Article Posted on : - Mar 08, 2011

An Afghan National Army gun crew firing their Russian-made D-30 artillery gun. Photo: UK MoD.

HELMAND (BNS): The Afghan National Army gunners and British troops will soon conduct a live firing exercise in Hemland.

Members of Colchester-based 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA), who form part of the ISAF Brigade Advisory Group in Helmand, have trained Afghan gunners for the exercise.

The five-month exercise was made possible by co-operation between Afghan, UK, Danish and American forces, according to a UK MoD press release.

The Afghans' have completed the practice session of ‘live firing confirmatory exercise', with the British troops. The Afghan soldiers have used their Russian-made D-30 guns against the 105mm light gun of British gunners and 120mm mortars of Danish troops.

Thirty rounds of each nature were fired onto a single target area between the troops.

The first multinational live firing exercise of its kind in Helmand, it saw troops from Afghanistan, Britain and Denmark fire their respective weapons individually before coming together at the end to fire in unison.