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“If Mugabe Dies, We Will Field His Corpse As A Candidate For Election” - Wife / Photos: What Some Countries Gives Their Soldiers To Eat On The Battle Field. / Video Of Frightened Black Man Forced Into A Coffin By White Man Sparks Outrage (2) (3) (4)
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by ukemeramat(m): 4:18pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
Henry240: ok.... on the Abuja issue... lets leave it out... but please keep us updated when the next batch comes in... it will be interesting to see our SF kitted with that stuff with full accessories... |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 4:34pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: We know we have a terrible deficiency in equipment, however we cannot compare how a militant group operates to a proper army. Militants throw everything they get into an attack, whether it is a 14.5mm mounted on Pick-up trucks or IED laden goats. The idea is to overwhelm and over-run their target by whatever means, no doctrine. Let us for instance claim the Nigerian military is properly armed, e.g, NATO standard. Each out-post cannot be armed with a 14.5mm shilka or a Tank because the military operates on a Doctrine. -So each squad would be armed appropriately. - Each section would also be armed - Each platoon also armed appropriately. All of these groups would be armed based on the Doctrine with which the Nigerian Army operates. Only the platoon would have the big guns. At squad level, troops would only have access to their rifles, grenades, RPG's and radios with which to call in Air-Support and artillery fire. They may not even have access to APC's at squad levels. Now, this is for a hypothetical armed Nigerian army. Reality on the ground is, the Nigerian army is neither well funded or well armed. Most of these issues probably have nothing to do with corruption. I'm not saying there is no corruption, but we add too much importance to this corruption thing that we fail to see the bigger picture. Bigger Picture : - we tried to purchase arms from Israel, the U.S and South-Africa, but we were consistently blocked. Our plane wasn't also given clearance to fly over Saudi-Arabia. - the U.S stopped buying our oil, hence we have no money. - we do not have a Defence industry to support our military. Yes, we make this and that, here and there, but we actually do not have an Industry. -Tactics is also an issue, All of these things got nothing to do with corruption. I have spoken to many soldiers, including those in the line of battle. Truth is, these issues are not necessarily as simple as we would love to believe. 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 4:45pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: I agree. The OBJ-006 is obsolete. This isn't in doubt. The T-72 and BVP we also got are obsolete, the Army requires a proper MBT, and anything less than (T-99, OPLOT-M, AL-Khalied, T-90) would be a major dis-service. The beryl is simply an up-graded AK-47, and instead of wasting money importing Beryl rifles we could have up-graded those the AK here in Nigeria. The Russians are replacing the AK-74m with the AK-12 ,the AK-103-4 or the A-545. The Ukrainians are planning on going western, they've started to induct the Tavor-21 into frontline service. What Nigeria requires is a Defence review, similar to what South-Africa has done. Anything short of that, we would continue complaining about our military, and no miracle would save us. 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 4:54pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: It would be nice to see our military properly kitted. President Buhari should order a Defence review. This is the military's only salvation. Anything less is simply patch work. Even our SBS we like to brag about, do you think even they are properly equipped? How many times do you see them with a secondary rifle/side arm (shot-gun/9mm), do they carry upto 9 Magazines of ammo, have you ever seen them with a personal role radio, do they carry camel backs, do they have smoke, flash bangs and grenades, do they have proper ballistics eye glasses, any Special forces vehicle, what about proper comms and navigation systems, do they have a breacher, and does he carry the required equipment? They still lack alot. 4 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 5:03pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
@ ukemeramat: these are NA/NA-SF with tavor rifles 1 Like
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 5:26pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
OPERATIONAL & BATTLE-FIELD IMAGES. 1st and 2nd pictures shows nigeria army tracked & wheeled APC's. 3rd picture shows a group of BH members fleeing gombe town . 4th picture is a scene where BH bodies are buried after the battle clash .
