On patrol with Taliban Hunters
Direct hit ... British soldiers' Land Rover stands near a Taliban fighter's body
Pictures: ANDY BUSH
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By TOM NEWTON DUNN
Defence Editor, in Helmand
southern Afghanistan
IT was a good day’s work for the Taliban Hunters.
Three fanatical fighters lay dead at the elite Royal Marines’ feet on a desolate Afghan plain.
They had run from a truck the commandos blew up seconds before, killing five more enemy.
We often passed the burnt-out wreck in the days that followed.
It was used as a landmark on the endless empty plateau. The commandos called it Mr Crispy.
After a summer holed up in outposts on the defensive, British troops in the southern Afghan badlands have gone on the attack.
The Sun can today exclusively reveal exactly how.
Patrol ... Tom rides with MOG commandos on Land Rover
Royal Marine bosses have created two heavily-armed mobile roving forces to carry out classic Special Forces-style operations.
Dubbed Mobile Operations Groups, their mission is to “observe, restrict, interdict (bombard) and kill the enemy”.
Sun snapper Andy Bush and I spent nine days embedded with the 100-strong force patrolling the north of Helmand province.
Enemy's lair ... Tom outside Taliban cave
In the day we roamed the mountain valleys on the hunt for targets and intelligence. At night, we corralled like a Wild West wagon train in an all-round defence.
The desert shoot-out was a typical “contact” for the MOG. It began after the enemy crept up at night through a hidden riverbed.
In a dawn attack they fired off two 82mm mortar rounds which landed 100-yards from the camp.
A clearance patrol neutralised the threat in minutes.
It took the Taliban two days to pluck up the courage to go out to Mr Crispy and pick up the bodies.
MOG commander Major Simon O’Herlihy said: “The aim is to get right in their face. That’s why we sit on their major supply routes.
“It says, ‘Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’. When they do, we destroy them.”
The MOG packs an awesome punch. First, there is the force’s main body, 42 Commando’s elite reconnaissance troop.
The “recon” marines are respected as the best troops to wear the famous green beret.
Split into five teams of ten, they drive long-wheel base WMIK Land Rovers with 2.5-litre turbo diesel engines.
The vehicles bristle with half-inch calibre machine guns and anti-tank missiles. Then there is their awesome array of surveillance kit, from Leopold x60 magnification sniper scopes to night vision goggles.
Also attached are a handful of expert Forward Air Controllers.With just a few minutes’ notice, they can call jets or helicopters to rain down 2,000lb bombs.
No hiding place ... Royal Marines search Afghan truck for Taliban
Royal Engineer bomb disposal experts, a portable radar team and a vehicle mechanic make up the rest of the force.
Major O’Herlihy, 35, added: “It’s not just about our killing power. By even just being here, we have got them on the back foot.”
While we were with them, the commandos found two cave networks cut into a 10km ridge overlooking the key strategic town of Nowzad.
The Taliban use caves as arms dumps and observation posts. They must be cleared and destroyed so the enemy cannot use them again.
On watch ... Royal Marine Mike Stubbs
After the marines sent a rocket into one cave, a surprise emerged.
Team leader Sgt Chris “Taff” Hunter, 31, from Swansea, craned through his binoculars and bellowed: “Hold your fire guys. We’ve got an unknown male up there.”
Terrified by the explosion, a hidden Taliban observer emerged from another cave, seconds before it was due to be blown, too.
Of course, he had a good cover story, insisting he was there collecting grass. There was no grass where he was and he had a bushy beard and shaven head — extremist warriors’ traditional garb. But despite their suspicions, the commandos had to let him go.
Marine Mike Stubbs, 23, said: “Unless we can prove he was watching us, we can’t nick him.”
An enemy who wears no uniform and blends into the civilian population is one of the hardest frustrations of the campaign.
Danger is ever-present. Just 48 hours earlier, the lead WMIK in our convoy stopped just 6ft short of a massive anti-tank mine — thanks to the sharp eyes of experienced recon Sergeant Lee Walters.
The commandos had gone into the gulley to right a toppled digger upright — but it was a set-up.
Staff Sergeant Ian “Chippy” Dickson, 36, calmly reversed the vehicles out of the danger area and blew up the mine by hand.
The commandos have already learnt a few crucial facts about their enemy.
Alarmingly, the most deadly fighters are foreign mujahideen from Pakistan and Iran.
They have also learnt to respect the opposing forces.
