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thedrifter
10-29-06, 07:21 AM
Meet the air-conditioned Marines at camp-do-nothing in Afganistan
By CAROLINE GRAHAM, Mail on Sunday
Last updated at 22:00pm on 28th October 2006

Camp Bastion - When the Marines invited The Mail on Sunday to Afghanistan we expected to find poorly supplied troops under constant fire, fighting the Taliban. The truth is the exact opposite...

It is just after dusk and the searing desert sun has given way to a cooling breeze. About 2,500 Royal Marines have come to the end of another interminably long day at Camp Bastion, the British base in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province and are busying themselves eating, taking showers, playing pool, watching television and sending e-mails home.

Many have settled into their comfy air-conditioned tents with a good book, while others work out in the fully-equipped gym.

There is just one thing the crack fighting troops are not doing much of these days - waging war on the Taliban.

For the Marines of the 42 Commando, it is the end of another frustrating day of non-action. As one young soldier told me: "It's like Groundhog Day over here.

"We are the Navy's crack fighting force and it's frustrating. We came here to fight but there's no action. We get up, eat, train, workout, eat some more and try to stay busy. What we really want to be doing is fighting."

I travelled to Camp Bastion last week to see, first hand, how one of the most controversial, and expensive, British military operations in history is being carried out.

While stories have abounded back home of vicious firefights in Helmand, a known Taliban hotbed, the reality is that since the Marines took over from the Parachute Regiment just over a month ago they have experienced little fighting.

Officially, a spokesman explained that the current inactivity was due to a 'lockdown' on patrols that had begun nine days before, after Marine Gary Wright was killed by a suicide bomber in Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital of Helmand, a ramshackle town 18 miles south-east of Camp Bastion.

Daily patrols in Lashkar Gar and in the town of Gereskh, 21 miles east of here have now been suspended 'until further notice'.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andy Price, the UK taskforce spokesman, claims military intelligence has revealed a 'serious' threat of more suicide bombers, making it 'simply too dangerous' for patrols.

He said: "We have suicide bombers walking around Lashkar Gar and Gereskh looking for us. The suicide threat is critical. There is no movement - no soldiers, no Afghan police or Afghan army.

"The Defence Secretary was at Camp Bastion a couple of days ago and even he wasn't allowed to go out on patrol. We are not here as invaders to kill the Taliban. We are here to provide security to the Afghan police and Army and to aid redevelopment. We are not going to take the fight to the Taliban in the mountains. Why should we? We are comfortable here and our very presence seems to be a deterrent."

Over in Sangin, the scene of fierce fighting earlier this summer, not a single shot has been fired in anger in 30 days. There has been some small arms fire in the village of Kajaki, but it was described as 'non significant'. There are 4,500 troops in Helmand, but the last 'significant' fighting against the Taliban took place on September 27, when the Marines went into Sangin to extract the remaining Paras.

The Marines, who are under orders not to seek out a fight with the Taliban and to fire only when fired upon or under direct threat, also blame the recent festival of Eid, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, for the lack of action.

When I asked one officer to explain why we had thousands of troops sitting around at taxpayers' expense, he said wearily: "You have to understand that we did not come here to wage war against the Taliban.

"We are here to provide safety to the Afghan people and to allow development and restructuring.

"Our orders are not to go out looking for a fight. We are Marines, not politicians. If you want to know why that is the policy, you will have to ask Tony Blair. We have men all over Helmand and in many cases, their presence alone is enough to ward off attacks.

"None of us know if this period of quiet is because of the holiday, because it is poppy-planting season or because we are not visibly out there for them to shoot at us.

"It would be wrong to say the fight is over because, to be honest, we just don't know. It could all kick off again next week, for all we know."

Even the commanding officer of 42 Company, Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Holmes admits the situation is 'quiet'. He said: "My men trained long and hard before coming to Afghanistan and they were keen to get out here and get to work. Our priority is to provide security for the Afghan people and to promote restructuring and development. We are here to facilitate the Afghan army and police taking control of their country.

"There is not necessarily a military solution for Afghanistan's problems. This is a political situation where the local population has to be able to see the Taliban for what they are. If they want a fight, they'll get a fight and they'll lose."