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by ukemeramat(m): 5:57pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
Henry240: i understand u very well. your response was concise and without ambiguity. this BH boys are miscreants. they use anti aircraft guns on human beings. the army needs to be tactical and well equipped with adequate fire power. during the niger delta days, u hardly hear of much military or civilian casualties because u re well briefed on your modus operandi before u leave the creeks . but i still think the problem lies with our military high command. our military budget stands at btwn $2-3 billion. we can do alot with that. collect licence to manufacture this arms here with pure local content and put in $500million into DICON and see what will become of our military... Nigerian service chiefs are ranked among the richest in the world aside the Arabs,Asians and Russians |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by ukemeramat(m): 6:02pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
bidexiii: these are few. i have not really seen them in battle with that, only the beryl the SF 72 uses. but the moral of SF-72 is something i admire. those guys are so high in spirit and the army needs to build on that momentum. that guy in the 2nd picture, he is still not well kitted. thats not a regular soldier but a commando for speaking out loud. |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 6:23pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: For the BH high caliber technicals; honestly what we really need is a very good communication system and and 24hrs and powerful airforce which we lack for now, I mean the airforce jets/choppers ! Honestly I pray that the NAF deal on the T129 comes to realty or any attack helicopter/highly maneuvable in its class, that can take out enemy technicals from 100's of meters with laser guided rockets these will send fear into the hearts of BH then the army can come and do the job after knocking out enemy technicals. 1 Like |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 6:27pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: Hahaha u r a funny dude until I post like 10 different pictures ? Before you believe NA SF uses tarvor riffles. I don't know if u ar frequent or being following other threads u should av seeing NA SF with tarvor riffles,@ least like 3to 5 different pictures of it ? 1 Like |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 6:35pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: Boko-Haram members are savages. Nigeria deserves a properly equipped military, however 2-3 billion won't cut it. We need to be spending over 10 billion on our military. One more thing, what is budgeted for, and what is actually released are 2 different things. This is why i'm always cautious about laying everything as a product of corruption. Of our budget for 2014, how much was actually released? Special Report: The Pentagon's doctored ledgers conceal epic waste| Reuters The Pentagon is the only federal agency that has not complied with a law that requires annual audits of all government departments. That means that the $8.5 trillion in taxpayer money doled out by Congress to the Pentagon since 1996, the first year it was supposed to be audited, has never been accounted for. That sum exceeds the value of China's economic output last year. The extremely corrupt U.S military hasn't audited it's account since 1996. Corruption is not a Nigerian problem. 4 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 6:51pm On Jun 10, 2015 |
ukemeramat: He is not well kitted at all, he's not even up to the standard of a regular Soldier, not to talk of Special forces. Nigerian Soldiers do not wear webbing, it is virtually alien to them, and this is supposed to be a basic item an infantry man should have. I'm always left asking, where do they keep their extra Ammo, what about water, knife and grenade. 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by cool318(m): 6:04am On Jun 11, 2015 |
bidexiii:@Bidexii, so they allow these people to be riding on a major street in the name of running away. Where re they running to- to regroup while the airforce watch them. Drama!!!!! |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 7:27am On Jun 11, 2015 |
cool318: Actually d picture was taking by a local who was a insider for the local vigilante group. And these are the work of drone's to hit fleeing or escaping terrorist and also searching for enemy positions terrorist that r in group like d one in the pictures. it is not wise for our alpha jets or hinds to run after an escaping terrorist it can easily work into a trap, only 3rd generational Jets can do these kind of jobs with precision ammunition . |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 7:36am On Jun 11, 2015 |
