During Operation Snipe, personnel from the British 45th Commando Group cleared a remote area of the Afghan mountains.
Over 1,000 British personnel were part of the operation.
Their goal was to search, clear and, destroy Taliban hideouts in the mountains.
During the operation, they discovered a massive cave network and a huge arms cache.
The caves were about 100 to 150 feet deep and were 6 to 9 feet high. They had been created years prior by Taliban fighters.
The entrances were sealed shut with metal doors and guarded by local warlords.
Inside the caves was about 20 truckloads of weapons and munitions including 30,000 to 40,000 rockets, mortars, and projectiles.
Most of the weapons and ammo were Chinese or Russian-made.
According to British soldiers, “There were enough munitions here to keep a small army going for several months.”
In a blast seen for miles, the British forces set off demolition charges to destroy the caves.
They used about 200 pounds of explosives, along with anti-tank mines.
A British engineer said it was the biggest controlled explosion by British sappers since World War 2.
The ordnance inside the caves continued to explode for hours after it started.
“There’s no way they’ll be able to go in there and use those caves now,” said British Sgt. Iain Murison.
If it had not been for these soldiers, who knows how much death and destruction could have been carried out.
But there’s a lesson to be gleaned here…
Some of the tactics used by the enemy insurgents could prove useful in a survival situation (used for good and not evil).
Supply caches:
Humans cannot survive more than three or four days without water.
And you cannot fight off enemies without food and ammunition.
U.S. forces regularly discovered strategically located insurgent caches.
The insurgents were very good at never putting all their eggs in one basket.
And when you are devising your bug-out plan make sure you consider these factors.
If you are planning on bugging out to a remote cabin make sure that you have supply stops along the way.
For instance, if your bug out location is 4 hours away, you need to have enough gas to get there. Or store gas in places along the way.
Forts will fall:
In an emergency or survival situation, most folks plan to stay home and protect their family.
But you should always have a plan if you must abandon your home.
Insurgents know that their forts or caves won’t stop modern militaries for too long.
So, they plan how and when to move away quickly from their locations.
And the reality is, you should plan for any defensive location to fall.
This is why it is so critical to have a bug-out plan in place.
Make sure that you have an evacuation plan of how to get out of your town or city.
You want to be able to move fast and light.
Be prepared to take your bug-out bag and a few other pieces of gear.
Spider holes:
You may recall that Saddam Hussein was captured when he was found hiding in a spider hole.
Spider holes are can be used to hide or surprise attack approaching enemies.
As we have seen with caves and spider holes, insurgents dig into the earth with nothing more than a pickaxe.
While you hopefully never need to live in a hole, these types of tactics can help defend your home.
If you live on a large piece of property, or even bug out to a remote location, a spider hole can be a worthwhile tactical addition.
During a survival situation, you can rotate taking turns from the spider hole.
This way you can alert your family to approaching threats in extreme survival situations.
Plus, spider holes are a great way to hide or your supplies. Don’t forget to mark the location of the hole so you know exactly how to find it.
There is nothing to like about the insurgents in Afghanistan. They are ruthless and evil enemies.
Yet, the same tactics that caused headaches for the best militaries in the world can help beef up your survival plans.
