bobdina
10-13-2009, 12:27 PM
19 Light Brigade: A Tough But Successful Summer
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Source: MOD
The Commander of 19 Light Brigade, Brigadier Tim Radford, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan for the last six months, arrived home yesterday. Here he reflects on what has been achieved by his troops.
Brigadier Tim Radford handed command of Task Force Helmand to Brigadier James Cowan, Commander of 11 Light Brigade, in a ceremony in Lashkar Gah on Saturday.
Under Brigadier Radford's command, 19 Light Brigade took on the challenging Operation 'Panther's Claw', which saw one of the most heavily populated areas in Helmand cleared of Taliban influence.
The result was that the area was brought back under government control, allowing reconstruction and development to begin. The Taliban were also denied territory in which to operate thus restricting their command and control structures in the region.
Reflecting on the summer, Brigadier Radford said "We arrived in Helmand in April 2009 knowing that a time of change lay ahead of us. "In June, 4,500 US Marines moved into the southern part of Helmand. We facilitated their inflow, which was seamless and paved the way for the development of an excellent working relationship.
"As we began our main summer offensive, Operation Panther's Claw, the US launched a combined and complementary operation, Operation KHANJARI, in the south of the province.
"The impact of both of these operations was to place the insurgents firmly on the back foot. In Task Force Helmand we tackled the most heavily populated area - stretching between the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, and the economic centre, Gereshk.
"Winning the consent of the Afghan people is key to success in Helmand so dealing with this area was of great importance.
"Operation PANTHER'S CLAW was designed to force the insurgents to stand and fight or to flee. It did just that. As we broke through enemy defences, the fighting was truly ferocious, but the determination and resolve of my soldiers never wavered.
"For five tough weeks they fought a resurgent Taliban in the very harshest of conditions and force on force they defeated them at every turn.
"The result was that one of the most populated areas in Helmand was brought back under government control, allowing reconstruction and development to begin just hours after the fighting ceased.
"The interests of the Afghan people were at the very heart of every decision we made.
"Despite the intense fighting there were very few civilian casualties; a testament to the great measure and judgement shown by every one of my soldiers.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we had a significant impact on the Taliban’s command and control structures in that region. We weakened them substantially and cut off their vital supply routes between the two biggest cities in Helmand.
"We will now remain in that area ensuring that security, stabilisation and governance can develop, thereby providing the people of Helmand with a choice.
"In August we supported the Afghan National Security Forces [ANSF] as they provided security for the elections. Just a few years ago it would have been impossible to leave the security plans for such a major operation in the hands of a fledgling security force.
"But the ANSF proved just how capable they are - 107 polling stations opened and 107 stayed open. The fact that the ANSF led that operation so successfully is, to me, one of the most important signs of progress during our tour.
"The efforts made this summer have helped deliver the two most important things in Helmand; security and governance.
"Throughout history, freedom from oppression, fear and intimidation has come at a price and in Helmand it is no different. The Taliban, unable to beat us force on force, planted an unprecedented number of IEDs [improvised explosive devices]. Since April we have dealt with more than 1,800, which is more than double that of the previous brigade.
"Tragically, 70 men from my Task Force were killed in action and many more received life-changing injuries. As the Commander of a tight-knit Task Force those losses have been felt deeply by all of us.
"I expect that 19 Light Brigade’s tour will be remembered for the hardest fight the British Army has encountered in Helmand province. But to selectively remember the sacrifice without the progress would be to forget the reason that so many laid down their lives.
"I judge that we have made real progress and injected a renewed momentum into Helmand.
"The resolve, determination and bravery of the whole Task Force are something that I am extremely proud of, and I believe the British public should be too."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Source: MOD
The Commander of 19 Light Brigade, Brigadier Tim Radford, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan for the last six months, arrived home yesterday. Here he reflects on what has been achieved by his troops.
Brigadier Tim Radford handed command of Task Force Helmand to Brigadier James Cowan, Commander of 11 Light Brigade, in a ceremony in Lashkar Gah on Saturday.
Under Brigadier Radford's command, 19 Light Brigade took on the challenging Operation 'Panther's Claw', which saw one of the most heavily populated areas in Helmand cleared of Taliban influence.
The result was that the area was brought back under government control, allowing reconstruction and development to begin. The Taliban were also denied territory in which to operate thus restricting their command and control structures in the region.
Reflecting on the summer, Brigadier Radford said "We arrived in Helmand in April 2009 knowing that a time of change lay ahead of us. "In June, 4,500 US Marines moved into the southern part of Helmand. We facilitated their inflow, which was seamless and paved the way for the development of an excellent working relationship.
"As we began our main summer offensive, Operation Panther's Claw, the US launched a combined and complementary operation, Operation KHANJARI, in the south of the province.
"The impact of both of these operations was to place the insurgents firmly on the back foot. In Task Force Helmand we tackled the most heavily populated area - stretching between the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, and the economic centre, Gereshk.
"Winning the consent of the Afghan people is key to success in Helmand so dealing with this area was of great importance.
"Operation PANTHER'S CLAW was designed to force the insurgents to stand and fight or to flee. It did just that. As we broke through enemy defences, the fighting was truly ferocious, but the determination and resolve of my soldiers never wavered.
"For five tough weeks they fought a resurgent Taliban in the very harshest of conditions and force on force they defeated them at every turn.
"The result was that one of the most populated areas in Helmand was brought back under government control, allowing reconstruction and development to begin just hours after the fighting ceased.
"The interests of the Afghan people were at the very heart of every decision we made.
"Despite the intense fighting there were very few civilian casualties; a testament to the great measure and judgement shown by every one of my soldiers.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we had a significant impact on the Taliban’s command and control structures in that region. We weakened them substantially and cut off their vital supply routes between the two biggest cities in Helmand.
"We will now remain in that area ensuring that security, stabilisation and governance can develop, thereby providing the people of Helmand with a choice.
"In August we supported the Afghan National Security Forces [ANSF] as they provided security for the elections. Just a few years ago it would have been impossible to leave the security plans for such a major operation in the hands of a fledgling security force.
"But the ANSF proved just how capable they are - 107 polling stations opened and 107 stayed open. The fact that the ANSF led that operation so successfully is, to me, one of the most important signs of progress during our tour.
"The efforts made this summer have helped deliver the two most important things in Helmand; security and governance.
"Throughout history, freedom from oppression, fear and intimidation has come at a price and in Helmand it is no different. The Taliban, unable to beat us force on force, planted an unprecedented number of IEDs [improvised explosive devices]. Since April we have dealt with more than 1,800, which is more than double that of the previous brigade.
"Tragically, 70 men from my Task Force were killed in action and many more received life-changing injuries. As the Commander of a tight-knit Task Force those losses have been felt deeply by all of us.
"I expect that 19 Light Brigade’s tour will be remembered for the hardest fight the British Army has encountered in Helmand province. But to selectively remember the sacrifice without the progress would be to forget the reason that so many laid down their lives.
"I judge that we have made real progress and injected a renewed momentum into Helmand.
"The resolve, determination and bravery of the whole Task Force are something that I am extremely proud of, and I believe the British public should be too."