The commanding officer of 3 Rifles believes people power is the key to a peaceful future for Afghanistan. Rachel Wearmouth reports.

THE words 3 Rifles have become synonymous with tragedy in recent weeks.

And with the highest death toll of any regiment fighting in Afghanistan, many have questioned why soldiers are risking their lives.

Amid news of another fatality, commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson insisted their work in the Sangin area of Helmand province is yielding results.

He said: “Spring in Sangin has brought an important step forward; we have a new district governor and a new government regime.

“This is significant progress. Unlike some others I have encountered, it is not just about himself, his family and his retainers.

“He has brought with him officials who can start building the inclusive, representative civil structures on which a stable and co-operative community can flourish.”

Lt Col Kitson is relying on 3 Rifles troops to continue work with Afghan soldiers and civilians to root out the insurgency, but said that would take time.

He added: “Despite the cars, the radios, the sporadic electricity supply, we are effectively in the Middle Ages here in Sangin.

“The Afghan army does not yet possess the resources and cutting-edge equipment that we have, so it is no surprise that the Afghan civil side struggles even more than our brave Afghan warriors to keep pace.

“With a population of some 80,000, the people need help; more precisely, they need the influence of effective Afghan governance if they are to step into the modern world.”

He said building a community took time and risk, and added: “We have had to deal with this imbalance with patience, nerve and determination, something which the soldiers of this battle group display day-in, day-out.

“Part of the effort to undermine the Taliban is educating the people to think for themselves.

“Thirty years of conflict have robbed a generation of education. Ignorance and lack of education are the real enemies.”

Lt Col Kitson also recognised the challenges they faced, but said: “We must also remember that Sangin is not Kabul. Nor is it Kandahar, nor even the littleknown provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, the big city 70km down the valley.

“Frankly, it is Hicksville, Afghanistan, as my US colleagues might say.

“Nonetheless, it is a key piece of the jigsaw, which, if not in our hands, would result in the cancer that is the insurgency growing daily.”

He said green shoots were appearing as the Sangin bazaar now contains almost 900 shops – more than double a year ago.

He said, however, that education for children was vital, and added: “This may, in places, be under sufferance from the Taliban, but even they know that they cannot deny the people the modern education they crave.

“And for the insurgency and the few wealthy criminals who sustain it, this will ultimately be their undoing.”

Blast victim was Magpies fanatic

A SOLDIER from Gateshead who died in an explosion while on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan was a “remarkable young man”, his comrades said last night.

Rifleman Mark Turner, 21, from 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was killed on Sunday by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in the Kajaki area of Helmand province.

His death takes the British military death toll since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 to 280.

Rifleman Turner leaves a fiancee Liesha, mother Anne, stepfather Joe, brother Dave and three sisters Lisa, Joanne and Julie.

The devoted Newcastle United fan, nicknamed Turtle, worked as a panel beater before joining the Army four years ago.

During a previous tour of duty in Afghanistan from September 2006 to April 2007, he was injured in a road accident, according to the Ministry of Defence.

His family described him in a statement as a “Mammy’s boy”.

It added: “He was a fanatical supporter of Newcastle United who looked forward to their imminent return to the Premier League, boasting about the fact that he had managed to watch the recent match against Nottingham Forest while out in Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, said: ‘‘Rifleman Mark Turner was a remarkable young man who took in his stride the toughest and most dangerous job available here in Afghanistan.

“Daily he took responsibility for the lives of his friends by putting himself out in front and clearing the ground of the deadly devices left by insurgents with nothing to call on but a metal detector and his own instincts.

“Rifleman Turner was a much loved and respected member of his company and of this battle group.

“His conduct and talents were nothing short of exemplary and he was blessed with a smile and a joke for every occasion. Rifleman Turned died doing a job he loved and for which he had a prolific talent.”