The Battle for Bomb Alley

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Duration: 29 minutes

For four years, thousands of British servicemen fought with the Taliban for the district of Sangin - the most violent part of Afghanistan. The fighting cost 106 British lives, including Staff-Sergeant Olaf Schmidt, who won the George Cross there.

Last year, the British withdrew - handing the area over to the US Marines. Ben Anderson, who was with the British forces in 2007, returns to see if the Americans are faring any better. His remarkable film follows Lima Company, a unit of the US Marines, as they dodge improvised bombs and struggle to reclaim the same territory the British previously occupied.

As the war enters its tenth year, with Sangin still far from secure, real questions remain as to what so many British men died there for.

Last on

Tue 8 Feb 2011 02:25 BBC One Wales only

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  • Walking over IEDs in Sangin's 'bomb alley'

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    As the war in Afghanistan enters its 10th year, Panorama reporter Ben Anderson followed US Marines' Lima Company over the Christmas holidays.

    He witnessed a bomb explosion - often called IEDs (improvised explosive device) - just metres away from where he stood.

  • Return to Helmand's 'bomb alley' with the US marines

    Return to Helmand's 'bomb alley' with the US marines

    Ben Anderson patrols with US marines as they painstakingly work to clear mines from the area of Sangin previously held by British forces.

    Read about the US marines tour of duty

  • Return to Helmand's 'bomb alley' with the US marines

    Ben Anderson patrols with US marines as they painstakingly work to clear mines from the area of Sangin previously held by British forces.

    Read about the US marines tour of duty

  • Return to Helmand's 'bomb alley' with the US marines

    Ben Anderson patrols with US marines as they painstakingly work to clear mines from the area of Sangin previously held by British forces.

    Read about the US marines tour of duty

  • The Battle for Bomb Alley - join the debate

    The Battle for Bomb Alley - join the debate

    Read viewers comments on the programme or leave your own on our blog forum

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Credits

Editor-in-chief
Tom Giles
Reporter
Ben Anderson
Producer
Andrew Bell

Broadcasts

See all broadcasts of The Battle for Bomb Alley (6)

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