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A deadly route through a “bomb alley” in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of two British soldiers has been rebuilt by a team led by a woman soldier from Wimbledon.
Lieutenant Helen Ladd, 25, commanded a squadron of engineers rebuilding five miles of the Babaji Road while under rifle fire and rocket attack from the Taliban.
The key route in Helmand was so dangerous that British bases had to be re-supplied by helicopters and airdrops from Hercules planes. Soldiers in the Coldstream Guards had to fight insurgents as they collected supplies.
Two British soldiers were killed and 17 injured last year when their vehicles were hit by improvised explosive devices on the road. It was the only link between three patrol bases built after the Taliban were driven from the area last summer in Operation Panther's Claw.
But since the new road, called Route Trident, was completed last week, a road journey of 36 hours has been cut to 30 minutes. Shops and markets have sprung up along the route and a doctor's surgery and school are being built.
Lieutenant Colonel Toby Grey, commanding officer of the Ist Battalion, Coldstream Guards, said: “Where once there was an IED-infested dirt track there is now a line of communication which will stimulate trade and save lives.”
Lt Ladd, a former pupil of Ricards Lodge High School in Wimbledon, joined the Army in 2007 and is on her first tour of Afghanistan. She commands 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron, part of an engineers' regiment responsible for all military construction in Helmand.
She said: “Back in the UK there is endless paperwork to complete and I can sometimes feel slightly removed from the physical tasks. Out here it's more hands on. There are more opportunities to get stuck into everything the troop is doing. The Afghans want to lead a normal life free from intimidation and I am pleased to be playing my part in delivering that.”
Route Trident was built in three months using Neoweb, a plastic honeycomb that is filled with gravel to create a solid underlay for the road surface.
This cuts the cost of reconstruction by two thirds and also makes it more difficult for the Taliban to plant IEDs. “Countless” devices were cleared as the road was laid. The road opened last week unhindered by bombs or ambushes. Lt Ladd was responsible for overseeing a workforce of 70 locals.
After completing a patrol base in Babaji, she was showered with flowers and gifts at a dinner organised by the Afghan National Army. “They have been very welcoming towards me and really appreciate the work we are doing to improve their lives and their living conditions,” she said.
However Lt Ladd admits that “thoughts of returning home are never far away” and plans to treat herself to a new Mini Cooper when her tour ends.
