bring security and allow freedom of movement for traffic on Route 611, the main road linking the prosperous town of Gereshk to Sangin. That job has now been successfully handed over to the police.Read more HERE

WELCOME HOME BOYS

Brigadier Bob Bruce: Troops in Helmand face challenges

Brigadier Bob Bruce, who commands the military task force in Helmand in Afghanistan, says they are making progress but still face challenges. In charge of 5,500 troops, he says the biggest challenge remains "developing the competence of the Afghan security forces". "We are a security assistance force and work closely with our Afghan allies." The Brigadier says he is still positive about increase of insider attacks, also known as green on blue attacks. That is where troops are attacked by the Afghan army and police officers. "We always remain alert to our own personal safety and we take it very seriously no matter where it comes from," he added. Read more  HERE

Down Town Helmand Province

A Piper Plays In Helmand

REMEMBER OUR TROOPS AT CHRISTMAS

BULLDOG SPIRIT

From WW2 to Helmand province our enemies will never break the British soldiers spirit

Mastiff protects soldiers from roadside explosion in Helmand

A group of soldiers serving with 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment in Afghanistan escaped completely unharmed after the armoured vehicle they were travelling in was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) in August.
Sergeant Barry Quinn, who hails from Burnley, was driving the Mastiff  armoured transport vehicle carrying a group of soldiers when a roadside bomb, laid by insurgents trying to disrupt the work of the International Security Assistance Force, exploded. The heavily armoured Mastiff withstood the blast, protecting all its passengers, and was then able to continue on its journey without any further delay Sgt Quinn's role as a Mastiff Group Commander means he has a team of ten men and two to three Mastiffs to command in Helmand province. He said:


"I was going to pick up some people when my vehicle was hit. Initially I thought it was the rear of the vehicle as there was a cloud of dust. I went back to check on the guys and found another IED, which we marked to be dealt with later. Everyone was OK and the vehicle was still able to move, it just had a couple of popped tyres."




Sgt Quinn, who joined the Army as a 16-year-old, wasn't surprised about the Mastiff's ability to shield its passengers from danger:

NICE TRY TERRY BUT NO CIGAR!

Michael Yon video of British soldiers fighting in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Nice work Michael Yon, some may think your loosing the plot , but you’re an OK guy.