2023-08-25 10:32:00
Yes, the Hutois cast a rather curious look at these soldiers lying on the sidewalk, their weapons pointed down the rue Neuve. But the cars were passing by, without stress… while several military zodiacs sailed on the Meuse, near the Huy1 polytechnic school.
This Friday morning, a few steps from the Baudouin bridge, however, a major military exercise was underway, with the support of the Huy police zone, without the population being warned so that “life continues normally”. The acting mayor Éric Dosogne had also been alerted. At the manoeuvre, the 2nd battalion of Flawinne commandos under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Charles Defawes. Target ? The school boat of the CEFA batellerie of the polytechnic school of Huy, the very one which, since 1981, allows students to learn their trade. Except that there, he was taken by assault by soldiers armed to the teeth. A life-size exercise, a real-life situation so that the commandos develop the right gestures.
“The exercise has been declined since Tuesday”, explained Colonel Defawes, responsible for ensuring the smooth running of operations subject to a carefully prepared scenario. Tuesday evening, a team of snipers was dropped by parachute over a field in Limont. There, the soldiers were recovered from the drop zone and brought to the polytechnic school of Huy where, since then, they watched the school boat where five thugs had been spotted. “Our objective was to observe the boat and then evacuate the target by road to the Amay barracks.” A helicopter should have taken off from Beauvechain with, on board, soldiers who should have abseiled to the boat of the polytechnic school. The bad weather this Friday morning did not allow it… “We had planned a plan B: bring elements by road and by sea “, comments the commander of the battalion. An exercise in a civilian environment requires that we act with the natural elements which have a direct impact on its proper functioning.
So the military went to plan B. “They took action at 8:45 a.m.”, explained the divisional commissioner Jean-Marie Dradin, head of the body of the Huy police zone who also ensured the proper functioning of the exercise. Seventy soldiers were thus mobilized for the exercise. On the Compiègne quay, on the boat, at various crossroads in town, on the Meuse in the zodiacs, but also at the Amay barracks while the command center monitored operations from Flawinne. “We had to simulate the recovery of the key person and then search the boat to find the necessary elements”, adds Commander Defawes. A dog also took part in the exercise, “He’s an explosives search dog, not an attack dog.” A simulated casualty was even evacuated by boat to Amay.
The operation did not last more than 30 minutes. Once the search was completed, the soldiers packed up. “They can’t hang around because enemy forces might come in. They have to get out of here quickly.” Conclusive exercise? “It went well. As an observer, I was there to find action points to improve. We have to gain speed.” 45 minutes following the start of the exercise, no more soldiers were in sight on the bank of Huy…
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