British, American and Afghan troops are about to start Operation Moshtarak within the next few days.
"Moshtarak" means "Together" in the local Dari language, and 15,000 troops - a third of them British - will join the offensive, which is designed to clear out a hardcore of around 1,000 Taliban fighters around the town of Marjah.
But it is feared that the decision to publicise the operation could result in the loss of many Allies lives.
Three British soldiers have died in the war over the last four days.
Publication over Afghan surge 'could cost British lives'
By Jason Groves
10th February 2010
Daily Mail
British troops could be killed as a direct result of the strategy to publicise the imminent major Allied offensive in Afghanistan, it was feared last night.
The decision has given insurgents time to plant thousands of extra roadside bombs at key locations, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth admitted yesterday.
His comments came as a British soldier killed in Helmand Valley trying to defuse a roadside bomb in preparation for Operation Moshtarak was named.
Bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer David Markland, 36, a father-of-two originally from Lancashire, died in an explosion in Nad-e-Ali district on Monday.
He is the third British serviceman to die in a roadside bomb in the past four days and his death takes the overall toll for the war so far to 256 - one more than in the Falklands.
Loss: Bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer David Markland was killed on Monday
Sacrifice: Father-of-two Warrant Officer David Markland
Corporal Johnathan Moore (left) and Private Sean McDonald, both of the Royal Scots Borderers, who were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. Their deaths brought the number of British deaths in Afghanistan to 255, the same as that in the Falklands Photograph: MoD
Target: British soldiers rest after a gun battle in Helmand
Charge! The Light Brigade (above) will take part in Operation Moshtarak
COURAGEOUS RESTRAINT
A shift in emphasis towards protecting civilians has seen British troops employ a new strategy dubbed "courageous restraint".
British troops from the 4th Battalion the Rifles come under fire in one of the most dangerous parts of Helmand province.
One of their snipers is poised to take a shot at the Afghan who appears to be pointing out their exact position to the insurgents, a possible "dicker".
But the sniper holds fire. The man might just be a civilian caught up in the middle.
So, instead, the British soldier aims a shot close by, not to kill or wound but to warn. The man and the insurgents disappear. The threat was enough.
That story is cited by British commanders in Helmand as just one recent example of "courageous restraint".
dailymail.co.uk
"Moshtarak" means "Together" in the local Dari language, and 15,000 troops - a third of them British - will join the offensive, which is designed to clear out a hardcore of around 1,000 Taliban fighters around the town of Marjah.
But it is feared that the decision to publicise the operation could result in the loss of many Allies lives.
Three British soldiers have died in the war over the last four days.
Corporal John Moore, 22, and Canadian-born Private Sean McDonald, 26, from the Royal Scots Borderers, were killed by an explosion in Sangin on Sunday. Their deaths brought the number of British soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan to 255, equal to the number who were killed in the 1982 Falklands War.
Then, on Monday, bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer David Markland, of 36 Engineer Regiment, died in an explosion in Nad-e-Ali district.
The Government has warned the British public to "steel" itself for British troop fatalities during the operation.
Publication over Afghan surge 'could cost British lives'
By Jason Groves
10th February 2010
Daily Mail
British troops could be killed as a direct result of the strategy to publicise the imminent major Allied offensive in Afghanistan, it was feared last night.
The decision has given insurgents time to plant thousands of extra roadside bombs at key locations, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth admitted yesterday.
His comments came as a British soldier killed in Helmand Valley trying to defuse a roadside bomb in preparation for Operation Moshtarak was named.
Bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer David Markland, 36, a father-of-two originally from Lancashire, died in an explosion in Nad-e-Ali district on Monday.
He is the third British serviceman to die in a roadside bomb in the past four days and his death takes the overall toll for the war so far to 256 - one more than in the Falklands.
Loss: Bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer David Markland was killed on Monday
MPs questioned the decision to give the Taliban advance notice of the operation, which had left troops forced to ‘clear routes’ for fleeing civilians as well as their own personnel.
Sacrifice: Father-of-two Warrant Officer David Markland
Military sources believe the Taliban have laid ‘thousands’ of extra IEDs or improvised explosive devices in recent weeks.
A strike force of 15,000 soldiers, including 4,000 British troops, will join the offensive, which is designed to clear out a hardcore of around 1,000 Taliban fighters around the town of Marjah.
Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, a former Shadow Defence Secretary, yesterday challenged Mr Ainsworth over the strategy to effectively tip off the Taliban.
