A Soldier from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), observes from a compound roof as soldiers from the Improvised Explosive Task Force, clear the streets of ghost town Char Coucha in Afghanistan. Char Coucha which once had a thriving market and was a place of religious pilgrimage is back on the road to peace and prosperity thanks to the combined efforts of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), members of the British Counter-IED Task Force, and their colleagues from the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. The effort - codenamed Operation KAPCHA KWANDIKALAY (or Cobra Safe Village) - has seen the largest-scale, high-risk IED clearance of an entire village to be carried out by British forces in Afghanistan. More than 40 families have now returned, with more set to follow as efforts to maintain the stable security situation continue. Throughout 2010, Char Coucha was the scene of intense fighting, as British and Afghan forces battled the insurgency for control of the village. But despite the insurgent fighters remaining under pressure throughout, it became clear that the benefits of military successes were not being felt by local people. This image was a runner-up for Sgt Rupert Frere in the Army's Photographic Competition 2011.
img from UK MoD
By: Widow 6-7
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