Operation Red Dagger
Encyclopedia
Operation Sond Chara was an 18-day-long campaign with its aims and objectives centred around four Taliban strongholds near the town of Nad-e-Ali
Nad Ali
The bazaar of Nad Ali is located on at 794 m altitude. It is in Helmand Province.Operation Enduring Freedom:...

 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

. The operation was named after the commando patch worn by members of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. 1,500 British troops were involved, supported by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n and Afghan forces in the pre-Christmas offensive, commencing on 7 December 2008 with a night attack on Taliban defences in a village south of the operational area.

The offensive was aimed to make safe the area around the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah, after an increase of insurgent attacks in the province, for example, the 300 man Taliban attempt to overrun Lashkar Gah. As well as helping to secure a planned voter registration programme.

The hard fought battles were against well-armed insurgents, who held fast and retaliated with 107mm Rockets but eventually withdrew under a barrage of British mortar, tank, and missile weapons. British Troops were fighting "knee-deep in mud during First World War-style trench battles." Some sections of the Marines involved, fought while advancing over 60 km under fire and in poor conditions. CQB
Close quarters battle
Close quarters combat or close quarters battle is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives...

 fighting was common, and some commanders reported fighting at ranges of 30 metres or less.

By its climax on 25 December 2008, 100 Taliban fighters, one reportedly a senior commander, were killed. By the end of the offensive five British soldiers, including an Australian serving with British forces, had been killed.

After a raid south of Lashkar Gah, £2 million worth of opium was found, alongside IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...

s and other assorted drugs and explosives.

Brigadier Gordon Messenger
Gordon Messenger
Major General Gordon Kenneth Messenger DSO & Bar OBE ADC is a Royal Marines officer who served as British Commander of Task Force Helmand, during the 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick IX from 2008 to 2009...

, commander of Task Force Helmand
Task Force Helmand
Task Force Helmand is the name given to a military unit of the International Security Assistance Force in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Task Force Helmand is currently part of Regional Command Southwest and consists of military forces from countries such as Estonia and the U.K....

, classes the campaign as "very successful".

In respect of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, a two-day ceasefire starting on the 8 December 2008 was upheld.

Recommencing operations on December 11, 42 Commando Royal Marines attacked both from the ground and the air on Nad-e-Ali, securing an area which had been an insurgent stronghold. Commandos backed by the 2nd Battalion The Princesses of Wales's Royal Regiment and the Afghan National Army attacked and captured the town of Shin Kalay
Shin Kalay
Shin Kalay is a village in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is inhabited by a Pashtun population of 11,000 and adheres to Sharia Islamic law. The village has recently accomplished high feats in education...

, west of Lashkar Gah. K Company (Black Knights) fought in the trenches surrounding area force the withdrawal of the insurgents. Whilst Royal Engineers found their efforts to build patrol bases hampered by the poor weather, heavy rain turning the ground into a sea of mud.

Lima Company, 42 Commando saw the most ferocious close quarter fighting during the 360 degree battle for Zarghun Kalay, north west of Lashkar Gah, on the 17th of December. They were supported by Juliet Company during the following days.

By the end of the operation the Marines of Lima Company Group had covered over 60 km on foot in the most arduous conditions. Involved in intense fire fights by day, and ‘yomping’ (walking) by night, the Marines slept rough, eating wherever and whenever they could for 17 days.

Troops involved

The following troops were involved in the operation
  • 42 Commando Royal Marines
    Royal Marines
    The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...


  • C Company 2PWRR
    Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
    "PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...


  • A Squadron and 1 Troop C Sqn QDG
    1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
    1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment, of the line of the British Army...


  • B Company 1 RIFLES
    The Rifles
    The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...


  • United Kingdom Land Forces Command Support Group (UKLF CSG)

  • 29 CDO Regt RA
    29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery
    29 Commando Regiment is the Commando-trained unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery. The regiment is under the operational control of 3 Commando Brigade providing artillery support and gunnery observation.- History :...


  • 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers
    24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers
    24 Commando Engineer Regiment is a unit of the British Army's Royal Engineers which supports 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. It was formed in April 2008...


  • Armoured Support Group Royal Marines

  • Estonian Company (Including Mortar Troop)

  • Danish Troops Jutland Dragoon Regiment
    Jydske Dragonregiment
    Jydske Dragonregiment is the sole pure armoured regiment of the Danish Army.It was formed in 1657. In 1932 it became JDR with the amalgamation of 3. Dragonregiment in Århus and 5. Dragonregiment from Randers. Originally located in Randers, it moved to a new barrack in Holstebro in 1953, where it...


  • (B Coy (Armoured Personnel Carriers)

  • A troop (Leopard tanks
    Leopard 2
    The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...

    , Medical Section)

  • Royal Danish Engineers Regiment

  • Combat Engineers Section

  • Afghan National Security Forces
    Afghan National Army
    The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...


See also

British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001

Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...



Maavägi#Operations
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