RANDOM PICTURES 1st pic is a NA land-rover. And I think its my first sighting since these war against BH. 2nd pic, shows nigeria army boarding a C-130 Hercules en route to maiduguri. 3rd pic is NA rolland air (short range) defense missile system. 4th pic shows soldiers pose with MRLS
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 10:33am On Jun 11, 2015 |
NIGERIA NAVY DEEP DIVERS TRAINING
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by ukemeramat(m): 2:46pm On Jun 11, 2015 |
Henry120: I will advice for DICON to be scrapped immediately. its a disgrace that we have them and still waist dollars to import upgraded AK-47 in the name of polish beryl... cant they just upgarde the obsolete OBJ-006 and save us the stress? |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Nobody: 5:04pm On Jun 11, 2015 |
ukemeramat: Nigeria requires proper private sector participation in defence manufacturing. Our Defence industry can only get salvation if private business men setup proper companies here. It is this reason why i'm consistently rooting for Proforce Defence and Mekahog to be successful. Proforce needs to build proper MRAPs, as their current stock of LAPV's don't cut it. Mekahog on the other hand has a proper APC, the jointly developed IKRI MRAP with DCD. 48 units are currently been assembled at Mekahog's Nigerian plant. My problem is, the vehicle is more South-African than it is Nigerian. 1 Like |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 6:27pm On Jun 11, 2015 |
RANDOM PICTURES 1st pic is a soldier loading a shell into a 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30). 2nd pic is a NA 81mm "L16" mortar. 3rd pic is a NORINCO LG4 " 40mm multiple grenade "MGL" launcher. 4th pic is a NORINCO LG3 automatic grenade launcher "AGL" with tripod stand. 1 Like
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 7:54am On Jun 12, 2015 |
COAS VISITS HIS TROOPS IN THE FRONT-LINES. The Chief of Army Staff,Lt. Gen. Kenneth. Minimah, on Thursday paid an operational and morale boosting visit to troops on the front line fighting against Boko Haram terrorists in Borno and Adamawa States. During the visit, he addressed and encouraged the troops of 7 Division Strike Group and 121 Special Force Battalion that comprised the Armed Forces and Nigerian Army Special Forces located in Pulka, 26 Task Force Brigade in Gwoza, 28 Task Force Brigade and 174 Battalion in Mubi. A statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in Pulka, the Commander, 7 DSG, Lt. Col. Umar Abubakar and the Commanding Officer of 121 SF Battalion, Lt. Col. Murtala Abdulsalam, briefed the COAS on their respective commands. It said Minimah commended them for their performances and thereafter addressed the troops, saying he came to thank and commend them for their valour, courage and bravery, “which turned the tide against the Boko Haram terrorists and their accomplishments thus far.” “The COAS informed the troops that the President and indeed the whole nation are proud of them and reiterated his determined effort to continue to support and encourage them and enjoined them to maintain the momentum,” the statement added. Minimah also urged the soldiers to be more dedicated, disciplined, professional and continue with the same zeal and determination till attainment of the set objective of locating and destroying Boko Haram camps and enclaves. Apart from recapturing most Boko Haram-held territories such as Pulka and Gwoza, the troops had also destroyed a number of the terrorists’ camps in Kirawa and Kinene, as well as their workshops, training camps and arms stores, weapons and equipment. They also recovered a T-55 Battle Tank, 2 Armoured Personnel Carriers, various calibres of arms and ammunition from Boko Haram. At the headquarters of 26 Task Force Brigade Gwoza, the COAS was received and briefed by the Brigade Commander, Col. Irenuma Irabor, who was accompanied by Lt. Col. Chidozie Amoha, Garrison Commander of 26 Task Force Brigade. The statement quoted the Brigade Commander as saying that due to the recapture of Gwoza and the presence of the military, life has gradually been returning to normal in the area.
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by Fynline(m): 8:00am On Jun 12, 2015 |
bidexiii: There is an MI 17 in the background |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 8:43am On Jun 12, 2015 |
Fynline: Yeap its one of MI 17 recalled from UN and it as being on sights ever since the BH heat and used for transport for top brass . |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 10:46am On Jun 12, 2015 |
NAF OPERATIONAL PICTURES
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by BlackBaron: 5:10pm On Jun 12, 2015 |
NA loadout has improved greatly but still lacking that tactical functionality. Needs pouches for a total maximum of 8 magazines plus 1 already chambered on their rifles. The worst thing is to run out of ammo in battle. |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 5:52pm On Jun 13, 2015 |
RANDOM PICTURES.
