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internal security operation. Maj. Cobb-Smith served in the Royal Artillery for 18
years and saw operational service in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kosovo and
Afghanistan. He has never personally fired a mortar but travelled extensively “on
training exercises, many of which involved periods of the live firing of artillery
and mortars” for which he was responsible. For 11 years he was engaged in the
training, instruction or operation of the use of indirect fire weapons such as
mortars and currently he is a consultant to many well-known international media
organisations. Much of his work is as an escort for media teams in war zones,
looking after their safety and advising them on potential threats.
10.151.
Both Maj. Dixon and Maj. Cobb-Smith were conversant with the
British Ministry of Defence’s “Infantry Tactical Doctrine Vol.2 – The Tactical
Employment of Infantry Weapons and Systems, Pamphlet No.2 THE MEDIUM
MORTAR – 81MM L16, 2001 and its updates (the Doctrine) and there was a large
measure of agreement between these two witnesses on the guidelines provided
in the Doctrine. Maj. Cobb-Smith said of Maj. Dixon:
“I do not doubt that Maj. Dixon knows his trade; he is a
Mortar Officer; he did the course and he is clearly competent
as a Mortar Officer.”
10.152.
Maj. Cobb-Smith was provided by INDECOM with copies of
Maj. Dixon’s evidence before us and he also visited Tivoli Gardens on 7 February
2016 prior to giving evidence. He explained the working of a mortar system in
this way:
“In simple terms, a mortar system is set up normally well
behind the forward troops in a relatively benign area and in
cover to fire high explosive rounds over the heads of the
troops they are supporting to neutralize or destroy targets in
front of them so that the supporting troops are better able
to do their job... And normally or always there should be a
Mortar Fire Controller forward with the supporting troops...
He would basically be taking his orders from those
supporting troops, he would be planning targets, firing on