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Morale High as Forces Prepare for War
Friday, April 26, 2002
(12:00)
Northcliffe Electronic Publishing

Officers believe the base is being watched constantly by the Taliban, and movements are carefully controlled. Frequent weapons testing is as much a warning to the terrorists, as practice.

Life inside the British forces' camp in Afghanistan is gathering pace, as elite Plymouth commandos prepare to tackle deadly Taliban and al Qaeda fighters head-on.

Morale is running high at Bagram Airbase, the British HQ, after the first successful commando operation -- codenamed Ptarmigan -- where Plymouth soldiers went deep into the rugged mountains.

We discovered a determined sense of resolve among the British soldiers, and watched as the camp took shape, 7,000 ft above sea level.

It contains increasing numbers of city troops, including marines from 3 and 45 Royal Marines and commandos from 29 Regiment Royal Artillery, and Chivenor-based 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers.

They are under the overall control of Brigadier Roger Lane, Commanding Officer of Stonehouse-based 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, and will eventually number about 500 -- a third of the total British force of 1,700.

Many of the commandos have been through numerous operational exercises in recent years, including Saif Sareea in Oman last year.

This time, however, it is for real.
(More: The Evening Herald News Source)
2002 © Northcliffe Electronic Publishing, Ltd.

Dan