Feeling the downdraft from another helicopter taking off, soldiers from the 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh Regiment wait for embarkation at the start of Operation Moshtarak in Helmand, Afghanistan. A combined force of 15,000 troops launched major assaults on Taliban strongholds in Helmand Province over the weekend of 12th February 2010. The Brigade Commander, Brigadier James Cowan OBE, addressed over 1000 troops at Camp Bastion prior to the main assault. The ISAF troops included soldiers from Australia, Canada, the United States, France and Estonia who are partnering with the Afghanistan National Security Forces. The operation has been planned to remove insurgents from areas of central Helmand not previously cleared by ISAF troops. NATO commanders intend to turn the tide this year on the insurgency. Op Moshtarak is the first part of a three-stage plan to increase security in the country. After the insurgency in the south has been subdued British forces will move to building capacity in the Afghan National Security Forces and this will likely become the main effort later in the year. The third stage will be transition and the reintegration of insurgents and sympathisers into Afghan society through an Afghan-led reintegration policy.
Image: UK MoD
By: Widow 6-7
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