BRITISH SOLDIERS REST IN HELMAND YESTERDAY
British troops could be killed as a direct result of the strategy to publicise the imminent major Allied offensive in Afghanistan, it was feared last night. The decision has given insurgents time to plant thousands of extra roadside bombs at key locations, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth admitted yesterday.
His comments came as a British soldier was killed in Helmand Valley trying to defuse a roadside bomb in preparation for Operation Moshtarak. The soldier, from 36 Engineer Regiment, died in an explosion in Nad-e-Ali district on Monday. He is the third British serviceman to die in a roadside bomb in the past four days.
MPs questioned the decision to give the Taliban advance notice of the operation, which had left troops forced to ‘clear routes’ for fleeing civilians as well as their own personnel. Military sources believe the Taliban have laid ‘thousands’ of extra IEDs or improvised explosive devices in recent weeks.
It pains me to say it with new casualties piling up, but you heard it here first on Monday. Ainsworth and by implication the Chief of Staff in the Army will play a big part in any British casualties we suffer and if this has not been an operational but a political decision then AINSWORTH'S HEAD MUST ROLL. If it's someone in the Army Command then their HEAD MUST ROLL.
If British lives are being lost needlessly, THE BRITISH PEOPLE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT.
WE SHOULD BE TOLD!
WE SHOULD BE TOLD!
8 comments:
What will we do? The determined will shout and protest (like me) yet the majority will just plod on, heads down thinking 'thank god I've nobody in the army'.
The government know they can walk all over us, they've done it often enough.
Rosie, all we can do is to make as much noise as possible and hope the people pick up on it. I've noticed you are very aware of service issues. Do you have someone close to you serving?
Ainsworth has quickly changed his tune. Last week he said the advance warning was to encourage the Taliban to leave the area. This week it's a humanitarian gesture. The truth is that we just have to follow what the US does in Afghanistan. This area has been controlled by the UK for 7 years and we haven't made one square inch of it safe.
The commander on tv yesterday said that we would 'liberate' the area. Liberate from who ?
All the locals are being forced out. If they return they will find their houses destroyed. And after a few weeks the Taliban will drift back in.
Pointless, It seems so stupid. I thought Helmand was our wee bit. If the Americans are there surely it's just in a logistical support role. The Taliban will just lay some IEDs, bigger off to the caves and then come back when either our strength has diminished or we have gone back to our bases. The whole thing is just a waste of life.
DL. Yes the British are the main force in Helmand but their numbers are too small to secure any ground. Their main role is to protect convoys and do occassional patrols. After 7 years it's not even possible to try and repair a helicopter that breaks down in the field. It has to be destroyed in situ before the Taliban get to it.
This weeks 'Operation Together' involves 13,000 US Marines and 10,000 UK troops and the rest local Afghan police and Army. The marines are from the recent troop surge Obama sent last year (30,000 troops in all )
It's thought that the supply of US troops into Helmand will allow the area to be finally controlled after 7 years of inefectual UK attempts.
I'm hearing 'Vietnam '. And 'one final push'.
DL watched that muppet Bob yakking yesterday "Ready or not here we come". All I thought was you cannot distinguish Talibanfan from civi's, so if we are shipping out civis we are shipping out Talibanfan! Then of course if like Vietnam there are more drugs to ship, and they are heading into druglord territory, the more bodies needed to ship the stuff out.
Brown and his mates better hope that martial law is coming soon, that is all that is going to save them.
Pointless, how much does it cost to destroy a helicopter? Fuck me if that got out Brown and co would be in the shite. It's beginning to look like Vietnam all over again as you say. How can you befriend the locals who look on you as invaders from whom the Taliban fighters are recruited and hidden. The whole thing's a nightmare. That's before you even talk about the drug's angle. Your so tied up looking for IEDs planted by kids because Fuckface in London won't give you proper trucks and helicopters. Fuck me, I don't know how they go oiut on patrol every day.
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