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Clear – Immediate Action

a. Once you have confirmed you have a threat, you must start clearing the area of
personnel and other threats that would be inside your cordon.
b. You have to clear the area to protect life, not only the member of your patrol but
other patrols in the area and any local nationals that might be in the area. Once
you take over the scene, you are responsible for the people and to some extent, the
property as well.
c. You have to secure the scene, this means conducting 5 and 20’s and searching for
persons or threats in the area. Secondary IEDs are becoming one of the biggest
threats in Afghanistan so ensure you conduct a thorough secondary search in your
area.
d. Preserving evidence of an IED scene, whether post blast or a find will greatly
enhance the ability to improve our TTPs and possibly lead to the capture of the
person that emplaced the item or the entire cell.
e. Photo. RC East. Rocket is set to fire at ISAF PRT. The picture on the screen is an
example of all of these scenarios. If you arrive on this scene and do not clear it
from personnel in the area and someone gets hurt from the device, you will be
blamed by the locals. Improvised devices like this rocket can not be hidden easily
therefore, the insurgences will normally booby trap or place secondary/VOIEDs
in the immediate area to detour people of ISAF from approaching the area. And
lastly, forensic evidence can be pulled from this device, finger prints, DNA, items
left on the scene or the bombers “signature” that can be used to target the cell.
1. Clear – Immediate Action
a. Before you begin to clear the area, make a quick plan. Survey the area, the
number of people or possible threats and make a plan. Take in account of the
number of people in your patrol, maintain security and take note of the area and
previous activity.
b. When you begin to evacuate the area, ensure you move any persons away from
the device, not past it or even close to it. Clear from the device, outward looking
for any indicators along the way.
c. When clearing one thing you will have to take into consideration is that some of
the locals will not want to leave. They are very inquisitive and some simply will
not want to leave their houses or shops because of theft of their properties. This is
where the ANP and ANAS forces can assist you greatly. Use them to support the
outer perimeter and to communicate with the locals. They know them, speak the
language and have more persuasive ways of convincing the locals to move out of
the cordon area.
d. Trigger Man – one main reason to clear an area around an IED incident is to force
the triggerman to depart the area or forgo the attack. By pushing the cordon out,
the trigger man either sees that he may be discovered and leaves (lives to fight
another day) or is pushed out of the transmitter range of his device. While your
team and the ANA/ANP are pushing people out of the area, make sure that they
observe the people in the area to see if anyone is out of place, looks suspicious.
Talk to the locals and enquire about the incident, strangers or suspicious people in
the area. Also watch for traits of the suicide bomber, the device that was located
may be a ploy to lure more people/ISAF into the area for a larger target.
e. As the On Scene Commander (OSC) you will need to set up the Incident Control
Point (ICP). Take note of any previous activity in that area, if there has been IED
incidents there before, the bomber is comfortable with that area, has observed
ISAF TTPs in that area and may have emplaced a secondary in the area. Placing
a device in the CP or where the bomber anticipates the CP will be established can
be devastating. This is where the most traffic will be at and the higher ranking
personnel will be at. Never set up the CP in the same location of area when
dealing with IEDs.

Cordon

Once you have everyone out of the area and have the area secure, you need to ensure
that no one comes inside the danger area by establishing the cordon. The cordon
should:
a. Have Depth; set up and inner and outer cordon. Utilize the ANA/ANP to set up
the outer cordon. Again, they speak the language and know the local people and
could potentially identify the bomber. ISAF will conduct the inner cordon and the
CP area.
b. You will want supporting positions; each passion can provide over watch for the
passion flanking them and should never be out of sight of the possessions that
flank each side of them. At a minimum have two soldiers at each position, never
deploy one man to a position by himself. Instruct all soldiers to stay out of the
line of sight of the threat and if possible take overhead and frontal protection. Re-
enforce the importance of searching their cordon positions before establishing
their post.
c. 360 degree security. The security to not have to fully encompass the area, you
just need to ensure that no traffic, auto or foot can get inside the cordon once it is
set.
d. If you have the manning, send out Satellite Patrols to traverse the cordon
searching for anyone suspicious or exhibiting the traits of the bomber or suicide
attacker.
e. Ensure that the security is facing outward, not watching what is going on inside
the cordon. They are at a safe distance or have sufficient cover to protect them
from the threat their, the security is there to protect the cordon. This usually
occurs once EOD arrives and begins their operations.
Control

You will find that controlling the integrity of the cordon will be your hardest task.
a. The Afghani people are very inquisitive and will migrate to the event instead of
pulling back. Be prepared to protect the inner cordon upon any dramatic event
that occurs inside the cordon. You are responsible for maintaining control of the
cordon/area from the time you arrive to the departure of any follow on agencies
such as EOD, WIT and CEXC. The Incident Commander has final approval of
anyone entering the cordon.
b. OSC – On-scene commander/ Incident Commander
c. A ICP commander is nominated – They then ensure
1. That all people are booked in and out of the ICP. ICP has
control of persons entering and exiting the cordon. No one
allowed inside cordon without permission!!
2. All agencies and visitors are briefed on the latest situation
and actions on.
3. If people arrive at the ICP who are not required (military
Tourists) the ICP commander sends them away to the RV
point.
d. Cordon commander is to control any depth patrols and top cover.
e. Liaison between ISAF and local agencies
f. Protection of all personnel working within cordon
g. Integrity of cordon
h. Hold witnesses for follow-on unit/ agency arrival

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