English: Members of 9 Squadron Royal Engineers and 23 Engineer Regiment are pictured building a road with the assistance of local Afghans. The road will link to a bridge across the Loy Mandeh Wadi. The bridge will then be rebuilt to enable access for heavy goods vehicles, opening supply routes across the area.

B Company, 2 Scots are providing security with the assistance of Afghan National Army and Afghan Police, on the 9th November 2010.

Date: 09th Nov 2010 Location: Afghanistan Unit: 9 Squadron Royal Engineers, 23 Royal Engineers Photographer: Corporal Mark Webster MOD Crown Copyright 2010

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FAMILIES RETURN AS INSURGENT FIGHTERS ELIMINATED

Families driven out of three Helmand villages by Taleban activity are on their way back home, after a successful operation which began with humble aims, but has now transformed the fortunes of hundreds of Afghan people.

In recent days, families have begun moving back to the settlements of Popalzai, Esserzai and Adamzai, villages or ‘kalays’ which had been all but abandoned because of insurgent activity and intimidation. Assisted by a British-funded tractor to transport themselves and their belongings, more families are returning every day, the shops in the area have re-opened and community spirit is thriving.

Operation OQAB JORAWEL (“Eagle’s Build” in English) began in October with limited and specific objectives: to provide security to allow improvement and expansion work to take place on the construction of Route Trident. Under the operation, this key road linking the cities of Lashkar Gah and Gereshk - Helmand’s political and commercial hubs respectively - would be extended across the Loy Mandeh river.

The road and bridge works are now complete, providing the area with a new, modern highway, not only with a greater reach, but specifically designed to prevent the secretion of roadside bombs.

But determination, flexibility and ingenuity by the British troops and their Afghan partners tasked with this already challenging

• Organization: ARMY
• Object Name: JMOC-CCT-2010-020-022 (1)
• Category: AFG
• Supplemental Categories: Reconstruction & Stabilisation
• Keywords: Afghanistan, 2 Scots, 23 Royal Engineers, 9 Squadron Royal Engineers, Loy Mandeh Wadi, Reconstruction, Road, Building, Army, Operation, Op, Campaign, Herrick, Afganistan, Helmand, Personnel, Identifiable, Soldier, Male, Man
• Country: Afghanistan