Infiltration: Operation Flintlock Part II

Friendly elements moving out.

Moving out

Although camera technology seems to evolve every month, the camera cannot truly catch the reality of what our Soldiers see in this war.  The reality is far more dynamic and interesting than I can capture, even with this great gear.

Other elements around us have already moved into their assigned positions.  With each passing minute, our people move into better fighting formations and in mutually supporting ways.  Of course, that doesn’t stop IEDs or hidden enemy machine gunners.  Many enemy sleep out in the fields under trees; this is normal for Afghans in the summer heat, and it also means they can accidentally find themselves in good fighting positions.

Moving out.

In many places, the enemy has the fields strewn with IEDs, which they only arm at night, allowing farmers to work during the day.

The objective of my element was a family compound.  They had come into the compound quietly and without shots or dramas.  We were cleared to move forward and walked single file in the darkness toward the compound.  The night was so dark that it was difficult to walk even with NVGs.  Our point man ‘cleared’ the way with a metal detector, but the enemy has been using low metal content bombs for years.  Many bombs contain no metal.  In reality, he would probably miss the bomb, or maybe the metal detector itself would hit a trip wire.  The triggers often are offset or connected to multiple devices to hit the file.

So dark.  When IEDs strike, the night lights up. There is no way to perfectly mimic the steps of the Soldier in front of you to avoid bombs.  IEDs often strike people far back in the file.  Many veterans of Afghanistan likely will never look at a farmer’s field the same again.

The 155mm cannons fired IR illumination so that we could see with our NVGs.  This time, the parachute seemed to fail and it crashed to the ground still burning.

Trekking into the night: Van Gogh with full spectrum sensor.

We made it to the compound.  The Soldiers who arrived before us had come in so quietly that the children were still sound asleep under a net.  Families in this area often sleep outside because it’s hot in the summer inside their mud buildings.  The father of the house was talking with a Soldier and the interpreter.  All was calm though now some of the children were awake.  Our people don’t like to occupy peoples’ compounds, but the alternatives are far worse.