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 6:02pm On Jun 13, 2015 |
BlackBaron: Yeap that's true mate the worst thing that can happen to a soldier is to run out of ammo or ur riffle jams in rare case scenario with the ak's ? But I still pounder on NA tactics why they don't carry enough ammo or why magazines are stalked together (mostly 3 mag's) definitely there will be ammo's in the trenches or near by ? But what in cases where there is no ammo stock's nearby or during cases of last stand how do u survive ? Honestly I think the top brass as to see to these ,see that soldiers carry enough ammo's @ least let's forget about other accessories for now ! |
Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 7:32pm On Jun 14, 2015 |
NA ASSET's
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 8:19am On Jun 15, 2015 |
THE SOUTH AFRICAN @ WAR IN THE "DRC" - the inside story. PAGE 1; A blackout on operations by South African soldiers fighting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left historic battles shrouded in mystery. A routine drill that turned into war On Wednesday August 28 2013, two old Soviet T55 tanks that were parked outside the South African base at Munigi hill overlooking Goma roared into life and trundled up the road into enemy- occupied territory. The South Africans thought nothing of it. For weeks, Congolese soldiers had fired up their T55s to run their engines and reconnoitre rebel movements. That morning, a routine drill turned into war. At 6.15am, the tanks opened fire on M23 positions dug into Triple Towers hill 5km from the base, in an area known as Kibati Heights. Within minutes, a force of 1500 well-trained rebels, armed with mortars, 12-barrel anti-aircraft rocket launchers called Katyushas, a Russian SPG-9 anti-tank weapon mounted on a pick-up truck and assault rifles, returned fire. They overshot the tanks, raining shells on the camp. One landed on the outskirts of Goma, injuring several civilians. “It caught us totally by surprise. Those guys are not very accurate with their weapons,” said Captain David Williams, commander of Alpha Company. A 14.5mm round whizzed through the kitchen while the chef was preparing breakfast. Henceforth, he cooked in battle gear, including helmet. By the end of that morning’s shelling, six South Africans were being treated for shrapnel wounds, some returning to the front within hours. The 850-strong South African contingent of the new Force Intervention Brigade, the first UN army given orders to shoot first and ask questions later, arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between April and June 2013.Most were part of 6 SA Infantry Battalion under the operational command of Lieutenant-Colonel Altin Gysman, and included a recce platoon of 36 men. Joining them was Charlie Company, 144 paratroopers from 44 Parachute Brigade commanded by Major Victor Vrolik, and 1200 Tanzanian infantry and artillery men. Another 900 Malawians were due to arrive later. These combat troops, along with Mamba armoured personnel carriers, 122mm howitzers, 81mm mortars, Oryx transport helicopters and — belatedly — three hi-tech Rooivalk attack helicopters, were just what was needed to bolster the force of Congolese regional commander Major- General Bahuma Ambamba and the charismatic Colonel Mamadou Ndala. The colonel died mysteriously in an ambush months later. The South Africans deployed two companies of 145 men each, commanded by Captain Williams and Captain Carl Fuller, comprising four infantry platoons and recces. Marksmen from a different detachment were seconded to each unit to be deployed as snipers. Fuller’s company was merged with a Tanzanian company to form Task Group Bravo. Williams’s Alpha Company controlled the high ground in the east and Gysman and Bahuma controlled the high ground at Moja Mutaho to the west. The South African combat troops in the DRC were trained in jungle warfare by Colonel William Dixon, who had just returned from battling 7000 Seleka rebels with 200 paratroopers and special forces operatives in the Central African Republic. On August 23, soon after M23 shelled Munigi base, the UN war machine sprang into action to support a Congolese army attack. The Battle of Kibati would last almost three days. Below is picture of Lieutenant-Colonel Altin Gysman and Rifleman Asanda Bisha 1 Like
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 8:26am On Jun 15, 2015 |
