Zabol Bridges

29 August - The soldiers from the Reconstruction Task Force 4 (RTF4) Combat Team Dagger have travelled more than 400 kilometres from their base in Tarin Kowt to Zabol and Ghazni Provinces to rebuild two vital road bridges damaged by the Taliban, and reopen the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar.

ISAF requested that RTF4 complete this important task as no other units in Afghanistan were available to carry out the dual Security and Engineering tasks required for this special operation.

It was expected that the RTF4 would build each bridge in four days, but the Combat Engineers and Assault Pioneers built them in half that time. The soldiers did an excellent job working independently in this highly dangerous area far from their normal area of operations.

The team was assisted by Dutch, Romanian and American forces that operate in the area. Members of the Afghanistan National Army also assisted our forces with security on the sites.

The successful completion of this mission is testament to the courage, skills and tenacity of the soldiers of the RTF4. They have significantly improved the lives of the Afghan population in these areas.

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