Soldiers from A Company 5th Battalion the Rifles mount a patrol from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oxford, Iraq, 2009

Digital photograph by Corporal Adrian Harlen, Royal Logistic Corps, Operation BROCKDALE, Iraq, 2009.

FOB Oxford, situated near to Basra International Airport, was established on a tiny island surrounded by waterways. As British Army operations in Iraq drew to a close in 2009 a platoon of 5th Battalion The Rifles were tasked with patrolling the area in order to deter attacks on the airport and to disrupt insurgent smuggling routes.