Warrant Officer Class 2 Nick Wright, 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, on top of one of the Russian-built 4-tonne trucks that got stuck in the flooded Musa Qal'ah wadi
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
The British soldiers were on a routine patrol when the incident occurred. One of the soldiers, Warrant Officer Class 2 Nick Wright from 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who is attached to the HCR in Musa Qal'ah, explained what happened:
"The infamous Afghan winter did not seem to materialise this year in many parts of Helmand. The wadis in Musa Qal'ah have been mostly dry and passable until this week when the storms to the north and the heavy rainfall began to flood the area.
"Overnight the Musa Qal'ah wadi flooded and became impassable. Water levels rose to two metres with water flowing rapidly. In spite of the odds, the locals decided to try to cross the wadi as they had always done.
"Unfortunately, they underestimated the power of Mother Nature and their Russian built 4-tonne trucks - one carrying 20 locals and the other laden with rice - soon became stuck in the middle of the wadi as they tried to cross from the western side towards the district centre."
The British troops on patrol nearby radioed for assistance and no sooner had the call been made than the HCR crashed out the Quick Response Force to recover the vehicles and assist in the rescue of the stricken locals.
A cordon was set up in order to keep agitated locals from the scene while the troops assessed the best form of recovery.
It was soon established that crossing through the water would be impossible. This was confirmed when WO2 Wright was swept into the fast-running water:
"I went to investigate, but the power of the water was immense," he said. "My feet were swept out from underneath me and I was swept into the muddy water. Thankfully I managed to swim to the vehicles and grab on top of the truck's cabin.
"The guys from the HCR worked hard with locals to set up a crane to rescue the people from their vehicles.
"Men, women and children were ferried to safety and, ever mindful of local and religious protocol, local national women were helped by Afghan men while I stood in the shallower water to assist. After everyone was moved to safety our efforts switched to the vehicles.
"It was hard-going but it was so rewarding to know that we helped save those locals with what must have been a terrifying situation for them. Especially since not many of them could swim."
The crowd that gathered to watch the recovery was testament to the effect that this goodwill act had. The local nationals were evidently delighted. Subsequent reporting indicated that the good news spread like wild fire with village elders in the north of the area praising the International Security Assistance Force.