PAGE 2; Lieutenant Bubele Zote had a bird’s-eye view of the fight while providing co-ordinates for mortar and artillery fire. Attack helicopters pounding M23 positions were initially ineffective because the rebels had dug themselves in too deeply. “Every night convoys would be seen removing the M23 dead from the battlefield,” said Zote. Next came the ground assaults. This was extreme combat terrain. The Route Nationale 2 runs north from Goma parallel to the Rwandan border through a jumble of rolling hills, steep, densely wooded cones separated by grassy plains and rugged fields of razor-sharp rock spewed out by the majestic Nyiragongo volcano. Opportunities for ambushes, sniper hides, concealed machine-gun and mortar nests, command posts and high-lying trenches for small-arms firing positions were legion. Fuller’s Task Group Alpha made several advances in the next two days, sending snipers and Congolese special forces to within 1km of M23 positions to take out strategic targets,including the anti-tank weapon. Mamadu confirmed that a South African sniper had a major impact on the battle by killing six M23 officers in one day, including a spectacular shot at a distance of 2.125km. This is the sixth-longest confirmed sniper kill in the world. Gysman described the sniper, who did not want to be identified, as “a very proficient shottist”. On Thursday, Fuller had a brush with death. He was directing mortar fire at Triple Towers 2.5km from the south with the Congolese army closing in from the west. “Then the M23 picked up my position.” Shells started raining on the roofs of his Mambas. He ordered his men inside the vehicles while machine gunners on their roofs returned fire. He shouted to Tanzanian Major Khatib Mshindo that they should withdraw. Seconds later, a shell landed between Mshindo’s legs. Fuller yelled for a medic and was mid-sentence when another shell landed between his legs. Luckily, the soft ground absorbed most of the blast, although the vehicles to his left and right were peppered with shrapnel. “It was just not my time,” he said. Mshindo was not so lucky. He was evacuated to the base and died of his wounds. Rifleman Asanda Bisha operated a Mamba machine gun during the fight. “It was scary when the bombs started falling,” he said. He continued to return fire and scan the horizon to select targets with his binoculars. “You get scared of being shot and you have to shoot back. But there are others in the vehicle you have to protect. ”The final push happened on Friday morning with the Ukrainian helicopters “striking like hell and making a success of it this time”, in Gysman’s words. Simultaneous pounding by Tanzanian artillery and South African mortars continued, destroying M23 rations and weapons caches. When “the target was soft”, Fuller and Mamadu were sent to storm the hill. By noon, the Battle of Kibati was over, leaving about 500 M23 rebels dead, bringing to an end democratic South Africa’s most successful military operation. Picture of Lieutenant Bubele Zote
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 8:35am On Jun 15, 2015 |
PAGE 3; Captain Reagan Campher was riding in the lead vehicle of a convoy of three Mambas in hot pursuit of a detachment of M23 rebels when the ambush was sprung. That morning, the South African and Tanzanian soldiers of the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade had been put on high alert after receiving reports that a group of 20 to 30 rebels had slipped past their perimeter patrols and were heading towards their base at Kiwanja, about 80km north of Goma. Campher was a machine gun platoon commander deployed with the technical headquarters of the brigade. In early October, South African and Tanzanian troops were secretly flown over the frontline in Oryx helicopters and Ukrainian Mi-26 helicopters big enough to transport two Mambas. They were dropped at the UN base at Kiwanja, a stone’s throw from the M23’s administrative headquarters at Rutshuru. The troops spent two weeks deploying in strategic positions to block rebel escape routes as the Congolese army closed in on Rutshuru from the north, south and east, forcing the M23 to split its forces along three fronts. Because the area was heavily populated, the peacekeepers were prohibited from using artillery and mortars. They claim as a result that no civilians were killed from their operations. On October 27, rebel units trapped west of the UN cordon were trying to join their comrades retreating towards Bunagana on the Ugandan border. Campher found himself pursuing one of those M23 units. Some of the rebels took off their uniforms and fled into Kiwanja and melted into the civilian population. Others surrendered. But a small group continued east up Govender Hill on the