At Camp Bastion, a sprawling eight-square-mile encampment in the middle of the southern Afghan desert, 18 miles from the nearest town, the only sound of gunfire is the crackle of British machine guns training on the range, sometimes drowned out by the roar of a Chinook helicopter taking supplies to men dotted in remote outposts in the north of Helmand.

I reach the base after a seven-hour flight to Kabul from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in an aging Tristar troop carrier - delayed for nearly two hours because of a brake failure - followed by a noisy 90-minute ride in a Hercules.

Lieutenant Paul Youngman, 47, the Marine's education officer greeted me with a grin: "Welcome to the holiday camp from hell."

The camp, which has never come under fire, is the largest British base ever built, including during the Second World War. Scores of giant tents, housing eight to ten men each, are swathed in camouflage netting, with more netting draped across outdoor seating areas to provide shade.

It has its own 25-bed medical tent, cookhouse, gym and a makeshift running track around the perimeter. A NAAFI shop sells such basic goods as sweets, magazines and toiletries along with 'luxury' items such as iPods, Pamela Anderson posters and even a Bose stereo system for more than £1,000. One Marine said: "We have nothing to spend our money on here, so even though the recruits don't earn much, they're all going to end up saving a ton of dough during the six months here.

"We've also been given a £2,240 bonus for being on the front line so most lads are happy, apart from the boredom.

"They try to keep us busy and occupied, but there's a lot of time to kill. Everyone has an excellent suntan."

The site was chosen because of its remote location devoid of Taliban or Al Qaeda fighters and because it is next to an Afghan army base, ominously named Camp Tombstone. The British arrived in force in February, and finished building the base in June.

Troops have to carry their regulation SA80 Mark II semi-automatic rifles at all times but they remain unloaded, with bullets carried separately. And the Marines, more used to fighting on water, are about 450 miles from the nearest ocean.

While the Paras complained of lack of supplies and poor food, the Marines live in relative luxury, with air-conditioning, hot showers, proper flushable toilets, 20 minutes of internet access a day and a free 30-minute phone call home each week. A recreation room boasts a pool table and most offices have large-screen TVs and radios.

The only discomfort is the desert sand which coats everything with a fine layer of white dust and the temperatures, which reach 30C during the day but plunge to near freezing at night.

Lt Youngman said: "I was in the Falklands and Iraq and this is by far the most luxurious accommodation we've ever had. We're getting three excellent meals a day, the lads are in constant contact with their families back home and so far we have been lucky with the fighting, or lack of it. It's important to keep morale up, and morale is good.

"The Paras who had supply problems were in the outposts. We have lads out there now but the supply problems have been solved."

He proudly shows me his quarters - a bed complete with Union flag duvet and mosquito netting (although there are none of the insects here), clean uniforms washed at the base's laundry and even an Afghan rug.

"You could almost forget you're at the front line,' he adds. "The goal is to make things as easy on the lads as possible. We've trying to make this a home away from home, but for some men it's probably better than home. They don't have to worry about anything. Everything, from toilet paper on, is provided for them.

"There is an old saying that war is 99 per cent boredom followed by one per cent sheer terror."

Nowhere, it seems, is that more true than at Camp Bastion.

Young marines, delighted to see a woman, grumble about the queues for dinner and ban on alcohol, but agree that the food, which includes roast beef, curry, turkey breast and choice of roast potatoes, mash or chips together with a full English fry-up breakfast, is as good, if not better, than they enjoy back home.

They are anxious for 'contact' with the enemy. One Marine tells me: "We came here to fight and that's what we want to do."

Each has been issued with three desert-battle uniforms. Many have chosen to buy their own boots but not, they say, because of the quality of military issue ones. Corporal Paul Butler, 29, from Brighton said: "A lot of the lads buy their own because of fashion. We heard stories the boots were no good, but I wear them and they are fine. We're being given too much kit. We're given T-shirts on what seems like a daily basis. We've got all the kit we need."

While the Marines are barred from growing beards, many of the men of 3 Commando Brigade - the overall name of the troops at Camp Bastion from 42 and 45 Marine Commandos, Navy, Army and RAF pilots, Army engineers and bomb disposal squads - sport full facial hair. Lt Youngman explained: "The guys in the outposts grow them to conserve water and because beards are a sign of respect among local Afghan elders. But with a lot of the lads it's just a fashion statement."

The Marines keep up their spirits with banter, often about the Taliban, who they have nicknamed the "Tali-Tubbies'. They are all clearly anxious to 'do their job'.

