Royal Engineers: Defeating The Taliban Bomb Makers

About this episode

Former Royal Engineer Brad Knight discusses his experiences in counter IED operations during the Afghanistan war.

CONTENT The guest today is former Royal Engineer Brad Knight.  On this episode we discuss his service with the Royal Engineers and his specialised role in counter IED search teams during the war in Afghanistan.  Joining the army at 16 years old, he eventually transitioned from a driver to a lead searcher tasked with detecting IEDs. The conversation highlights the high-stakes nature and extreme psychological pressure of the role.  Brad describes the intense cooperation between searchers and EOD teams noting how the tactics were rooted in British military experiences from Northern Ireland. He shares stories of active combat and narrow escapes, illustrating the sobering reality that a single lapse in concentration could result in death or permanent injury. Finally we discuss the complex legacy of a conflict that remains a defining chapter for the soldiers that served there.  Brad's book choice on Desert Island Dits is "Chaos the truth behind the Manson Murders" by Tom O'Neill and Dan Piepenbring. My choice is Brad's Book "Brimstone - A searchers war hunting the Taliban's silent killers.". WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICES Most of our book…

People in this episode

Guest: Brad Knight

Topics covered

• military service
• counter IED
• Afghanistan war
• psychological pressure
• combat stories
• legacy of conflict

Keywords

• Royal Engineers
• IED detection
• Afghanistan
• combat
• psychological pressure
• military tactics
• Brad Knight

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Engineers

Books & works: Chaos the truth behind the Manson Murders, Brimstone - A searchers war hunting the Taliban's silent killers

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