With temperatures just under 50°C it is hard to sleep, but after two night patrols the previous night, most of Recce platoon and myself had managed to doze off in the early afternoon. Suddenly the platoon commander Captain Hamilton came running into the tent where we hiding from the blazing sunshine and was shouting at us to get up.
"We've got Int (Intelligence), and we're fucking moving NOW!"
Reports had come through that a group of Taliban fighters were meeting close to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) Gumbad that we had been holed up in high in the mountains of Northern Kandahar for over a week. Intelligence reports had stated that an attack was imminent and so for the last several nights Recce platoon had been conducting combat patrols day and night, but had seen neither sight nor sound of their prey. Now they had fresh information and so the Canadians had decided to take the fight to them.
All around me men who had been sleeping soundly seconds before were now throwing on their body armour and helmets (they all sleep in their clothes and boots day and night when in the field) and grabbing their weapons and packs. I grabbed my cameras and chased after them while trying to control my breathing, a trick one of the guys had taught me to counter the effects of the massive adrenaline-dump that I suffered every time I was woken like this. I jumped into one of the vehicles, all the while waiting for the dreaded order to stay behind. It never came.
A frenetic trip followed, and soon we were driving into a village. I could see other troops setting up a cordon around the perimeter of the settlement, but Recce was to conduct the forced entry and capture the suspects. We screeched to a halt outside a walled and gated compound, and following shouted warnings to come out, the gate was kicked in. It all happened so quickly, and before I knew it Capt. Hamilton and his Sergeant had rushed in to the compound. I knew this was my chance, and before anyone could say different I took a deep breath and raced in after them.
Through the gate there was an open courtyard, and at the far end there were several dark doorways and windows. I remember thinking that if there were gunmen in there we were in big trouble, but it was too late to back out now. More soldiers followed us to provide covering fire, but the Captain, Sergeant and a Master Corporal ran alongside one wall, and carried out the search. What followed is a haze of doors being kicked in, shouts of "Small room, door left, clear", rooms being searched, and lots of running. Every time we turned a corner I expected to meet a hail of bullets, but thankfully, not a shot was fired.
Once the compound was declared safe the search moved to adjoining building. Things started to calm down, and a couple of guys had even lit cigarettes, when we suddenly heard gunfire. As the second burst of machinegun fire echoed around the buildings Capt. Hamilton shouted orders to control the situation and suddenly half the men were setting up a defensive position while the other half ran to support whoever was in trouble on the outskirts of the village. As we ran Capt. Hamilton was calling for a "sit-rep" (situation report).
Then the radio-operator stopped running and started laughing.
The attack had been by an angry dog that got off its leash, savage to be sure, but no Taliban. The soldier who had been attacked by the dog had reacted quickly and was told he had done a good job, but he seemed upset to have been forced to shoot the animal. As the tension subsided and men started to relax, another soldier quipped "It must have been Osama's dog."
Within half an hour ten suspected Taliban had been captured. They were then searched, hand-cuffed or "zip-locked", and blindfolded, before being led away. As all of this happened I was moving amongst the soldiers, trying to capture the scene without identifying the detainees. What was amazing was that not once was I shouted at, told to get back, or impeded in any way at all. I guess after 3½ weeks with Recce they had just got used to me being around, and as they were concentrating on doing their job, just left me to do mine. It was the most amazing access imaginable, and produced some of the strongest photographs I have ever taken.
