Operation Red Dagger

Lore & Background

1,500 British troops were involved, supported by Danish, Estonian and Afghan forces in the pre-Christmas offensive, commencing on 7 December 2008 with a night attack on Taliban defences in a village south of the operational area. The offensive was intended to secure the area around the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah after an increase in insurgent attacks there, as well as helping to safeguard a planned voter registration programme. The hard-fought battles were against well-armed insurgents, who held fast and retaliated with 107mm rockets but eventually withdrew under a barrage of British mortar, tank, and missile fire. British troops were fighting knee-deep in mud during First World War-style trench battles. Some sections of the Marines fought while advancing over 60 km under fire and in poor conditions. CQB fighting was common, and some commanders reported fighting at ranges of 30 metres or less. By its climax on 25 December 2008, 100 Taliban fighters, one reportedly a senior commander, were killed. By the end of the offensive five British soldiers, including an Australian serving with British forces, had been killed. After a raid south of Lashkar Gah, £2 million worth of opium was found, alongside IEDs and other assorted drugs and explosives. Brigadier Gordon Messenger, commander of Task Force Helmand, classes the campaign as 'very successful'. In respect of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, a two-day ceasefire starting on 8 December 2008 was upheld. Recommencing operations on 11 December, 42 Commando Royal Marines attacked both from the ground and the air on Nad-e-Ali, securing an area which had been an insurgent stronghold. Commandos backed by the 2nd Battalion The Princesses of Wales's Royal Regiment and the Afghan National Army attacked and captured the town of Shin Kalay, west of Lashkar Gah. K Company (Black Knights) fought in the trenches surrounding the area, forcing the withdrawal of the insurgents. Royal Engineers found their efforts to build patrol bases hampered by heavy rain turning the ground into a sea of mud. Lima Company, 42 Commando saw the most ferocious close-quarters fighting during the 360-degree battle for Zarghun Kalay, northwest of Lashkar Gah, on 17 December. They were supported by Juliet Company during the following days. By the end of the operation the Marines of Lima Company Group had covered over 60 km on foot in the most

In Their Own Story

The night air smelled of dust and diesel. You crouched behind a concrete wall, the compound's perimeter lights cutting thin orange slices through the dark. Sarge's hand rose, fingers counting down. Three. Two. One. The wire was cut. You were inside.

Footfalls on gravel. A sentry's flashlight swept the courtyard, and you held your breath until the beam passed. The silence was worse than the gunfire would be. You moved room to room, each door a small decision, each shadow a question. Then a boot scuffed a stone, a muzzle flash bloomed in the corridor ahead, and the quiet was gone. The compound erupted, and you were no longer a ghost. You were a blade, and the blade was in.

By the time the last echo of a rifle round faded against the mud-brick walls, the compound was yours. The intelligence was secured. The head was cut. And the mountain was quiet again, as if nothing had happened.

Reader's Guide

Troops involved: Recce Platoon 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 1PWRR; 42 Commando Royal Marines; C Company, 2 PWRR; A Squadron and 1 Troop C Sqn QDG; B Company, 1 RIFLES; United Kingdom Land Forces Command Support Group (UKLF CSG); 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery; 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers; Armoured Support Group Royal Marines; Viking Troop, The Queen's Royal Hussars; Estonian Company (Including Mortar Troop); Danish Troops Jutland Dragoon Regiment; B Company (Armoured Personnel Carriers); A troop (Leopard tanks, Medical Section); Royal Danish Engineers Regiment; Combat Engineers Section; 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (OMLT); Afghan National Security Forces.

Did You Know?

• Operation Sond Chara translates to 'Red Dagger' in Pashto.
• The operation was named after the commando patch worn by members of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.
• British troops fought knee-deep in mud during First World War-style trench battles.
• A two-day ceasefire was observed starting 8 December 2008 for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
• Lima Company, 42 Commando covered over 60 km on foot over 17 days.