‘What is the rationale for so clearly signalling in advance of operations, which seems to many people counter-intuitive and may expose our troops to additional danger because the Taliban have warning that we are coming in?’ he asked.
Corporal Johnathan Moore (left) and Private Sean McDonald, both of the Royal Scots Borderers, who were killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. Their deaths brought the number of British deaths in Afghanistan to 255, the same as that in the Falklands Photograph: MoD
Mr Ainsworth said the warning was given to allow civilians to flee the area ahead of the assault. He said minimising civilian casualties was a central part of the new strategy to win ‘hearts and minds’ in Afghanistan.
Target: British soldiers rest after a gun battle in Helmand
Reports suggest that many Afghans have already fled the area following allied warnings and leaflet drops.
But many others have chosen to stay or are being effectively held as ‘human shields’ by the Taliban.
Mr Ainsworth said: ‘The last thing we want to do is to go into an area and inflict unnecessary civilian casualties. One is too many.
WAR IN AFGHANISTAN - OPERATION MOSHTARAK
Charge! The Light Brigade (above) will take part in Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak is a planned ISAF offensive in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. It will focus on the Nad Ali District and Lashkar Gah district. It will involve 2,500 Afghan, 4,000 British and 8,500 American troops. The target of the offensive is widely-considered to be Marja.
According to the BBC, the operation is a counter insurgency operation which has been in the planning phase for weeks. Over the past 3 weeks coalition forces have launched smaller "shaping operations" to prepare for the main assault. The Afghan public has been warned of the upcoming operation. This is in line with new rules of engagement for British forces, called "courageous restraint." The tactic, thought up by British Major General Nick Carter, requires soldiers to "use brain-power rather than fire-power" and is hoped to reduce damage to the Afghan population (in terms of collateral and life cost) by using fewer munitions and support measures.
It is hoped the publicity and new tactic will prevent the loss of civilians, and persuade insurgents to lay down their arms. The operation is the first in Helmand since the surge of 30,000 US and British troops in 2009/early 2010.
With the fresh troops, British commanders now say they will be able to hold captured ground as they now have sufficient numbers. Soldiers from 1 Grenadier Guards Battle Group, 1 Royal Welsh Battle Group and elements of the US Marines and US Army are likely to be involved in the action, alongside Afghan National Army an Afghan National Police forces.
British Forces will focus on the Lashkar Gah district and Nad Ali district, and US forces will focus on the town of Marja.
‘Giving the civilian population the opportunity to move away from the fighting is an important part of the preparations.’
But he was forced to admit it had also given Taliban commanders the opportunity to intensify their bomb-making operations.
He said insurgents were now planting more roadside bombs around villages to make it harder for civilians to escape. The bombs will also make it far more hazardous for troops.
Bomb disposal teams from Britain and the U.S. will have to risk their lives removing the devices to clear routes for local civilians.
COURAGEOUS RESTRAINT
A shift in emphasis towards protecting civilians has seen British troops employ a new strategy dubbed "courageous restraint".
British troops from the 4th Battalion the Rifles come under fire in one of the most dangerous parts of Helmand province.
One of their snipers is poised to take a shot at the Afghan who appears to be pointing out their exact position to the insurgents, a possible "dicker".
But the sniper holds fire. The man might just be a civilian caught up in the middle.
So, instead, the British soldier aims a shot close by, not to kill or wound but to warn. The man and the insurgents disappear. The threat was enough.
That story is cited by British commanders in Helmand as just one recent example of "courageous restraint".
Mr Ainsworth said: ‘There is some evidence of people finding it difficult to leave, because of improvised explosive devices that have been planted and the dangers of the journeys involved.
'We will try to assist in any way that we can to enable civilians to leave the area.
That’s not only allowing them through our own checkpoints, but trying to clear routes so they can get out.’
Lieutenant-General Simon Mayall, the deputy chief of the defence staff, acknowledged that Britain had surrendered ‘strategic surprise’. But he said the massive troop build-up would have made it impossible to keep the assault secret.
And he insisted that the precise timing of the attack remained under wraps. America’s top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, ordered his men to start publicising the Moshtarak operation months ago.
It is critical to allied plans to begin handing over security control of parts of Afghanistan to local forces later this year.
Major General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the first Gulf War, last night warned there was a danger the strategy would backfire.
He said: ‘We have taken a calculated risk by stating so clearly our intentions.’
dailymail.co.uk
Last edited: