3 Para Tour in Photographs – by Corporal Mike Fletcher
As Media Operations Photographer for the Helmand Task Force, Corporal Fletcher travelled through Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment Battle Group from April to September 2006. The resulting photographs are a unique, visual account of the life of the soldiers during this critical phase of operations in Afghanistan.
Taken at close range, the photographs show soldiers working closely with the Afghan people, from informal discussions with village elders to soldiers mentoring the Afghan National Army and chatting with local children. The photographs show construction projects underway as well as behind the scenes shots of soldiers training and at rest.
Based at the British Camp in Lashkar Gah, Fletcher travelled widely with the Battle Group, taking him to the troubled towns of Sangin, Now Zad, and Musa Qala, as well as joining patrols with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams Operations Company. The photographs document these operations from Corporal Fletcher’s exclusive, inside perspective as Resident Photographer.
