A new series from The History Podcast, titled The Fort explores one of the most audacious missions carried out by British forces in Afghanistan.
The series begins in January 2007, when Royal Marines undertook a daring and unprecedented manoeuvre: clinging to the side of an Apache attack helicopter to return to a battle zone and recover a fallen comrade.
This moment has since gone down in military history, but this is the first time many of those involved have spoken publicly about the operation.
At the centre of the story is Jugroom Fort, a Taliban command and control base in Helmand Province, positioned on a key route for insurgents travelling from Pakistan.
The fort was used to rearm and train fighters and as a launchpad for attacks against British troops. When Colonel Rob Magowan, commander of the IX Battlegroup, ordered its capture, Zulu Company of the Royal Marines were deployed to occupy the stronghold.
However, the mission quickly escalated into an intense firefight with determined resistance from Taliban fighters.
During the chaos, one soldier was left behind, sparking a desperate and heroic effort to bring him home. The rescue, carried out under extreme conditions, became one of the most extraordinary episodes of the conflict in Afghanistan.
The Fort is told entirely by current and former members of the Armed Forces, giving first-hand accounts of what happened on that day. Their testimony offers an unfiltered insight into the bravery, strategy, and human cost of frontline operations in Helmand Province.
The series is produced by Kev Core and will be released as a complete 10-episode box set, with each episode running for 15 minutes.
All episodes of the series will available on BBC Sounds from 8 September.
