The 1st Batallion of the Royal Irish Regisment are currently serving in the war torn region.

Thirty-five-year-old, father of two, Wally Mahaffy from north Belfast gives his latest exclusive update from the front line.


Faugh a Ballagh, Clear the Way

In my last blog the soldiers of 3rd Kandak, 3/205 Hero Brigade, Afghan National Army (ANA) and its Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT 3) were settling into their new surroundings in the infamous town of Sangin, deep in Helmand Province.

Has a lot changed since then? Yes, in many ways. The "lie of the land" at present is that some 300 Afghan soldiers are displaced in a matrix of Patrol Bases (PB's) in the wider Sangin town area.

Alongside them are the soldiers of OMLT 3 helping them along with the daily running of the bases. A simple task one might think. I can tell you otherwise.

In this blog I will try to paint a picture of a typical day in the life of the Irish soldier in his mentoring roll alongside the ANA. The call to prayer begins at 5 o'clock in the morning.

Loudspeakers echo over the town as the faithful arise. In a synchronised fashion the ANA soldiers get out of beds to find their prayer mats and move to the front of camp.

Our soldiers roll over and out of bed as the sudden impact of the noise wakens the whole camp. Prayers take place for anything up to one hour before the ANA soldiers sit down for Chai, local tea.

A poorly constructed soda bread mix is made by the Irish boys and is placed into the makeshift oven which is a construction of wire, old ammunition tins, a lot of earth and a chimney. It's not a pretty sight at times but the smell reminds them of home and that counts for a lot out here.

Once breakfast is finished the Afghans and Irishmen begin to prepare their kit for patrol. Plans are made by the ANA Commanders under the watchful eye of the British soldiers. Moving into Helmand's Green Zone puts these men into the Taliban heartland.

If it is not planned carefully things can go wrong and in Afghanistan "when it goes wrong, it can go wrong big time!" With air cover is in position, the patrol moves out of its base in the town on foot to the Green Zone.

Maybe a few hours will go by as the ANA search the fields for any sign of the enemy. Poppy fields are full of workers harvesting the crop. If the patrol does not come across the enemy it will withdraw to its base during the day. If it does engage with the Taliban lunch will have to wait!

Carrying weights of up to 60 kilos with equipment to cover any eventuality the soldiers will return weary, thirsty and hungry. Once back inside the relative safety of the camp the soldiers remove their kit and check that it is all still serviceable and then sit down to some well earned food.

The "all inner" is the favourite meal of the day. A pot of beans, spam, carrots, potato mix and a few tins of corned beef (Shankill Road sirloin as we call it) thrown in to a boiling pot makes this carefully constructed dish. Not quite Mum's Sunday Dinners but all the same it fills them up!

After lunchtime the ANA soldiers take a kind of Siesta. This is also a process that the Irishmen like to mentor. Recharging the batteries at every opportunity is essential when you don't know what is happening next. Come late afternoon the soldiers prepare again for night time. Operating in the dark is what soldiering is all about.

The ANA soldiers are not accustomed to moving at night but they are beginning to come round to our way of thinking. Darkness is the soldier's friend we tell them. Darkness is for sleeping they tell us. We compromise as always. "Give a bit to get a bit."

I think back to my teenage years and in my head I can almost hear my Dad saying the same thing as he ushers me out the front door with a bucket and sponge to wash his car having asked him for a lift.

There you have it, a day in the life of the OMLT soldier in downtown Sangin. The ANA soldiers are clearly getting better in every way. Thought processes are changing for the better. Careful military planning is now taking place under the watchful eyes of the mentors. Night time is becoming the Afghan soldier's best friend.

We are moving around Sangin town on a daily basis showing the local population that the ANA is here to "Clear the Way" to make the area a better place for all. Our Regimental motto "Faugh a Ballagh" or "Clear the Way" is firmly embedded in the soldiers of 3rd Kandak.

I hope this blog has given you a flavour for Operations in Helmand with the Afghan and Irish soldiers. The boys continue to fly the flag through hard times. I hope everyone at home is well. Our thoughts are with you all as we know your thoughts are with us.


Click here to ready Wally's previous blog