Huge bomb making stash found

From MoD:

Afghan forces find biggest ever haul of bomb-making chemical

A Military Operations news article

22 Aug 11

Afghan forces, supported by British troops, have uncovered more than four tonnes of illegal fertiliser, which is used by insurgents to make homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Afghan soldiers with the bags of fertiliser found in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Hidden in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province, the find of ammonium nitrate, an important bomb-making substance, is the biggest made in the UK's area of operations since 2006.

Acting on intelligence from the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS), soldiers from BOST 170, an elite arm of the NDS who focus on counter-terrorism, planned an operation out to an area called Khosh Kowa, around 20km east of the city of Lashkar Gah.

In total, sixty troops from BOST 170, partnered with Task Force Helmand's Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF), were airlifted in two Chinook helicopters to where the intelligence had suggested the cache was hidden....

Read the rest here.

Army vet runs clinics for Afghan farmers

A Military Operations news article

23 May 11

A British Army vet has begun a six-month tour of Afghanistan where she is travelling all around Helmand province running veterinary clinics for Afghan farmers.

Army vet Captain Laura Holmes provides health checks for animals in Helmand province
[Picture: Sergeant Russ Nolan RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Captain Laura Holmes, aged 29, is a member of the Veterinary Engagement Team, based in Lashkar Gah. Describing her work in Helmand, she said:

"Local farmers bring in their sheep, goats and cattle for a health check. We give the animals some medicine, and deal with any ailments they might have. Each farmer has a few animals which he uses to feed his family, so their animals are fundamental to their lives.

"We get to interact with the farmers too," she added. "Whether we're talking about animals or football teams, we can have some face-time with them."

Captain Holmes also runs classes for the farmers, showing them how to look after their animals themselves:

"I teach them a bit of veterinary medicine and modern animal husbandry," she said. "It's absolutely fantastic to see the difference that it makes to their lives."...

Much more here.