British fight Taliban to build crucial bridge link

The high-walled Taliban compound surrounded by trees looked a picture of serenity in the dawn light. The women and children who usually inhabit its mud homes had disappeared, leaving behind a virtual ghost town.

Suddenly a man appeared from an irrigation ditch. It was the opening signal for a battle that would rage for hours.

Mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire burst on to the British Scimitar tanks in front. The muzzle flash of assault rifles shone out from gaps in the wall.

Lieutenant James Kayll heard the thud of the bullets on his Scimitar before the first mortars landed. "You could see the bullets dancing in the dust. Then there was a huge crack and a thump and I ducked down (into the hatch) fairly quickly. They continued with accurate small arms fire and RPGs from our right flank," said the 25-year-old leader of 5th troop, B Squadron, The Light Dragoons.

Nearby, 2nd Troop, led by Lieutenant Charlie Rotheram, were also coming under attack. "To be honest, me and the gunner laughed at each other in the turret," explained Corporal David Gray, 35. "Our adrenaline was going. I don't think we really realised exactly what had happened. You could see them popping their heads up. Then they would come up again and fire."

The battle was just one of several in Garmsir yesterday as 12 Mechanised Brigade tried to break the Taliban's stranglehold in the south of Helmand Province.

The Taliban and their sympathisers have operated with impunity here, in a district believed to be hiding foreign fighters and what the Army call Tier One Taliban, the more fanatical element of the insurgents.

Intelligence suggests that new fighters pass over the border to be "blooded" at Garmsir - where the British district centre and eastern checkpoint have been attacked daily - before moving on to the key towns in Gereshk and Kajaki.

While the Ministry of Defence are at pains to downplay the strength of the opposition, the men in this part of Helmand are under no illusion as to the determination of the fighters they face.

For months they have operated almost unchecked in an agricultural centre criss-crossed with canals, each compound, in the words of Squadron Sergeant Major Dave Bettney, was like a castle surrounded by a moat.

In the early hours of yesterday, Royal Engineers completed an ambitious plan to build a bridge - the first such combat build for half a century - across a canal, giving Nato troops a foothold in the territory.

At the same time, B Squadron, the Light Dragoons were tasked with drawing the insurgents away by attacking a known Taliban stronghold north-east of the crossing.

They met with a ferocious and undaunted opposition that continued to fight long after American F15 fast jets dropped 500lb bombs and Apache attack helicopters fired hellfire missiles into the compound.

The "short, sharp raid" turned into a ferocious four-hour battle - the longest his unit has encountered in three months. One of the youngest drivers, Trooper Harrison Trevor, 18, said: "They were using big mortars, 82mm. You can hear the thump and look round to see a mushroom cloud of dust. You think 'this is real'."

The distinctive whoosh of the Javelin anti-armour missile was heard before it ripped into the area from which the mortars had emanated. Overhead, three Apache helicopters circled, waiting for orders.

The Scimitars and Spartans let forth ferocious fire, but the squadron's Desert Hawk UAV (unmanned air vehicle) spotted women and children in the compound below, ending all plans for artillery fire.

There were suspicions as to whether it was yet another deception plan. Only the night before, 5th Troop had watched a tractor apparently loaded with women being driven from the area. As they reached their right flank, they ripped off their burkhas to reveal they were armed men.

Suddenly the roar of jets could be heard overhead. Without ever appearing to the naked eye, the F15s dropped three 500lb bombs on to another compound.

Inside the Scimitars and Spartans of B Squadron the men sweltered. One had to be rushed to a nearby ambulance, having collapsed from heat exhaustion and toxicity poisoning from the sheer weight of ammunition fired in the turret.

Despite heavy fire and bombs, momentary silences from the compound were soon shattered as the Taliban popped up once again.

After more than four hours, and with the bridge now in place, the British fired a smoke cover on to the battlefield to extract their vehicles.

RPGs fired from the compound and the Apache helicopters were called in. "Good strike, good strike," came the call over the radio. The battle was over.

Yesterday, B Squadron estimated that they had faced around 40 fighters, many of whom were killed. But they know that their places will be filled by others sooner rather than later.

The British emerged with one minor casualty - a gunner who hurt his back when the Scimitar lurched out of the way of mortars.

Captain Kieron Atkinson the Squadron's second in command, added: "The lads did a extraordinary job."

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