Bomb Hunters: In Afghanistan With Britain's Elite Bomb Disposal Unit (38 page)

Gulbuddin 191–4, 199, 229

Gumbesa, Operation 37–9

Hamer, Rupert 4, 5, 6, 11, 56, 90, 97, 125, 258–9

Harper, Lance Corporal Gareth 233

Helmand Province: arriving in 1–3, 6, 9; 243, 245, 270; bomb hunters in
see
bomb hunters; climate/conditions 3, 17, 25, 30–1, 32, 33, 38, 41, 44, 93, 111, 214–15, 232; IEDs in
see
IED; Taliban in
see
Taliban
see also under individual area name

Helmand River xiii, xiv–xv, 101

Herrick 6, Operation 140

Herrick 7, Operation 141

Herrick 8, Operation 159

Herrick 9, Operation 159

Herrick 10, Operation 42, 143, 174

Herrick 11, Operation 34, 63, 81

Highway One 37

Hill, Lance Corporal James 91, 216

Hill, Lance Corporal Jody 76–7

HME (home-made explosive) xviii, 67–8, 85, 128, 143–4, 213, 218, 227

Homewood, Sapper Gareth ‘Gaz’ 117, 118, 135, 136

‘Hotel-18’ 75–6

Hughes, Staff Sergeant Kim xv, xvi–xx, xxi, 266–7

Hunt, Lance Sergeant 121, 122, 123, 147

Hurran, Corporal Andy 206, 207, 209

Hyde, Company Sergeant Major/Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2), Pat 75, 76–80, 81, 151, 272–3

IED (Improvised Explosive Device): booby-trap devices 14, 85, 118, 124, 137, 138, 164, 171, 190, 211; capturing 29, 213; command 16–17, 18, 61–2, 80, 126, 151, 153–4, 156, 164, 263–4; construction of 18–19, 59–61; defusing
see
bomb hunters; dummy 75; Explosive Formed Projectiles 13; factories 7, 85–6; ‘force multiplier’ 157; forensic evidence 16, 17, 29, 33, 48–9, 138, 144, 161, 212, 217; high metal content 60, 67, 128; incident rates 7, 63–4, 178, 255; increased sophistication in 61–3, 87, 145–6, 253, 255; local population and 37–8, 61, 253; low metal content xix, 7, 61, 67, 128, 144–5, 172, 262; ‘killing zone’ 209; number dealt with by an individual ATOs 63–4; pressure-plate (PP) xiv, xix, 14, 18–19, 26, 31, 32–3, 35, 54, 59–60, 61, 75, 80, 85, 91, 108–9, 118, 126, 130, 136–7, 143, 151, 156, 158–9, 160, 161, 172, 208, 212; pressure-release (PR) 26–7, 29, 61, 161–2; psychological weapon 126, 157, 228; quality control 252, 253; radio-controlled 48, 61; render-safe procedure 48; robots used to deal with 66–7, 156; route-clearance 65–6, 74, 175, 190, 221, 252, 254; searching for xv, xvi, 7, 11, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23, 25–7, 28, 35, 38, 39, 43, 46, 54, 58, 64, 65, 70, 79, 80, 117, 119, 124, 126, 127, 129, 136, 139, 141, 150, 152, 168, 175, 177, 178, 203, 205, 206, 207, 210, 216, 219, 220, 264, 266–7; size of 67–8; surge in use/production of 7, 33, 62, 230; trip wire 62; using against Taliban 229; victim-detonated 51, 61, 62, 160, 264, 271; wooden 144–5

Illume, Team 143

incident control point (ICP) 17, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 50, 54, 80, 122, 126, 129, 131, 133, 134, 135, 137, 140, 141, 143, 144, 160, 207

Inkerman, FOB 11, 73–4, 76, 77, 78, 81, 140, 150, 151, 154, 163

IRA 43, 61, 62, 75, 105–6, 109, 172

Iran 13, 63, 87, 221, 253

Iraq 8, 12–13, 29, 57, 58, 59, 63, 65, 66, 72, 76, 87, 113, 114, 126, 165, 178, 204, 253

ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) 15, 35, 37, 42, 64, 70, 86, 98, 103, 157, 180, 182, 197, 230, 232

Israel, Commander 184–5

ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) 78, 85

Jackson, FOB 44, 46, 79, 81

James, Major Andrew 199

Janes, Guardsman James 232, 233–4, 235–6

Jones, Corporal Stewart 28, 31, 32, 35

Kabul 5, 76, 215, 231, 254, 260

Kajaki 19, 75, 144

Kalshal Kalay 85

Kandahar 2, 10, 257, 258

Karzai, Hamid 221

Keenan, FOB 37–9

Khan, Habiullah 100, 225, 226

Kirkpatrick, Corporal Jamie 263

Kitson, Lieutenant Colonel Nick 75, 79

Knight, Sapper Bradley 07–8, 210

Kuku, Captain Florinin 108–9

Lacey, Corporal Richard 119, 138

land mines 19, 29, 88, 157

Lashkar Gah 94, 157, 182, 250

Ley, Staff Sergeant Karl ‘Badger’ 23, 24, 27–40, 41–2, 52, 53, 54, 55–6, 63, 67, 165, 174, 271–2

