Forward Operating Base Gibraltar
FOB Gibraltar was a British-manned Forward Operating Base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan next to the Helmand River, near the town of Sangin. It was named after the port of Gibraltar, which was the lynchpin of British Naval dominance in the Mediterranean.[1]
FOB Gibraltar | |
|---|---|
| Helmand Province in Afghanistan | |
| Type | Forward Operating Base |
| Site information | |
| Owner | International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) |
| Operator | British Army Royal Marines |
| Site history | |
| Built | 2007 |
| In use | 2007-2009 |
The mission for FOB Gibraltar was to train and support Afghan soldiers and take Taliban pressure off the Sangin area, so that the soldiers and the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) could try to secure the population while improving their quality of life.
Taliban fighters who attacked FOB Gibaltar during the summer of 2008 referred to the base as the 'mouth of hell' or 'devil's place'.[2] Of the 160 men of 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) who manned the base, almost one in three were killed or wounded, a higher casualty rate than that suffered by British soldiers during the Second World War: Five killed in action, 14 seriously injured, and another 30 wounded.[2] The Base was last occupied by C Coy 2 Rifles prior to the closure of the FOB in June 2009. C Coy 2 RIFLES moved to FOB Wishtan near Sangin.
List of companies in FOB Gibraltar
- D Company, 40 Commando, Royal Marines (December 2007 – April 2008)
- C Company, 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (April 2008 – October 2008)
- Temporarily supported by half of B Company, 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during July 2008.[3]
- Z Company, 45 Commando, Royal Marines (October 2008 – April 2009)
- C Company, 2nd Battalion, The Rifles (April – October 2009)
References
Citations
- Yon, Michael (15 September 2008). "Death in the Corn: Part I of III". Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- Townsend, Mark (26 October 2008). "Survivors of the 'mouth of hell' back with tales of a deadly tour of duty". The Observer. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
- Bishop 2009, p. 141.