Kaare turned and watched the vehicles behind him with pride. This was the first operation in which several Jaeger teams had been deployed in a joint assault force. Previous missions had been stationary observation in the mountains and had involved one team at a time, working in tandem with teams from the Frogman Corps – the Danish Navy Special Forces.
He still vividly remembered the first mission; it had been intoxicating and frightening at the same time. They had been flown in by blacked-out helicopters. He recalled the chill down his spine at the sight of the rest of his team in the reddish cabin light – enough for only their natural night vision abilities. Their faces camouflaged, weapons and equipment at the ready for combat. Everyone had been silent and lost in thought, bracing themselves for what lay ahead. Mental preparation for the unknown was a very personal thing. For some, it was even religious. All had been consumed by thoughts of everything that could go wrong. Would the LZ below be occupied by the Taliban, or by Al-Qaeda fighters who might open fire immediately upon their landing? Could the pilots find the right location in these mountains that all look the same? How hard would it be to negotiate the inhospitable mountainous terrain before dawn broke? Adrenaline had pumped through their veins and reached a crescendo as they left the helicopter. As soon 37as they realised that the LZ was not ‘hot’, the operators started to relax, and professionalism kicked in as the scout confirmed they had landed at the appointed spot. Everyone was in high spirits as they started towards the observation point, at an altitude of three thousand metres. When dawn broke, the scenery revealed itself to be absolutely jaw-dropping. Stunningly beautiful in a way that made the dangers of the operation seem unreal. As though it were just an exercise, and not a matter of life and death. Only after they had received the first reports of fighting and casualties amongst US troops in other sectors of the mountains did reality hit home. This was war. The first proper war that Kaare, or any of his fellow DANSOF operators had been in.
Kaare shook off the thoughts and focused on the terrain ahead. Their mission was a challenging assignment. They were to search for a compound amongst a cluster of buildings in a small mountain village. The coalition had reason to believe the compound was being used as a stop-over for holy warriors passing through the area. This complicated the operation, as fighters could be mixed with farmers, and there would not necessarily be any way of telling one from the other. This was about actively searching for the target and not just passively observing it. The team had trained for house-to-house searches within the compound perfectly, and the drills were now like clockwork; all moving parts were working in sync as if it was an attack. DANSOF rules of engagement demanded that the inhabitants be given the benefit of the doubt, even though this considerably increased the risk. If it did turn out that hostiles were present, the preferred option was to overpower them without a fight.
During the final briefing session, the staff officers emphasised 38the importance of gathering intelligence. Specifically, they requested that the team bring back as much evidence and material from the compound as possible. Intelligence-driven operations like this one were crucial in mapping the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, through studying the details of those detained at the target. Prisoners must be brought back to base and handed over to the Americans, along with any weapons or equipment found at the scene. If prisoners were close to the top of the command structure, the team’s effort might lead to the unravelling of principal insurgency cells.
Kaare once more consulted his satnav and conferred with the Russian map on their position. They were on the border with Kandahar Province east of Lashkar Gah, and the target area lay only a short distance away. He placed a hand on the driver’s arm, signalling for him to slow the vehicle’s speed as, in a low voice, he issued an order through his throat microphone.
‘Standby, standby!’
The assault force had maintained radio silence throughout their journey, and his words meant that radiocommunication was now open. All knew that from here on, the operation would be led via the operators’ individual tactical radios. Kaare was only awaiting a ‘ready’ from the other team leaders. For the umpteenth time, he checked his earpiece. When it all kicked off, he would need to be able to focus only on his weapon handling.