Duke of Lancaster soldiers lead assault on Taliban (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Duke of Lancaster soldiers lead assault on Taliban

6:20pm Friday 30th July 2010 in

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HUNDREDS of North West soldiers are today leading a major assault to seize control of an Afghanistan town from the Taliban.

It is the first time the 1st Battalion, The Duke Of Lancaster's Regiment, has led an operation on this scale in the conflict.

Early today, troops were sent behind enemy lines into Saidabad. The mission is due to take days to complete as soldiers battle up to 180 insurgents in the Helmand Province town.

Army chiefs said the area was loaded with home-made bombs which have killed scores of British soldiers in the campaign.

International forces were unable to clear the Taliban from the town during Operation Moshtarak earlier this year. That offensive saw 15,000 troops take part in the biggest push against insurgents since the conflict began in 2001.

Today hundreds of UK soldiers, led by the Duke of Lancaster's, launched the Operation Tor Shezada under cover of darkness.

They travelled from coalition base Camp Bastion in Chinook helicopters and landed near the town. Their first objective was to clear compounds and establish bases.

Soldiers created firing points along the rooftops out of sandbags, with machine guns, mortars and rifles.

Communication equipment was also set up and food and water brought along as the mission is expected to take days.

This evening, army chiefs said the operation to 'secure the town was ongoing'.

They declared the start of the mission ‘successful’ but warned that days of hard work lay ahead.

Saidabad is thought to be home to around 180 insurgents who use it as a base to make bombs and plan attacks.

In the past they have provided stiff resistance. One commanding officer is reported as saying they will try to 'steal' Saidabad but were 'prepared to fight for it'.

Six hundred Duke of Lancaster's Regiment soldiers are currently four months in their six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The 1st Batallion, chosen for the mission because it is a complete infrantry regiment, recruits exclusively from Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and the Isle of Man.

They are leading the operation, representing the NATO Isaf (international security assistance force), along with Afghan counterparts.

Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith said: "During the early hours, under the cover of darkness, the joint Isaf and Afghan Operation Tor Shezada launched successfully.

"The operation is currently ongoing and reports back from the commanders on the ground say it is progressing according to plan.

"Operation Tor Shezada will continue the momentum generated by Operation Moshtarak earlier this year.

“Its aims are very much supported by local Afghans living in and around the area of Saidabad.

“They are keen that insurgents be removed so that they can live, work and travel there safely.”

Lt Col Carr-Smith said they aimed to push insurgents away from the Afghan population.

He continued: "It will further dislocate insurgents and deny them a base from which to attack the Nad-e Ali and Marjah areas, making the local population safer and reducing the threat to Isaf and ANSF troops.

"In time, the operation will enable the Afghan government to begin development projects in the area, including the planned refurbishment of Saidabad school, health clinic and bazaar.”

Saidabad sits between Nad-e Ali and Marjah in central Helmand, with a small community of around 6,000 Afghans, mostly from Pashtun Ishaqzai and Hazara backgrounds.

The Trikh Zabur canal runs to the south of the area, with a crossing point which allows movement between Nad-e Ali and Marjah.

Improved security around this important crossing point will increase freedom of movement for locals.

The Afghan government will begin stabilisation activities as soon as conditions allow, including the refurbishment of Saidabad school and health clinic.

The British-run provincial reconstruction team in Helmand will support this activity with projects of its own, including 'cash for work' programmes which employ locals to develop their own communities.

Moshtarak, involving 15,000 Nato and Afghan troops, was the largest attempt to flush out Taliban fighters since the conflict in Afghanistan began in 2001. Nearly a third of those involved were British personnel.

So far, no casualties have been reported as part of Operation Tor Shezada.

Click on the link below for a photo gallery of the Duke of Lancaster soldiers in Operation Tor Shezada.