The patrol began just like any other from Patrol Base Shaheed (2.5 Km North East of Showal). The Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) were in the lead. They had with them a handful of British soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh to offer support. 

PB Shaheed was set up following Operation MOSHTARAK, which took place just over three weeks ago.

Patrolling in the green zone on this day, 4 March 2010, the soldiers were out to dominate the ground taken during the operation. An hour into the patrol the tranquillity was shattered just after the Afghan Security Forces left a compound where they had been talking to village elders.

Insurgents opened up on the rear of the patrol from a few hundred meters away using neighbouring compounds for cover. The soldiers took cover in an irrigation ditch observing the insurgents' movements and returning fire.

Using the ANA and ANP to suppress the insurgents the British troops moved location to join the ANA and ANP commanders. While the Afghans kept the insurgents pinned down British patrol commander Lieutenant Adam Libby called in surveillance aircraft to monitor the insurgents' movements and give a visible show of force.

Right amount of force

Within minutes a US fast jet was flying in within a few hundred feet of the ground, dropping flares to send out a clear message to the insurgents that the patrol on the ground had some very significant firepower to call on if needed.

The key to this fire-fight was to use just the right amount of force to suppress the insurgents and minimise damage to the area. All around the troops the farmers and their families were tending their crops and going about their day as usual.

With aircraft up in the sky monitoring the situation the patrol headed back to base knowing that the insurgents'  movements were being tracked.

Commenting on the way the soldiers reacted during the fight, Lieutenant Adam Libby from B Company, 1 Royal Welsh said, "My lads reacted well and got on with what they had to do. The Afghans need a bit of direction but they are brave and willing to fight and there enthusiasm goes a long way.

"They did well today, pushing back the insurgents and sending them a pretty clear message that they are welcome here in Shaheed."