"Faugh A Ballagh! Ranger Company in action at Sangin"

by David Rowlands

Size 58 x 38 cm

1st Bn The Royal Irish Regiment deployed to Afghanistan from March to October 2008. The Battalion’s primary role was to provide Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLT) to the Afghan National Army (ANA). One full company (Ranger Company) was attached to 2 PARA Battlegroup for the duration of the deployment.

In the searing heat of summer there was intense fighting, and the soldiers of Ranger Company in Sangin were involved in 122 small arms attacks and 110 IED (improvised explosive device) attacks. At least 40 of the enemy fell under their guns; Ranger Company also suffered losses.

The scene is of a fire-fight in the late afternoon of 2nd September. There were regular patrols along the footpath beside the canal which flows through Forward Operating Base (FOB) Jackson, and the leading soldiers with mine detectors would always find several IEDs planted. As the Rangers advanced, Taliban fighters amongst ruined buildings used a command wire to detonate an IED. They then opened fire with small arms and the fire-fight continued across the canal. In the foreground, Corporal Robbie Walker (with radio), looking to his right, and a soldier with an underslung grenade launcher are keeping the patrol’s ‘back door’ closed.

The new ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) was fitted to each SA80A2 rifle before this tour of duty, and a new handguard and a vertical grip were introduced gradually. The 66mm shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket was used in great numbers.