Operation Kajaki Ulya

DATE: 27/08/2023

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: Modern

MAP(S): Takistan Mountains

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Un-official

AUTHOR(S): Doctor for Brothers in Arms

SLOTS: 15 / 15

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RATING: (6)

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In the early hours of the 6th September 2006, Taliban activity was spotted in the form of a checkpoint being set up by armed militants. Corporal Stu Pearson, who was commander of the Normandy outpost, was alerted by Lance Corporal Stewart Hale to the activity, and was informed that Hale could potentially engage the militants with his sniper rifle. However, they had spotted a more suitable vantage point across the dam. As they traversed the landscape towards their vantage point, LCpl Hale stood on and triggered a land mine, suffering an amputation of his lower right leg and serious injuries to his right hand, including the loss of a finger; he initially thought he had been hit by a mortar shell. The remaining paratroopers in the dam began to administer first aid and a tourniquet while calling for support from any surrounding units and a winch from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. This was important, as a Black Hawk has a winch to winch injured up and the downforce of the blades is low, avoiding any danger of triggering more mines in the minefield. As more troopers arrived, Hale was moved onto a small embankment on the side of the riverbed. This is when Pearson went to retrieve a water bottle left at the scene where Hale was being treated, and triggered another explosion. Corporal Mark Wright had requested a Black Hawk helicopter, equipped with a winch to winch the men out of the dam and avoid having to land a helicopter in the minefield, potentially triggering more mines. However, a Black Hawk was not available at the time, so a Chinook helicopter was dispatched. The downdraught of the Chinook's blades caused a third mine to be detonated causing further injuries.

We are 1 Platoon, A Company, 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, stationed in a small Forward Operating Base (FOB) a few kilometers from the on-going incident. We have been ordered by the company commander to conduct a patrol towards the site of the mine blast, in order to engage with and destroy any Taliban forces which may be operating in the area, so as to keep our injured comrades safe. Afghanistan National Army (ANA) and Afghanistan National Police (ANP) forces report tensions in the Area of Operations (AO) are high, but recently Taliban forces have been suspiciously quiet and haven't committed to any significant offensive operations. As such equipment and manpower has been redeployed to higher risk areas within Helmand province, leaving us with only light vehicles and minimal fire and air support.

Despite the heightened tensions, the civilian population is largely onside, and the local ANA recruitment centre is reporting record intake numbers. This is largely due to the signifcant increase in Improvised Explosove Device (IED) and Vehicle-Borne IED (VBIED) attacks in the area, which have led to many civilian casualties. The platoon has been briefed by Intellegence Corps analysts at Camp Bastion that suicide vest and IED attacks are a signifcant threat.