Village has been turned around (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Village has been turned around

8:09am Tuesday 22nd March 2011 in Ex-Service Notes By Craig Mitchell

A village previously seen as a failure in the eyes of the people of Helmand has been retaken, regenerated and repopulated in an ongoing operation led by British troops, supported by 80 bomb disposal specialists.

A once thriving market village and place of religious pilgrimage has seen the largest-scale, high-risk IED clearance to be carried out by British forces in Afghanistan. More than 40 families have now returned, with more set to follow as efforts to maintain the stable security situation continue.

Throughout 2010, the village was the scene of intense fighting. As the insurgents suffered repeated losses at the hands of the British and Afghan forces, they retaliated by taking retribution against the local populace, forcing people from their homes and laying IEDs in places where civilians would trigger them.

Despite high demand for counter-IED specialists across Helmand, a clearance force of 80 was deployed to undertake the risky first stage of the operation. In eight days, the IED clearance was complete. After the physical clearance, the next step was to launch a three-phase plan to support the return of dozens of families, scattered across central Helmand, who were prepared to return home if the bombs were cleared away.

Beginning with a ‘get you in pack’ to facilitate the immediate move, containing items including a cooker, a bag of rice, a bag of sugar and plastic sheeting for roofing. As efforts to return more families to the village continue, ongoing security is provided by nine checkpoints, with Afghan forces playing a significant role. A total of 190 British and Afghan soldiers and police have been involved in the operation.

DIARY DATES Monday: The WRENS Association meets at 13.30 hours at The CVS Building, 19 Sunbridge Road, Bradford.

The Thornton branch of the Royal British Legion meets at 19.45 hours at Thornton Conservative Club.

A presentation night for the Bradford central branch of The Royal British Legion will take place on Tuesday, March 29, at St Anthony’s Church hall, Clayton. The presentation night will start at 19.00 hours, and all members are invited. There will not be a branch meeting in the afternoon.