“It was well planned,” said Estonian 1st Lt. Alar Karileet, following an insurgent attack near Patrol Base Masood in late October. “The Taliban were in three positions of four to five men each.”

Taliban insurgents fired on the Estonian patrol of soldiers with Company C, Expeditionary Estonian Task Force, in an open field less than a half mile from the patrol base.

Marine Capt. Ryan Petersen, an artillery officer and Joint Terminal Attack Controller with 2nd Brigade Platoon, 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, sat in the Estonian Combat Operations Center at Masood as the firefight took place, receiving coordinates where enemy fighters were located. Shortly after, one high explosive artillery round landed on the insurgent position.

“The rounds were effective and suppressed the Taliban attack,” said Petersen, of Mishawaka, Ind.

A second firefight broke out less than 10 minutes later from a different enemy position as the Estonian patrol moved to assess the damage caused by the artillery round. Petersen, still in the COC, performed the same actions. A second artillery round, the same kind as before, landed on the second position.

“Artillery we asked for made a direct hit on one position, and no one shot at us from there again,” Karileet said.

There was never a time, in more than two months of combat operations, where Estonian soldiers left the protective wire of Patrol Base Masood or Patrol Base Shamshad, located less than four kilometers away from each other, without the presence of a force multiplier. That force multiplier came in the form of five Marines from 2nd ANGLICO, MEB-Afghanistan.

The team of Marines, led by Petersen, gave the Estonian soldiers the ability to fully integrate themselves into Marine battle spaces in the Helmand River Valley. The Marines provided the liaison capability with nearby 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, as well as the ability to call for indirect fire and aircraft support in the forms of fire missions, over watch and surveillance.

Estonia, which is located along the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe, is one of NATO’s newest and smallest members. Estonian soldiers spent the past couple months working to maintain security in Masood and Shamshad. October’s firefight was the first in the Masood District in many weeks.

“[The Estonians] are good infantrymen,” said Maj. Matthew Maz, platoon commander, 2nd Brigade Platoon, 2nd ANGLICO. “We provide the necessary enablers to allow them to do what they are good at.

DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Aaron Rooks

Due to the increased security and stability in Iraq, the Republic of Estonia has transitioned its forces from Coalition operations to the NATO training mission in Iraq. Multi-National Corps – Iraq held an end of mission ceremony for the forces of Estonia in the Coalition at the Joint Visitor Bureau on Camp Victory Feb. 7.

“The nation of Estonia began its mission in Iraq in June 2003,” said Marine Maj. Gen. Paul Lefebvre, deputy commanding general, MNC-I. “Since that time, they have rotated forces ten times in direct support of Coalition operations.”

Estonia performed many security operations to help provide the people of Iraq a safe and secure environment.

“Since 2003, they have been involved in 350 operations and 2,300 patrols,” Lefebvre said. “This diligence resulted in the discovery of several hundred caches and the confiscation of over 1,000 small arms and rocket propelled grenades, more than three tons of pure explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition.”

The efforts made by the Estonian contingents helped bring peace and democracy to the region of Iraq under their supervision.

“We recognize and honor what you gave Iraq,” said Abdul Qader Mohammad Jassim, Minister of Defense, Republic of Iraq. “What you gave is security. Last elections there were 300 attacks with 150 of those being effective. This election, there were only 11 and of those only two were effective. We will always remember the sacrifices the Estonians made for us.”

Estonia voiced its continued commitment to the Coalition with a visit from the Estonian Minister of Defense, Jaak Aaviksoo.

“International support is of fundamental importance,” Aaviksoo said. “What is equally important is that we continue to cooperate despite that our mission with Multi-National Force is over.”

Estonia will continue maintaining officers in the NATO training mission in Iraq.
Estonia also has forces in southern Afghanistan.

MNF-I