Lindsay-German, Major Iain 84, 217

Linley, Staff Sergeant Brett 265

Loader, Guardsman Steve 188, 192, 201–2

Loader, Sergeant Thomas 239, 241, 245

Lockett, Sergeant Michael 11

Luy Mandah 229, 231–51, 236, 240, 250

Lyons, Guardsman Pete ‘Treacle’ 188, 191, 192, 202

Major, Guardsman James 188, 192, 201

Malvern, Patrol Base 263, 264

Marjah 98–9

Markland, Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2), Dave 37, 38, 39, 53, 55, 163, 164

Marlton-Thomas, Corporal Loren ‘Loz’ 133, 134, 135, 138, 139, 141, 142, 163

Mastiff armoured troop carriers 24–5, 30, 65–6, 74, 76, 77, 78, 96, 114, 119, 141, 144, 151, 152, 159, 164, 170, 178, 183, 212, 227, 234, 235, 242, 245, 246, 249, 250, 261, 262, 263, 270

McAleese, Sergeant Paul 267

McChrystal, General Stanley 95, 98, 230

McCluggage, Corporal 129

McDonald, Guardsman Reiss 243, 245

McLean, Lance Corporal Adam 207

Mellors, Sapper Guy 163

Merry, Corporal Arianne 205–6, 207, 213

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle 4, 5, 97

Minimise, Operation 21

Ministry of Defence (MoD) 2, 8, 9, 105, 165, 166, 178

Mohammed, Wali 225–6

Moshtarak, Operation 53–4, 81–7, 97–9, 101, 113, 163, 252

Muir, Staff Sergeant Chris 59

Musa Qala 20, 24–33, 35–6, 61, 63, 68, 143, 145, 156–60, 170, 176

MUV mine 160

Nad-e’Ali 45, 46, 54, 82, 87, 93–105, 116–47, 164, 168, 169, 170, 177, 179–203, 204–27, 214, 225, 226, 229, 231, 261, 269

Nahr-e-Burgha canal 119, 187, 231

Nahr-e-Seraj 263, 265

Namarua, Lance Corporal Peniasi ‘Nammers’ 188, 198–9, 202

National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan 225

NATO 2, 61, 69, 81, 91–2, 93, 98, 103, 109, 126, 145, 158, 167, 178, 213, 219, 228, 231, 246, 253, 254, 255, 259, 260

Noorhouse, Corporal Harry 238

Northern Ireland 3, 13, 29, 32, 33, 42, 43, 49, 58, 62, 63, 65, 66, 76, 105–6, 114, 126, 164, 221

O’Connor, Corporal Kelly 71, 79, 83

O’Donnell, Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2), Gary ‘Gaz’ 1, 11–20, 22, 35, 45, 53, 163, 170, 178

O’Dwyer, Staff Sergeant Kev 117, 118, 119, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127–30, 131, 135, 136, 137, 141, 145–6, 147, 152, 171

O’Malley, Heathcliff 87, 102

Oakland, Corporal James 143

Pakistan 87, 169, 221, 254

Paladin Teams 160–1, 167

Panther’s Claw (Panchai Palang), Operation 42, 231

Parker, Corporal Ronnie 238

Pearson, Guardsman Jordan 233, 245

Pendlebury, Lance Corporal Gaz 242

Perkins, Dan 174

Petraeus, General David 95, 254

Pienaar, Sapper Richie 116, 117, 125, 126, 131, 132–3, 134–5, 136, 139, 147, 152, 153

Pimon, Patrol Base 128, 250, 214, 215–16

Pointon, Sergeant Rob 245

Potter, Sapper Harry 266

Price, FOB 51

RAF 2–3, 4, 21, 22, 89, 93, 166, 258, 259

Rawlings, Lieutenant Alex 232

Read, Captain Dan 51, 63, 143, 150, 163, 170

Rice, Lieutenant Paddy 107

Ridgeback armoured vehicle 95–6, 97

Robinson, FOB xiv

Rose, Guardsman 238

Rossiter, Lance Corporal Joe 116, 119, 132, 135, 210

Route 611 73, 74, 75, 76, 150, 163

Route Dorset 170

Route Jupiter 236–7, 238, 242, 247

route-clearance 65–6, 74, 175, 190, 221, 252, 254

Rowe, Lance Corporal Ken 11

Royal Engineer Search Advisor (RESA) xvi, 15, 22, 30, 31, 37, 82, 117–18, 121, 127, 152, 171, 204, 205, 206, 207, 209–10, 213–14, 215, 216, 262

Royal Military College, Sandhurst 51, 188