Lt Youngman said: "The Marines are the best there is. They will do their job and fight like warriors. No one knows what will happen or when the Taliban will attack. It may seem quiet now but all that could change in hours, if not minutes."

There are only a handful of women on the base. I share a tent with one of them, Captain Mags Barron, a 26-year-old bomb disposal expert based in Catterick.

She says: "There aren't many women on the front line, but the guys treat you very well. I share a small shower unit and have to knock to make sure there are no men inside, but the conditions are good.

"The guys tend to walk to the shower with towels around their waist, but they have been known to drop them when a woman is around. I managed to purloin a mattress for my bed and I've even got my favourite skincare products. There are no hardships at Camp Bastion apart from being away from our families, but that's what we signed up for. This base is 100 per cent safe."

Locals are employed for about £3.50 a day to do menial jobs such as cleaning the toilets. One of their co-ordinators told me: "They go through a tough screening process but we have a high turnover. The money doesn't sound much, but it's a fortune to them. By working here they are placing themselves and their families in grave danger. Two of our workers were kidnapped on their way back to their village and beheaded a few weeks ago."

At the field hospital, Surgeon Commander Rob Ross, 44, shows me his two wards and state-of-the-art operating theatre. There are no British war casualties here. One Marine, who we are told we cannot name or photograph, was admitted a few days ago after a vehicle accident, and two Afghan policemen are undergoing rehab treatment for gunshot wounds to the legs. The only patient in intensive care is a young Afghan boy, critically burned after a pot of boiling water fell on him, who was brought in by his father in a wheelbarrow.

Apart from the uniforms, it is easy to forget this is the British front line in one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places on Earth. Men play football and lounge around smoking cigarettes.

Yesterday morning, the Marines busied themselves with a parade celebrating their 342nd anniversary.

And later in the day the Marines resumed restricted patrols at Lashkar Gar. Major John Scott said: "We are still in lockdown and normal patrolling is not taking place.

"However, we had a security patrol go out today with the permission of the commanding officer. We are still avoiding populated areas because of the threat of suicide bombers."

I met RAF Military Police dog handler Sergeant Phil Rodd and his eight-year-old springer spaniel Monty, trained to sniff out explosives. They have been at Camp Bastion for four months as part of a 20-dog team. Both have been under fire 'several times' and Monty found a stash of hand grenades at a compound in northern Helmand.

As Monty rolls over for a pat on the tummy, Sgt Rodd says proudly: "He was cool under fire, it was just another normal day. He's a favourite with the lads and gets spoiled rotten. We've got tinned dog food but he always gets given treats."

But the brutal reality of Camp Bastion is brought into focus when I walk past a simple stone memorial, with a brass plaque and cross made out of spent 30mm shells, which lists the names of 17 servicemen killed in Helmand this year.

Marine Gary Wright's name has yet to be added to the plaque, which sadly has space for many more names.

As Lt Youngman says: "This is the quiet before the storm. If it stays calm, fine. If it doesn't, we are ready."

thedrifter
10-30-06, 07:42 AM
Pool, television and gym all the action for Marines in terror zone
Published: Monday, 30 October, 2006, 12:59 PM Doha Time