The MOG’s most senior NCO, Colour Sergeant John Dewhirst, 35, of Taunton, Somerset, said: “They’re damn good at what they do. But if we show enough patience, we’ll blow the lot of them to pieces.”
thesun.co.uk
Direct hit ... British soldiers' Land Rover stands near a Taliban fighter's body
Pictures: ANDY BUSH
RELATED STORIES
Defence Editor, in Helmand
southern Afghanistan
IT was a good day’s work for the Taliban Hunters.
Three fanatical fighters lay dead at the elite Royal Marines’ feet on a desolate Afghan plain.
They had run from a truck the commandos blew up seconds before, killing five more enemy.
We often passed the burnt-out wreck in the days that followed.
It was used as a landmark on the endless empty plateau. The commandos called it Mr Crispy.
After a summer holed up in outposts on the defensive, British troops in the southern Afghan badlands have gone on the attack.
The Sun can today exclusively reveal exactly how.
Patrol ... Tom rides with MOG commandos on Land Rover
Royal Marine bosses have created two heavily-armed mobile roving forces to carry out classic Special Forces-style operations.
Dubbed Mobile Operations Groups, their mission is to “observe, restrict, interdict (bombard) and kill the enemy”.
Sun snapper Andy Bush and I spent nine days embedded with the 100-strong force patrolling the north of Helmand province.
Enemy's lair ... Tom outside Taliban cave
In the day we roamed the mountain valleys on the hunt for targets and intelligence. At night, we corralled like a Wild West wagon train in an all-round defence.
The desert shoot-out was a typical “contact” for the MOG. It began after the enemy crept up at night through a hidden riverbed.
In a dawn attack they fired off two 82mm mortar rounds which landed 100-yards from the camp.
A clearance patrol neutralised the threat in minutes.
It took the Taliban two days to pluck up the courage to go out to Mr Crispy and pick up the bodies.
MOG commander Major Simon O’Herlihy said: “The aim is to get right in their face. That’s why we sit on their major supply routes.
“It says, ‘Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’. When they do, we destroy them.”
The MOG packs an awesome punch. First, there is the force’s main body, 42 Commando’s elite reconnaissance troop.
The “recon” marines are respected as the best troops to wear the famous green beret.
Split into five teams of ten, they drive long-wheel base WMIK Land Rovers with 2.5-litre turbo diesel engines.
The vehicles bristle with half-inch calibre machine guns and anti-tank missiles. Then there is their awesome array of surveillance kit, from Leopold x60 magnification sniper scopes to night vision goggles.
Also attached are a handful of expert Forward Air Controllers.With just a few minutes’ notice, they can call jets or helicopters to rain down 2,000lb bombs.
No hiding place ... Royal Marines search Afghan truck for Taliban
Royal Engineer bomb disposal experts, a portable radar team and a vehicle mechanic make up the rest of the force.
Major O’Herlihy, 35, added: “It’s not just about our killing power. By even just being here, we have got them on the back foot.”
While we were with them, the commandos found two cave networks cut into a 10km ridge overlooking the key strategic town of Nowzad.
The Taliban use caves as arms dumps and observation posts. They must be cleared and destroyed so the enemy cannot use them again.
On watch ... Royal Marine Mike Stubbs
After the marines sent a rocket into one cave, a surprise emerged.
Team leader Sgt Chris “Taff” Hunter, 31, from Swansea, craned through his binoculars and bellowed: “Hold your fire guys. We’ve got an unknown male up there.”
Terrified by the explosion, a hidden Taliban observer emerged from another cave, seconds before it was due to be blown, too.
Of course, he had a good cover story, insisting he was there collecting grass. There was no grass where he was and he had a bushy beard and shaven head — extremist warriors’ traditional garb. But despite their suspicions, the commandos had to let him go.
Marine Mike Stubbs, 23, said: “Unless we can prove he was watching us, we can’t nick him.”
An enemy who wears no uniform and blends into the civilian population is one of the hardest frustrations of the campaign.
Danger is ever-present. Just 48 hours earlier, the lead WMIK in our convoy stopped just 6ft short of a massive anti-tank mine — thanks to the sharp eyes of experienced recon Sergeant Lee Walters.
The commandos had gone into the gulley to right a toppled digger upright — but it was a set-up.
Staff Sergeant Ian “Chippy” Dickson, 36, calmly reversed the vehicles out of the danger area and blew up the mine by hand.
The commandos have already learnt a few crucial facts about their enemy.
Alarmingly, the most deadly fighters are foreign mujahideen from Pakistan and Iran.
They have also learnt to respect the opposing forces.
The MOG’s most senior NCO, Colour Sergeant John Dewhirst, 35, of Taunton, Somerset, said: “They’re damn good at what they do. But if we show enough patience, we’ll blow the lot of them to pieces.”
thesun.co.uk
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