Ripon Soldiers To Deploy To Afghanistan

Next month will see almost 500 soldiers from the 21st Engineer Regiment based in Ripon deploy to Afghanistan after receiving their official orders.

The Ripon soldiers will face a six month deployment in Afghanistan based at Camp Bastian but will be stationed in many areas of Afghanistan including Sangin, Lash Kar Gar and Nad Ali. The soldiers have been expecting to be sent to Afghanistan for a while now but are in the final stages of their preparation and will head off from RAF Brize Norton between March 1st and 10th.

The soldiers from the regiment will be undertaking such tasks as building landing pads for helicopters, constructing protection bases, as well as maintaining things such as the water and power supplies. They will also be needed to maintain roads, vehicles and the living accommodation during their tour. They could be required to support the regular infantry for short periods to provide additional manpower.

We wish them a very safe tour to Afghanistan and hope that they all come home safely in the Autumn.