2 YORKS present Eid gifts to Afghan colleagues

Eid is one of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar, and it is traditional to mark the occasion by sharing meals and exchanging gifts. It is also customary for those with the means to pay for an Eid meal to provide for those who cannot.

To mark the occasion, 2 YORKS Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel David Colthup, presented around 60 sheep and goats to his counterpart in 3/205 Brigade of the ANA, General Mohaiyodin, at the ANA camp adjacent to Camp Bastion, Camp Shorabak.

Lt Col Colthup explained:

"There is an Eid tradition that one gives gifts to represent the sheep being slaughtered instead of Abraham's son. There has in turn been a tradition that has developed between British troops and their Afghan counterparts that they present some sheep for Eid and it is something we wanted to continue.

"We provided around 60 sheep and goats across 3rd Brigade ANA for them to distribute around the various Kandaks [battalions] and their Warriors, as Afghan soldiers are known, a couple of days before the start of Eid.

"They were extremely well-received and there was an immediate divvying up of the sheep to the nominated Kandaks. They were then taken off to be tethered ready for the start of Eid and their inevitable end.

"I have to say they were particularly well prepared for eating. Overall I think it is just another fine example of the close relationship that exists between ISAF [International Security Assistance Force], and in particular the British Army, and the ANA."

The sheep and goats were sourced for 2 YORKS by a supplier to their interpreters and were kept in check prior to delivery to the ANA by Corporal Welsh, who was also nominated by the Quartermaster to dress up as a traditional Afghan shepherd to add a touch of theatre to the occasion.

Cpl Welsh said:

"I was looking after them for about three days - I'm not sure how it fell to me, I think I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!

"They were a bit of a morale-booster in the camp I think, people were continually coming up to have a look at them, stroking them and petting them. It made a welcome change really.

"It was the boss's idea to dress up as a shepherd, but it was a bit of fun and anything for a laugh.

"I was a bit concerned about getting them over to the ANA camp, but in the end they seemed to know where to go so it worked out well.

"I was glad we did it though as when I finally got them over to the ANA they were very well-received."

The event was just one of many similar presentations carried out throughout Helmand between the British Army and the ANA, Afghan National Police and the local Afghan population.

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The 2 YORKS Battle Group took over from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters) on 23 September this year and since then have built strong relationships with the men of 3/205 Brigade, which 2 YORKS are mentoring via their six Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs).

The OMLT programme is a NATO-ISAF initiative aimed at improving the capacity of the ANA through deploying small OMLTs to work with Afghan forces.

Mentoring is carried out at all levels, from the infantry companies in the deployed Kandaks, through to the Brigade Headquarters, and in every functional area, from personnel-tracking, casualty-handling, logistics, and intelligence, through to the planning and conduct of operations.

The Combat Support and Combat Service Support OMLTs are based principally in Camp Shorabak. These OMLTs work on a day-to-day basis with their Afghan counterparts, deploying forward where necessary to support artillery gun positions, engineer work or resupply convoys to the infantry Kandaks.