LONDON: When the Marines invited The Mail on Sunday to Afghanistan the media expected to find poorly supplied troops under constant fire, fighting the Taliban. The truth is the exact opposite...
It is just after dusk and the searing desert sun has given way to a cooling breeze. About 2,500 Royal Marines have come to the end of another interminably long day at Camp Bastion, the British base in Afghanistan’s notorious Helmand province and are busying themselves eating, taking showers, playing pool, watching television and sending e-mails home.
Many have settled into their comfy air-conditioned tents with a good book, while others work out in the fully-equipped gym.
There is just one thing the crack fighting troops are not doing much of these days - waging war on the Taliban.
For the Marines of the 42 Commando, it is the end of another frustrating day of non-action. As one young soldier said: “It’s like Groundhog Day over here.
“We are the Navy’s crack fighting force and it’s frustrating. We came here to fight but there’s no action. We get up, eat, train, workout, eat some more and try to stay busy. What we really want to be doing is fighting.”
Reporters travelled to Camp Bastion last week to see, first hand, how one of the most controversial, and expensive, British military operations in history is being carried out.
While stories have abounded back home of vicious firefights in Helmand, a known Taliban hotbed, the reality is that since the Marines took over from the Parachute Regiment just over a month ago they have experienced little fighting.
Officially, a spokesman explained that the current inactivity was due to a “lockdown” on patrols that had begun nine days before, after Marine Gary Wright was killed by a suicide bomber in Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital of Helmand, a ramshackle town 18 miles south-east of Camp Bastion.
Daily patrols in Lashkar Gar and in the town of Gereskh have now been suspended “until further notice”.
Lieutenant-Colonel Andy Price, the UK taskforce spokesman, claims military intelligence has revealed a “serious” threat of more suicide bombers, making it “simply too dangerous” for patrols.
He said: “We have suicide bombers walking around Lashkar Gar and Gereskh looking for us. The suicide threat is critical. There is no movement - no soldiers, no Afghan police or Afghan army.
“The defence secretary was at Camp Bastion a couple of days ago and even he wasn’t allowed to go out on patrol. We are not here as invaders to kill the Taliban. We are here to provide security to the Afghan police and army and to aid redevelopment. We are not going to take the fight to the Taliban in the mountains. Why should we? We are comfortable here and our very presence seems to be a deterrent.”
Over in Sangin, the scene of fierce fighting earlier this summer, not a single shot has been fired in anger in 30 days. There has been some small arms fire in the village of Kajaki, but it was described as “non-significant”.
There are 4,500 troops in Helmand, but the last “significant” fighting against the Taliban took place on September 27, when the Marines went into Sangin to extract the remaining Paras.
When a reporter asked an officer to explain why Britain had thousands of troops sitting around at taxpayers’ expense, he said wearily: “You have to understand that we did not come here to wage war against the Taliban. We are here to provide safety to the Afghan people and to allow development and restructuring.
“Our orders are not to go out looking for a fight. We are Marines, not politicians. If you want to know why that is the policy, you will have to ask Tony Blair. We have men all over Helmand and in many cases, their presence alone is enough to ward off attacks.
“None of us know if this period of quiet is because it is poppy-planting season or because we are not visibly out there for them to shoot at us.”
Even the commanding officer of 42 Company, Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Holmes admits the situation is “quiet”. He said: “My men trained long and hard before coming to Afghanistan and they were keen to get out here and get to work. Our priority is to provide security for the Afghan people and to promote restructuring and development. We are here to facilitate the Afghan army and police taking control of their country.
At Camp Bastion, a sprawling eight-square-mile encampment in the middle of the southern Afghan desert, 18 miles from the nearest town, the only sound of gunfire is the crackle of British machine guns training on the range, sometimes drowned out by the roar of a Chinook helicopter taking supplies to men dotted in remote outposts in the north of Helmand.
The camp, which has never come under fire, is the largest British base ever built, including during the World War II. Scores of giant tents, housing eight to 10 men each, are swathed in camouflage netting, with more netting draped across outdoor seating areas to provide shade.
It has its own 25-bed medical tent, cookhouse, gym and a makeshift running track around the perimeter. A NAAFI shop sells such basic goods as sweets, magazines and toiletries along with ‘luxury’ items such as iPods, Pamela Anderson posters and even a Bose stereo system for more than £1,000. One Marine said: “We have nothing to spend our money on here, so even though the recruits don’t earn much, they’re all going to end up saving a ton of dough during the six months here.
“We’ve also been given a £2,240 bonus for being on the front line so most lads are happy, apart from the boredom.
“They try to keep us busy and occupied, but there’s a lot of time to kill. Everyone has an excellent suntan.”
The site was chosen because of its remote location devoid of Taliban or Al Qaeda fighters and because it is next to an Afghan army base, ominously named Camp Tombstone. The British arrived in force in February, and finished building the base in June.
Troops have to carry their regulation SA80 Mark II semi-automatic rifles at all times but they remain unloaded, with bullets carried separately. And the Marines, more used to fighting on water, are about 450 miles from the nearest ocean.
While the Paras complained of lack of supplies and poor food, the Marines live in relative luxury, with air-conditioning, hot showers, proper flushable toilets, 20 minutes of Internet access a day and a free 30-minute phone call home each week.
A recreation room boasts a pool table and most offices have large-screen TVs and radios. – London Evening Standard

Ellie