Ulster personnel are playing a key role in the ongoing military offensive against the Taleban.


Wally's Blog


What a few weeks it has been in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The soldiers of the 3rd Kandak, 3/205 Hero Brigade, Afghan National Army (ANA) and the soldiers of the Operational Mentoring and Leadership Team 3 (OMLT 3) from the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment have been "Clearing the Way" as they operate deep inside Sangin's Green Zone (GZ).

In the past few days the ANA and its OMLT have engaged with the Taleban on numerous occasions. Fire fights have been an all too common occurrence. As I sit here and write this blog we have just suffered an Indirect Fire attack by the Taleban on our Forward Operating Base in Sangin known as Sangin District Centre (Sangin DC). Two enemy mortars were fired at the camp this morning and as luck would have it they landed and exploded just 20 meters from where I was having my morning shave. As you can imagine I knocked my chin with the semi blunt razor. So there you have it. The only casualty was me with my very own discharge of "Claret" from my Boat Race. Hardly a war story I know, but it did give the Afghan soldiers something to giggle about.

A few days ago, Patrol Base Viking which is manned by the ANA and its OMLT, was targeted by the enemy. Early in the morning at least twenty insurgents fired Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG's) and every AK47 in their arsenal at the base. The soldiers of the ANA repelled the attack with all that they had and chased the enemy away from the area. As the enemy moved south they re-engaged another Patrol Base called Waterloo. The OMLT and ANA fought hard against the enemy. Now, the people of Northern Ireland are all too aware of the valour and determination of the Irish soldier and how over the years we have been blessed with the best of the best. This has certainly been passed on to the men of the Afghan National Army.

We have been unlucky to have two of our ANA soldiers killed in action (KIA) and five wounded in the past few days. In particular a young Afghan soldier from Kandak 3 whilst under heavy enemy fire moved from his position into the open to help his wounded friend. As he raised to fire his RPG at the enemy he was struck by a lone bullet that fatally wounded him. His friend was extracted to safety and lived to fight another day. The brave soldier who died has been hailed a hero by Colonel Rassoul the ANA Commander. It is not lost in our thoughts that the two Afghan soldiers that lost their lives this past week were extremely brave men. Fighting for a just cause whilst staring the enemy in the face. We have been very humbled but saddened to lose our two brothers. Rest in Peace dear friends.

So where do we go from here? We go north say the ANA. We agree say the Irishmen. That's the "Fighter First" attitude that we have embedded in the Afghan soldiers. Every day they think of new ways of taking the fight to the enemy. With a hefty amount of ex Mujahadeen fighters amongst the ranks there is simply no way of stopping the varying ways these soldiers get about business.

For now I will sign off. It has been a challenging few weeks here in Sangin town. Despite recent set backs the ANA continue to progress. The Irishmen continue to fight alongside them. We continue to move forwards and defeat the enemy. Go, move, shift, as the famous Irish singer Christy Moore would say. God bless you all at home, keep safe, remember the Afghan/Irish Agreement in your prayers.