The Sniper Platoon

Irish Guards in Kosovo June 1999

The Irish Guards Battle Group advanced into Kosovo on Saturday 12 June, 1999. We had been given the crucial task of securing Pristina, the capital city. None of us knew what to expect. Although the Serbs had signed an agreement to withdraw and not to hinder the advancing NATO force, it was known that there was dissent in their ranks, and thus a threat that we might face opposition. As we rolled north through the Kacanik Gorge, passing the weary Gurkhas and soldiers of the Parachute Regiment who had secured it at dawn, the lasting impression was one of silence. Aside from our comrades, there was no other life with the exception of stray dogs and donkeys. Either side of the road, as far as the eye could see, houses lay in ruins, charred roof timbers and the absence of life testimony to the savage Serb pogrom.
The thunderstorms that had accompanied us all the way from the border brought on darkness quickly that first evening. It found us strung out over twenty kilometres of the main road to Pristina, the head of our column just short of the city. We had seen Yugoslavian military convoys crossing our path but no resistance had been offered. However tension remained high as we settled for the night. Sporadic gunfire could be heard and there was the ever-present threat of mines. During the early hours a great convoy of Serb tanks roared past us, their silhouettes menacing in the beam of an occasional headlight. Waking at dawn on the second day we found that their thunderous passage had been replaced with a silent stationary column of Italian vehicles, waiting patiently for us to secure the route through Pristina and allow them to proceed to their destination in the West.
Our entry into Pristina was dramatic. The road from the South crests a hill and the city is suddenly and unexpectedly revealed below, a great sweeping panorama. As we swept down the hill into the outskirts we were again struck by the silence. The city was deserted, or appeared to be, though we knew from intelligence reports that there were still over 10,000 people living within its limits. Slowly, as our armoured vehicles fanned-out through the streets, people started to emerge from their hiding places. Joy replaced fear as they realized that the months of terror were at an end. Soon our Warriors were swamped with singing crowds and bedecked with the flowers they threw. Amid the air of carnival though, the threat of Serb retaliation remained. The guardsmen had important tasks to complete and could not afford to be distracted by the crowds for too long.
Once the city had been secured, the Paras were flown forward to assist in keeping the peace. We handed over the eastern half to them and concentrated on keeping the main route through the city clear for the units of other nations to use on their way to the outer extremities of the country.
It was not long before the Albanian Kosovars gave vent to their pent-up anger. Disputes between Albanians and Serbian Kosovars who had remained behind often degenerated into violence and the guardsmen were frequently caught in the crossfire or required to intervene. Often such interventions would be under the noses of the international press corps who swarmed through the city in search of drama. They found it the day that Sergeant Meadows of the Mortar Platoon had to disarm a furious man who was about to throw a grenade at someone with whom he was arguing. Although the pin had been removed, he safely disposed of it, earning himself a place as one of the Daily Star's Men of the Year! "All in a day's work" he said, and he wasn't wrong.
While the attention of the world's media was on the anarchy we were struggling to contain in Pristina, the rest of the Battle Group spread out to take control of the surrounding countryside. In the West this comprises a vast opencast mine which feeds the huge power stations responsible for supplying electricity to most of the Balkans. The area is a Serb stronghold centred on the town of Kosovo Polje. In the East, the terrain is remote and hilly and abuts the Serbian border. It is exclusively Albanian and provides a meagre living from subsistence farming. To the South another Serb area contains one of the holiest shrines of Serb Orthodox Church, the 14th century monastery at Gracinica. The walls of its church are covered in the most exquisite murals of scenes from the scriptures. It is a miracle that it has survived the centuries, especially the devastation of the German occupation in the last World War.
As word that it was safe to return spread like wildfire through the refugee camps in Macedonia and Albania, the exiled Kosovar Albanians started their journey home. This was not the planned repatriation which the UNHCR had anticipated. The consequence has been a sudden influx of people who have found their homes destroyed and their livestock killed or removed to Serbia. Most need shelter of some form and many medical assistance as well. This immediate demand is what the UNHCR sought to avoid because it takes time for the aid agencies to establish themselves and start distributing the basic commodities. While the delivery of bulk supplies to Kosovo was fairly swift, it has taken longer for the non-governmental organizations to organize its distribution. In the interim, the Battle Group has lent a hand. Because we patrolled to the remotest villages as soon as we arrived, we have been able to identify the areas of greatest need and either take aid to them ourselves, or to direct the agencies. Quite apart from keeping the peace, it is this immediate relief of suffering that gives us all the most satisfaction. Knowing that what we do does make a difference sustains us through the more unpleasant times.
The evidence of atrocities is never far away. There are many graves and the survivors' stories are harrowing. In the initial stages we were involved in removing bodies which had lain unburied for some time. These and the grave sites are recorded for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) who are gathering evidence to support the indictment and prosecution of those responsible. It is an unpleasant and difficult task, but one which is necessary if the perpetrators are not to escape justice.
Despite the evidence of these crimes, it would be quite wrong to regard every Serb as a criminal. As in all conflict there are innocent on both sides. It is important to remember that many of the Serbian Kosovars lived in harmony with their Albanian compatriots. Indeed, we have heard stories from Albanians of Serbs going to extraordinary lengths to defend Albanians from the police and army. Those Serbs that remain today live in fear, subject to intimidation by the returning Albanian population. They have no future outside Kosovo. Slobodan Milosovic has passed a law in Serbia which forbids the employment or education of Kosovar Serbs and as a result we have already seen some returns. We have no illusions about how difficult it will be for the two communities to live together again, but we are here to protect both sides while the United Nations attempts to rebuild the political institutions which will make this possible.