road to Rutshuru. The peacekeepers drove three Mambas in staggered formation 50m apart, each transporting 10 soldiers and a machine gunner perched on the roof. They chose a small house as their next checkpoint. “When we got there, a rebel came out of the house spraying bullets at us with an AK47. We engaged on the left but came under fire from the right too, so I ordered my men to move back 200m,” said Campher. As his Mamba raced back down the road, he saw a Tanzanian soldier behind a bougainvillaea. “As soon as I jumped out I came under fire. My members gave covering fire as I ran,” he said. “He was lying on his face, but I found a weak pulse. I called for a medic, but he couldn’t reach us because of the volume of fire, so I dragged him back to the Mamba myself.” Rajab Ahmed Mlima, a Tanzanian special forces lieutenant, died on his way to hospital. Campher cannot explain why he had risked his life in a bid to save Mlima’s. “The good training kicked in,” he said. In such moments, time slows down. He recalls thinking about his family, “about being home”, as bullets whistled past his head. He can still see the beautiful canopy of purple flowers shading Mlima in his dying moments. Within a week, the Congolese and UN intervention brigade forces had driven the M23 rebels from Rutshuru to their last strongholds, the hills of Tzhanzu and Runyoni near Bunagana on the Ugandan border. On November 3, the rebels shelled Bunaganda from Tzhanzu, killing six civilians. The next day, the UN deployed Rooivalk helicopters. Three Rooivalks had arrived in Goma a week earlier. At 5pm on November 4, two Rooivalks fired dozens of rockets at M23 bunkers on Tzhanzu and Runyoni, destroying an anti-aircraft gun. “It was the first ever deployment of the Rooivalks and it was highly successful,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Altin Gysman, officer commanding the 6 SA Infantry Battalion. “We achieved final destruction of M23 by Rooivalk.” picture of Captain Reagan Campher
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Re: Battle Field Discussion (picture/video) Of African Military . by bidexiii: 8:51am On Jun 15, 2015 |
PAGE 4 They kept their cool as all hell broke loose in jungle battle ! They came out of nowhere, charging down the hill firing wildly, high on banana spirits and wearing war charms they were convinced could turn bullets into water. It was 4am, a heavy mist had descended on the camp, leaving it in pitch darkness. They came in waves from the south, east and north, firing from 300m, then 80m, then 2m, yelling in Swahili that they wanted food and weapons. Four machine guns perched on a hill 200m away kept up a steady stream of fire. On April 30, Mai Mai warriors of General Janvier Karayiri’s Patriotic Alliance for a Free and Sovereign Congo were intent on overrunning the UN base at Nyiabiondo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a small town in the mountainous jungles that rise beyond the fertile plains of Masisi, 70km west of the provincial capital, Goma. And the soldiers of 6 SA Infantry Battalion — whose home base is Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape — were determined to stop them. Captain David Williams was in charge of Alpha Company — 145 men equipped with Mamba armoured personnel carriers, R4 rifles, machine guns, mortars and grenade launchers. They formed part of the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade supporting a force of 200 DRC soldiers camped nearby. Their job was to disarm the Mai Mai rebels operating in these mountains and kill those who resisted. Williams had received intelligence the night before that an attack was planned. His troops were battle-ready and he was not too concerned. “Until then, we believed that wherever the FIB is the Mai Mai will run away,” said Williams. The rebels had fled from engagements in early April, when Karayiri’s men had occupied strategic heights west and north of Nyiabiondo. At that time, the Force Intervention Brigade had sent 35 vehicles to the area from its base 70km away at Sake, near Goma. It had been a 10-hour drive on atrocious roads — and the South Africans had then walked for another eight hours into the mountains, a company of Congolese soldiers carrying their heavy weapons and ammunition. Three Rooivalk attack helicopters were on stand-by at Goma airport, a mere 10-minute flight away. Each time the South Africans advanced and launched a mortar attack, the rebels — armed with machine guns, assault rifles, mortars and 12-barrel anti-aircraft rocket launchers — retreated to the northwest until they reached