Middle Eastern Training Village at Stanford Training Area (STANTA), Norfolk: Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh recover a civilian injured by the blast from a suicide bomber

Report: Cliff Caswell
Pictures: Steve Dock

IT was a terrifying snapshot of the life-or-death decisions faced daily by British soldiers patrolling the unpredictable front lines of southern Afghanistan.

The main street of the village in Helmand province had seemed entirely peaceful. The residents were massed in the marketplace, meeting and trading. Youngsters were flying a kite and the elders had gathered to smoke pipes in a stall at the far end of the compound. The air was filled with Pashto chatter and music.

There was a noticeable excitement as the soldiers approached, strung out in an extended line. Enterprising shopkeepers moved to intercept them with bottles of orange juice and water and a hospitable villager appeared with a tray of drinks. In the commotion, nobody seemed to have noticed the man in the long robes who had emerged on the scene and blended in with the rhythm of life.

It was the experience and astuteness of a young soldier that picked out the unusual man in the crowd. As the suicide bomber approached, the peacekeeper opened fire with a warning shot. When this failed to have any effect, the second round was lethal but the attacker managed to detonate his deadly payload.

The explosion was followed by pandemonium. Villagers were sent running for cover and, as the smoke cleared, a stall holder could be seen writhing on the ground, both legs sawn off at the knee and a pool of blood where he had stood. In the confusion the troops moved to carry out their drills to secure the area and evacuate, grimly aware that a further attack could happen at any moment.

Fortunately, it was only an exercise serial on this occasion. Far from the searing heat of Helmand, this authentic village was created in the heart of the English countryside in Norfolk. Populated by real-life Afghan nationals, a contingent of former Gurkhas who play the terrorists and security forces and amputee actors who bring realism to casualty situations, it has been taking training to a new level.

“This is all about realism and complete immersion in the situation,” said Col Richard Westley, commander of the Operational Training and Advisory Group (Optag) which organised the building of the village. “We wanted realism and that is what there is – here you have the 13-foot-high compound walls and the call to prayer from the mosque. We have been relentless in making our serials as lifelike as possible.

“A lot of the stuff we do here is very kinetic because soldiers have to know the skills to get out of trouble when a situation is going wrong. People must be exposed to extremes in training – if they are not they will freeze on operations.”

The Afghan complex, which opened on the Stanta training area in Thetford this year, marks a huge step forward for troops getting to grips with the Op Herrick environment. As well as the centrepiece of a rural village complete with authentic compounds and an urban setting of larger buildings, there are also forward operating bases and areas where troops can rehearse their IED drills.

Previously instructors had to make do and improvise with older Fighting in Built Up Area buildings based on locations in Europe and Northern Ireland which, despite their creativity, were often less-than-convincing. According to Col Westley, giving soldiers an accurate snapshot of what they are likely to face, as well as introducing them to the people they will come across in theatre, is vital.

“We are sending our young men and women on very demanding operations, and we have to make training effective,” he said. “One of the issues is that if you get the cultural piece wrong, you can turn an entire village against you in minutes.”

The emphasis on making sure troops understand the Afghan way of life is well appreciated. Former Kabul resident Fazel Beria, who advises soldiers on how to conduct themselves around Afghan people, believed the British had been gaining trust for the respect they had shown during their patrols in Helmand.

“They take to the cultural side of things well, and the village here in Norfolk helps them take their understanding to a new level,” he said. “Pashto Wali is a code – Islam forms part of it but it also encompasses values of hospitality, protection and revenge.

“We make sure that we make plenty of training opportunities available, including situations when troops will see village elders in shuras – or meetings – so when they arrive in Afghanistan, they will not make mistakes.”

For the troops from 11 Light Brigade who are currently being put through their paces at Stanta in preparation for deployment to Op Herrick later this year, the new facilities are providing an invaluable opportunity.

CSgt Simon Jones (1 R Welsh) admitted that the village had made training more realistic. “I’ve been in Now Zad and Musa Qaleh before and they looked like this,” he said. “It’s really good for the lads to have this opportunity and get to grips with the tight alleyways and high walls they will face.”

Fus Dewi Griffiths (1 R Welsh) agreed. “The villages here look a lot like Afghanistan,” he said. “Our training has been really good, and we’ve had a lot of focus on dealing with IEDs and suicide bombers.”

With authentic situations being tested in a realistic environment, British troops have never been better prepared for the rigours of Op Herrick. Ready to deal with the ambush tactics of Taliban insurgents and armed with a full knowledge of Pashto culture, they already have a battle-winning edge.

But commanders are well aware that the pace of training will not stop. With a long haul expected in Afghanistan, and Optag training being expanded, keeping personnel a step ahead of a ruthless enemy will be the ultimate key to success.