FOB Locke (ANA)

Introduction

One of several Forward Operating Bases in the Chora valley, reportedly under Afghan National Army Command.

Volksrant map of Chora FOBs

Caption: Locaties van de forward operating bases Khyber, Qudus, Mashal en Locke én van de White Compound in Chora (in het oord Ali Shirzai).
Source: De Volksrant, 17 January 2009

Chora valley - AIMS map

Source: Chora District, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, AIMS,

Government sources

New Forward Operating Base named in honour of Sergeant Matthew Locke, Op Slipper Images, Department of Defence, 22 April 2008

A newly constructed Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan has been named in honour of Special Air Service (SAS) soldier, Sergeant Matthew Locke, who died in action late last year. Located in the Chora Valley where Sergeant Locke won his Medal for Gallantry in action against Taliban forces in 2006, the base was built by Australian Army Combat Engineers working in partnership with local people.

Australian soldiers of the Reconstruction Task Force who helped build Forward Operating Base (FOB) Locke in Afghanistan . The base has been named in honour of Special Air Service (SAS) soldier, Sergeant Matthew Locke who died in action late last year. The soldiers are pictured during the transfer of command ceremony to Afghan National Army (ANA) control.

Analysis

Diggers of Chora Defying the Danger, Tom Hyland, SMH, 2009-03-01

The convoy to Chora and the scene at the river crossing reveal glimpses of the perils and the complex human terrain confronting the Australians based in Tarin Kowt and a string of nearby smaller bases, such as the one at Chora, called Forward Operating Base Locke. “Base” is a grandiose word for what looks like a wild west fort, with sandbagged gunposts on the walls and an iron gate at the front. The river scene also hints at the dilemmas facing the local people, who cluster in the mud-walled farm compounds and drab little villages strung along what the Australians call the Green Zone, the ribbon of arable irrigated land along the river that flows from Chora down the Baluchi Valley towards Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital.

FOB Locke (ANA)

Introduction

Government sources

Analysis

See also