The Bomb Squad - First Season

The number one killer of British troops in Afghanistan is IEDs,

improvised explosive devices or home made bombs that the Taliban dig into the ground to target troops.

EXPLOSION

In 2010, IEDs killed or wounded almost 8,500 coalition troops

and an estimated 11,000 Afghans.

In Central Helmand,

the job of finding and destroying all these bombs

comes down to the British Counter IED Task Force, known as Brimstone.

EXPLOSION

For the first time ever, the Ministry of Defence has allowed this work to be filmed.

From the searchers who go looking for IEDs...

..To the bomb disposal operator whose job it is to make them safe.

EXPLOSION

As the Task Force launch their two biggest operations,

bomb disposal operator Rod comes face to face with an unusual device.

There may be more to this than meets the eye.

And with the search team hit,

the end of the tour is a long way away.

There's seven in a team and there's only four of us left.

We've lost three in three months. We've got another three months to go.

There's going to be no-one left.

This is the story of the people who put their lives on the line every day.

The people who walk towards the bomb.

EXPLOSION

A bomb disposal operator is heading out for a six month tour of Afghanistan.

Ladies and gentlemen, all remaining passengers please proceed to the departure lounge.

Rod has 11 years experience in bomb disposal.

He's already toured Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Iraq twice.

But he's never been to Afghanistan.

I think anybody who's not a bit nervous, a bit scared,

especially with the tempo of ops in Afghanistan

and what we actually do, I think they'd be quite strange not to be.

You know, I wouldn't say I was the best operator. I'm a pretty good operator.

But obviously I need to be at the top of my trade for the next six months.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, yes.

Normally, bomb disposal operators work with two truck loads of equipment,

but in Afghanistan that's not always possible.

So for seven weeks, Rod and other volunteers from the Army, Navy and Air Force

have been undergoing a gruelling assessment.

Right, there's definitely an anti-tank mine underneath.

To get to Afghanistan,

they have to prove they can deal with any bomb with just the equipment they can carry.

EXPLOSION

By the end of the day, either I'm happy or my wife's happy.

As in, if I pass,

my wife's definitely not going to be happy but I will be.

If I fail, the vice versa.

Unfortunately, it's the old cliche

if somebody gets married to a soldier, actually gets married to the army, too.

And either they live with it or you get divorced.

And since I'm already divorced

and then I got married again it's about right.

Only about a third of the candidates ever pass the course.

We've been coming down the track here, where that sandy pit area is.

We've seen a blue chemical drum. Normally that's main charges.

The course is difficult and it's difficult for a reason

because the guys on the course go out to do a very difficult job.

I'm going to take a direct route straight to that barrel.

Off the hard standing, I've got what looks like a freshly dug over patch of earth.

'Quite clearly it's dangerous. We all know it's dangerous.

'They're a very clever enemy, adaptable, resourceful.'

We're not fighting fools. They're sophisticated. We don't underestimate them.

I've got two hits.

Finger tipping.

I can't tell you what sort of person. You know, we need people who are clever.

They can think outside the box. And I think the big thing is they work well under pressures.

I've found two single wires leading off in the direction of the barrel.

Under immense pressure. Sometimes under fire, sometimes very tired and fatigued.

And it takes a special kind of person that can take that responsibility

and actually enjoy that responsibility, and thrive on it.

Standby. Firing.

EXPLOSION

But, er, we don't pass somebody because he's a good lad.

We pass them because he's ready to go to Afghanistan.

Otherwise, you know, they may not come back. Woo! Did you pass? Yeah.

Congratulations. Nice. Why am I smiling? I should not be smiling.

Well, it's always nice to know you've passed something.

And when I come down, then it might hit.

Then the reality might hit, but, yeah, at the moment I'm very happy.

For those who've been successful, look after your teams, look after each other.

Enjoy yourselves, go forth, multiply, stay in touch, need anything you know where we are.

We've been together three years

and we actually got married in July of this year.

And so I think I've had a bit of a baptism of fire,

so to speak, in life as an army wife.

We'll have to wait to be a real married couple until I come back.

We haven't really lived together for a long time have we? No.

For any more than 2 days in the last 14 weeks now.

But it does mean, you know, we won't get to...

we won't be shouting at each other for another six to eight months.

As husband and wife.

I'm quite sure we can make up for it. Yeah, I'm sure.

SHE LAUGHS

And it's only six months,

so it's not like it's a lifetime.

In 11 years, Rod has dealt with 5 IEDs.

