UK bomb disposal specialists train Afghan soldiers by UK Forces Afghanistan

UK bomb disposal specialists train Afghan soldiers

written by UK Forces Afghanistan on the 08^th May 2012 at 15:58 - Posted in Military Blog

British Army explosive ordnance disposal trainers watch an Afghan soldier conducting search drills
[Picture: Corporal Paul Morrison, Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]

Members of the UK’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Search Task Force in Helmand are stepping back from their front line role to develop the Afghan National Army’s bomb disposal capability.

British advisors have been deployed to train, mentor and ‘authorise-for-action’ Afghan National Army Explosive Hazard Reduction Teams.

The Afghan National Army soldiers complete an initial four-week course provided by US forces before graduating onto the advanced training given by British specialists. They are put through their paces by an experienced instructor pairing from EOD and Search to ensure they are confident, methodical, professional and aware of current threats. To complete the course soldiers have to pass three assessed tasks either in camp or ‘live’ on patrol before they can be utilised as a team.

British EOD specialists Warrant Officer Class 2 Andrew Willoughby and Lance Corporal ‘Ash’ Ashfield have been in theatre over a month and are getting to grips with their training role and the mindset needed to be effective instructors.

WO2 Willoughby, an Artificer Electronics in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, said:

“The Afghan soldiers we’re instructing are really keen to learn, they are picking the skills up quickly. Sometimes you have to take your ‘British soldier head’ off for a while and look at things from their perspective to ensure you deliver the training they need in the way that they can easily understand.

Continues at: UK bomb disposal specialists train Afghan soldiers