http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7021162.ece
The Times (London) February 10, 2010 3,500 soldiers prepare on Salisbury Plain for mission to Afghanistan Deborah Haynes Swooping low, the Chinook helicopter passed over the heads of a group of soldiers in a field tending to a colleague who lost a leg minutes earlier. The aircraft landed and lowered its ramp, allowing the men to scramble on board and fly to safety. This training exercise yesterday on Salisbury Plain, with a simulated explosion, fake blood and a genuine amputee to make it as realistic as possible, is one of a series of scenarios being used to prepare 6,350 soldiers, Marines and airmen before they go to Afghanistan in April. The deployment of 4th Mechanised Brigade will fall at a pivotal moment as a surge of 30,000 US forces reaches its peak. It will also coincide with the summer fighting season, typically a period when casualties rise. .... Troops are training on new armoured vehicles, learning how to use sophisticated technology to detect roadside bombs.... One of the top priorities will be defeating the deadly network of bomb-planting networks that riddle Helmand province. The brigade will use the latest devices to track and destroy improvised explosive devices, while the number of dogs able to locate hidden bombs will be increased four-fold. .... Working with thousands of US Marines, 4th Mechanised Brigade hopes to build on the aftermath of what is being billed as the largest Nato offensive since the 2001 invasion. Operation Moshtarak — “Togetherness” — is due to start imminently, targeting the Taleban stronghold of Marjah, a rural but symbolic hub in Helmand. The British military’s battle space, currently spread over central and north Helmand, is expected to change in the coming months with the arrival of US forces, making them the dominant partner. .... =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rwroz...@yahoo.com or stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Daily digest option available. ==============================