EXPLOSION

On a six month tour to Afghanistan,

some operators have dismantled and destroyed over 100.

EXPLOSION

The Counter IED Task Force is led by Mark Davis.

Right, well, I'll just plonk myself here, I think.

Welcome to theatre.

I hope that the training that you had was really good

and I hope you're feeling pretty confident about it.

Obviously, you know, we can't get away from the injuries

and the deaths we've had, so please, you know, don't cut the corners.

You're new into theatre, get yourselves bedded in a bit,

and just take care out there.

Rod has just met his team.

They'll spend the next six months living and working together on the frontline.

Have you met the number two yet? The number two is Frazer.

He's the handsome chap at the end of the tent over there.

Handsome in the loosest of sense.

Have you seen his...above his bed?

You get them with the combat medic pouches.

For if somebody's dead. You can put it on 'em.

My little sense of humour.

So we're just going to have to write it on his head.

As long as we can find his head.

Chris Cooper, he's the escort.

He's there for protection. Don't put too much pressure on me.

No pressure whatsoever.

You know, I want to get out on the ground now, to be honest.

What about you guys?

I don't know. I'm just a little bit apprehensive, that's all.

It's not like fear of going out. Just fear of the unknown, really.

That's all that's getting me.

Yeah, I'm the same. Don't worry about it.

The counter IED teams are based throughout Helmand Province.

Rod's team, Brimstone One Nine,

are going to be based in a heavily contested area called Rahim.

The only woman in the team of four, Becci,

is the electronic warfare specialist.

Ah, my army story's a funny one.

I was working in Northampton at Barclaycard head office,

and I used to have to get this bus to work every day.

And it was about a 40 minute drive.

Every time I got on the bus, everyone would be in the same seats.

And after about a few months,

I just thought, I need to get off this bus cos I'm going to be sat here when I'm 45

just on the same bus on my way to work.

It was literally a, "Stop the bus, I'm going to join the army" moment.

The idea was to get to see the world.

Here it is.

SHE LAUGHS

As long as we knit as a team then no matter what happens, we'll get over it.

Obviously, if the worst happens then it might affect the team quite badly

but let's cross that bridge when we get to it.

Which one do you want, Becs? I have no shelves.

THEY LAUGH

Where's my foot spa? Where do I plug my hairdryer in? Second thing is power.

That is a point - there is no electricity.

At the Task Force headquarters in Camp Bastion

future operations are planned.

And surveillance is used to spot the Taliban digging in bombs.

It's estimated they plant over 1,000 IEDs every month.

Sometimes, a precision missile fired from Bastion stops them dead.

EXPLOSION

Near Rahim, there's been a missile strike on someone seen laying an IED.

This afternoon, a command wire was seen to be dug in and a main charge.

Quite well east of here, just North of the Bandi Barq road.

And they got hit by an exactor missile, I think, or extractor missile?

There's bits of Taliban spread liberally all over the area currently.

So if you're a bit squeamish because obviously yourself and yourself

will be coming down the road with me.

How big is the main charge assessed to be? Didn't say.

Very sketchy on information.

We'll do what we do best.

Start with no information and get lots more when we hit the ground.

There's definitely a main charge there and bits of command wire and bits of body, currently.

Whether the bits of body are still there when we get there.

It's a religious thing. They have to bury the whole body.

Whether it's in pieces or not, so it normally gets whisked away.

If he's missing his left toe, he's going to hell. Not quite as bad.

There'll be 40 virgins there. Why would you want 40 virgins?

You want experienced women. Yes, exactly my point.

THEY LAUGH

He probably wants 40 experienced slags from Chatham.

THEY LAUGH

Coops, Coops, Coops...

This is Brimstone One Nine's first job out of Rahim.

They're leaving in the morning.

My mum thinks I'm at Bastion.

It's probably for the best.

Probably would be for the best if I WAS in Bastion.

Perhaps if I tell enough people I'm at Bastion, they might send me back.

The messages might get confused. "Why's Becci not at Bastion?"

"Get her back to Bastion." Yeah.

You worry about yourself enough, I think.

You don't need anyone else worrying about you.

My mum worries every time I get in my car back in the UK

let alone coming out to Afghanistan.

Well, I know that's Rod, this tall lad, but I don't know.

She has told me but I forgot.

SHE LAUGHS

She looks really sort of quite small, doesn't she?

SHE LAUGHS

When she's not, but with all them men, she looks quite small.