Mount Sinai. Then the Rooivalks were called in. “Each of them made six turns. The rebels — those who were still alive — withdrew,” said Williams. But Karayiri’s attack on April 30 disproved the theory that the Mai Mai would run at the first whiff of cordite. “All hell broke loose that morning,” said Williams. “Bullets were flying through our tents and sleeping bags.” The attackers were wearing Congolese army uniforms, making it almost impossible to tell friend from foe. “It took great discipline for the men to fire only when they were ordered to do so,” said Williams. He deployed his men and machine guns on the left and right perimeter, ordering them to fire simultaneously when he launched a second flare. By the end of the three-hour battle, nine Congolese soldiers had been killed, several were injured, dozens of Mai Mai of a force of 100 were dead and three South Africans were wounded. One of them, Rifleman Sthabiso Mazibuko, was seriously hurt, but he has made an almost full recovery. Williams made frantic calls for an Oryx helicopter to evacuate the wounded. For one excruciating hour the men waited in suspense. “I was worried about my man bleeding to death. You could hear the Oryx’s rotors overhead, but they couldn’t land until 8am because the mist was too thick,” said Williams. After his wounded troops were evacuated, Williams jumped into a second Oryx, which was carrying forward air controller Major Peet Venter. Venter guided the Rooivalks in their attack on the fleeing Mai Mai, whom they spotted from the air. “We decided not to pursue them into the jungle on foot,” said Williams. “They could have surrounded us easily. It would have been a suicide mission. And we didn’t want to leave the civilians behind unprotected.” Karayiri claimed to be defending the local people against “foreign invaders and their allies”. These “allies” included the FDLR — originally made up of former genocidaires (French for “mass killers”) and Rwandan army units who had fled to the DRC after the 1994 genocide — M23 rebels, who the UN said were trained, sponsored, equipped and sometimes led by Rwandans, and notorious Rwanda-aligned local militiaman Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka. He is accused of ordering mass rapes and beheadings. Most observers believe that both the Patriotic Alliance and its rivals are simply squabbling over control of lucrative diamond, gold and tin mines. Following the defeat of the M23 on November 4, the overall UN military commander, Lieutenant-General Alberto dos Santos Cruz, gave all rebels until December 5 to lay down their arms and surrender or be hunted down and killed. During this period, South African troops were engaged in skirmishes with Mai Mai groups around Kitchanga, west of Rutshuru, the former M23 administrative headquarters. Late in November, 6 SA Infantry’s Alpha and Bravo companies were airlifted to Pinga, where locals were being raped and murdered. “I deployed my platoons and recces to protect the local population,” said Bravo company commander Captain Carl Fuller. “We made it clear to Sheka that we were not going to tolerate these murders and rapes and clashes with other groupings.” The day the FIB force landed in Pinga, Sheka “gave a clear indication” that he wanted to surrender, said Fuller. Within days, he held a “farewell parade” for the UN commanders, surrendering one platoon that included children, a mortar, a rusted mortar shell that “I think came from World War 1”, 15 rounds of ammunition and one pistol. “He was clearly trying to bulls**t us,” said Fuller. That night, Sheka and his men vanished into the mountains. “He didn’t arrive for an appointment the next day. We tried to locate him, but the locals refused to give us any information. We went on vehicle patrols and aerial reconnaissance, but Sheka was nowhere to be seen. He was a ghost.” The South Africans were withdrawn to Goma in January, but Sheka, who commands about 3000 men, attacked Pinga again within a week, prompting the UN to redeploy them. “When the Force Intervention Brigade is not there, the rebels take over,” said Fuller. Nyiabiondo was the last battle fought by 6 SA Infantry Battalion before it returned to Grahamstown on May 28. It was replaced by 5 SA Infantry Battalion, based in Ladysmith. The relieving force is supporting Congolese troops in driving the remaining Mai Mai rebels into a cordon in the mountains north of Masisi and preparing for a final ground and air assault. Below is picture of Captain David Williams and Captain Carl Fuller.
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