SOLDIERS from the Mercian Regiment have returned home after preparing hundreds of African soldiers for a dangerous mission in war-torn Somalia. The 4 Mercian reserve battalion spent three weeks in Uganda over the Christmas period, drilling almost 1,600 troops at a base near the countrys capital, Kampala. The 25-strong team was taking part in the final stages of a ten-week training programme that has also involved soldiers from other nations. African officers were drilled in military planning, while two infantry battalions were tested on their responses to everything from a shopping centre suicide blast to crowd demonstrations. It is the fifth time in three years that 4 MERCIAN soldiers have gone to Uganda to train troops for UN peacekeeping duties in Africa. Sergeant Alex Perryman joined the Army Reserve in 2002 and has since been on three tours of duty in Afghanistan. He said: They were very willing and eager to learn. Their kit is nowhere near what we have, but they were no rookies. They were battle hardened, having recently completed a two-year long African Nations deployment to South Sudan and the Central African Republic. They were learning slightly different techniques because the demands of Somalia will not be the same as they have just experienced. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Carter, commanding officer of 4 MERCIAN, added: We were testing their ability to provide a proportionate response to a wide range of different threats. These troops were not untrained conscripts. They were operationally experienced soldiers.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 09:43:12 +0000
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