Gulf War II Operation Telic, 2003. Iraq

After we crossed the border we didn’t know quite what to expect. The Americans had crossed some days before us and although things had got a bit exciting at Saferon Hill, on the whole they had met only limited resistance. On the first night after a long vehicle move into Iraq we laagered up on the side of a road and awaited further orders. It was a strange feeling knowing that I was now not part of an exercise but really in a hostile country where the enemy could attack at any time and from any direction. It was not a good night's sleep marred further by the fact that early in the morning (about 0300hrs) we got the one and only NBC alert of the war and spent the night trying to sleep in full protective kit.
The next day we moved north on orders and spent the day passing burned-out shells of tanks and armoured personnel carriers that the Americans had seen to. As it grew night we came under our first contact of the campaign. Four Platoon were contacted by dismounted gunmen dressed in civilian attire. After a short contact things calmed down and we got into night-time routine. This was the first indication that this wasn’t going to be the war we had expected as the enemy were adopting different tactics. Were we ever going to get a decent night's sleep? The next two weeks were spent carrying out the tasks of Brigade Reserve. These tasks involved Prisoner of War handling and Site Guards of key locations. Although there were sporadic contacts the majority of the time the problems that we faced were from looters. They would take anything and were very ingenious in their methods of gaining entry to guarded locations.
All the time we were carrying out these tasks, other Battle Groups were meeting resistance in Az Zubayr, a town south-east of Basrah, and Basrah itself. Although at this time we weren’t directly involved we still saw and heard the Artillery and Mortar fire going in each night from our side and on numerous occasions were on the receiving end, though to be fair the incoming was never that accurate but it still made for a sleepless night.
It was while we were at a small airfield to the south-west of Basrah we received orders that we were moving forward to relieve another Battle Group on the outskirts of Basrah. Our tasks here were some of the most demanding of the campaign, performing Vehicle Check Points and intelligence gathering. The worst part was that we were now even closer to the enemy mortar firing points and now we had to factor in the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) and small arms fire that we were taking. We stayed on the outskirts performing these tasks moving forward slowly for about a week, gauging the enemy and trying to pinpoint the enemy firing points. When a firing point was found either the Artillery, Mortars or even the Challenger tanks were brought down to bear onto it very quickly and it was removed but as we were to find out later on there were stockpiles of RPGs and mortar rounds left in the street and normal civilians were being bribed or paid to take up arms against us. The result was always the same, they would suffer the losses.
It was strange that although it was just like being on exercise albeit where the threat was very real, the strangest part was that everywhere we went there were reporters. There were occasions when their zeal for a story perhaps over-rode their responsibility to act sensibly. This could make life very difficult for us. Indeed, this happened to me on the main VCP outside Basrah. We were under orders to restrict access of any male of a fighting age and check vehicles coming and going from the city as they were using the cars as transport for weapons and money. At times you would have up to 2000 people trying to get into the city and after being turned back they would set up camp by the side of the road and wait for the restrictions to be lifted. On the whole they were peaceful and understanding of the situation and were glad to see us there but when the Press turned up things sometimes got a little tense. There were always troublemakers in the crowd but if ignored they would soon get the message that we weren’t going to rise to the bait. With the presence of, and interaction with, the Press they would often become more vociferous and bellicose. All I can say is it’s a good job that the British Army are the world leaders in dealing with situations like these what with all the training we do for places like Kosovo and Northern Ireland.
