NG Secret Access - Bomb Hunters Afghanistan (2011)
Ever wonder what it takes to fly the President's plane? Or what goes on behind doors at some of the most secretive organizations in the world, like the CIA, the NSA, and the US Secret Service? In SECRET ACCESS, National Geographic shows you, granting you an all-access pass deep inside never-before-seen places. From top secret government organizations to the world’s most elite military units, we'll show you high stakes worlds where disaster waits just around the corner. Journey into a world of secrets, all caught on tape for the very first time. In this episode of SECRET ACCESS, danger, technology and teamwork come together in this program about a group of young soldiers, the US Army's 23rd Engineer Company, operating in harsh environment, 100-degree temperatures, and enemy threats. It's the real “Hurt Locker” the guys whose mission is to detect and destroy roadside bombs in Afghanistan. These Sappers are charged with clearing routes in Arghandab Valley, a traditional Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, and disarming the military's number one threat IEDs. The IED menace is constant. The Taliban hide crude bombs in culverts, doorways, walls, wherever they think Western troops will pass. Sometimes, soldiers clear an area, and insurgents go back and plant another bomb. This is an up close and personal story of individual courage, trust and teamwork as lived by the soldiers who are there. In “Bomb Hunters Afghanistan”, cameras follow the soldiers as they uncover dozens of IEDs during patrols, using robots, interrogation vehicles and intuition. When dealing with the locals it is hard for the Sappers to know whom they can and cannot trust. Their motto is “We get blown up so others don't have to”.
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