B*N*S*N4

Afghan children help British Royal Engineers to excavate the site of an old bridge to enable its replacement
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Afghan children help British engineers repair bridge

A Military Operations news article

4 Feb 11

A group of Afghan children have helped British troops repair a collapsed bridge and get the southern Nahr-e Saraj area of Helmand moving again.

Soldiers from 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers (RE) carried out the repairs on the bridge after being alerted to the damage and resulting problems by soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), who regularly patrol the area.

Following an initial assessment of the damage and the work required to make the crossing capable of carrying tractors once again, the necessary materials for the job were transported to nearby Checkpoint Perkha by the Paras.

To do this, they made several journeys by quad bike - the only vehicle capable of getting through the series of narrow tracks running between irrigated fields.

A team of six engineers, led by Lieutenant Keith McDougall, then began the task of building the new bridge....

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