COLCHESTER'S paratroopers have turned an eagle's eye on improving security in a town in southern Afghanistan.
Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, carried out a night-time helicopter raid to disrupt Taliban insurgents in the Musa Qaleh wadi, a dry river valley south of the town.
Operation Oqab Sturga - eagle's eye in the Afghan language Pashtun - saw hundreds of troops fly into the area under the cover of darkness and the protection of Apache helicopter gunships.
Troops from 2 Para also worked with colleagues in 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment and the Afghan National Army to advance through the Upper Gereshk Valley to disrupt insurgents and talk with local elders.
An Army spokesman said the aim to catch the Taliban "on the hop" was achieved.
"They have taken a hammering in the last few years, and they cannot touch us in terms of military capability," he said.
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