On orders we moved into Basrah and for about 48 hours it was hard and intense but it soon died down. It was at this time that Number One Company and the Irish Guards suffered its tragic loss of Lance Corporal Ian Malone and Piper Christopher Muzvuru. It really brought home to us that we were truly at war and not on exercise. It knocked everyone sideways but in true “Mick” style we raised our game and got on with the job in hand.
We were now into Basrah and we weren’t leaving until the job was done. After the occupation of the three Battle Groups in Basrah the hostilities started to fade out quickly. We were soon into berets and carrying out the age-old British Army task, winning the hearts and minds of the local population and with no surprise the Irish Guards excelled at this.
We were still having contacts but these were on a small scale and due to the patrolling of the area by dismounted troops and the rapport we were striking up with the locals we were getting better information on where incidents were going to happen so that we could pre-empt them. The locals had had enough of oppression and were starting to help us by passing information to clear out the remnants of the old regime. We protected the banks which were targeted by not only the Fedeyeen but also the local gangsters and even the local people. They soon got the message and very quickly stopped trying to rob the banks because they were guaranteed a Mick patrol on the position within minutes.
The best feeling I personally had was with how Basrah changed during my stay. On arrival there was no electricity, no running water and everyone was off the streets by last light due to a curfew imposed by the old regime. By the time I was leaving, the streets were packed with families going on walks in the evening, the shops had all re-opened, the electricity was back on so all the streets were lit up with fancy lights and people were smiling.
It made it all worth it knowing we had made a difference to the lives of these people and although it wasn’t the war we expected to be fighting when we crossed the border only 4 weeks before, the Irish Guards had again (as they had done so many times before) risen to the challenge and done the Micks, past and present, proud.

Sgt B Taylor 1IG

A Little History of the Regiment

I served with the regiment for 25 years completing my colour service 2004 and finishing at the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 whilst serving at the Urban Operations Complex STANTA.

The Irish Guards were formed on 1st April 1900 by order of HRH Queen Victoria to commemorate the bravery of the Irish people who fought in the Boer war.

The Irish Guards played a major part in both World Wars, winning a total of six Victoria Crosses including the last to be presented in the Second World War and have seen armed conflict in many parts of the world since 1945.

On 21st April 1900, the first recruit, James O'Brien of Limerick, was enlisted and many followed as a free transfer was offered to all Irishmen serving not only in the Guards Brigade but also from the line Regiments.

The Irish Guards are presented with shamrock on every St Patrick's Day (17th March) by a member of the Royal Family. This dates back to 1901 when HRH Princess Alexandra presented the Battalion with it for the first time. Until recent years this duty has been carried out by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother but this honour has now been passed to other members of the Royal family.

The Irish Guards, originally nicknamed "Bob's Own" after Lord Roberts, the First Colonel of the Regiment, are affectionately and widely known as "The Micks". No other Regiment of Foot Guards has such a widely accepted nickname.

My Regiment