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| Afghanistan |
| Relentless Taliban just keep coming |
| 2008-10-05 |
As their gruelling tour of duty in Afghanistan ends, men of 2 Para tell of relentless battles with an enemy that simply doesn't know when he is outgunned AS the Afghan sun set over the end-of-tour memorial service last Wednesday at British headquarters in Lashkar Gah, 32 names of the dead, aged between 19 and 52, were solemnly read out, including that of the first woman killed, Corporal Sarah Bryant. Almost every other name, it seemed, was from 2 Para. The 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment lost more lives than any other section of 16 Air Assault Brigade -- 11 in total, and five in one week in June -- or one in 10 of the unit. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #5 Carleton-Smith admits that the low point was sustaining so many casualties. It quite commonly is General. It quite commonly is. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-10-05 14:18 |
| #4 A battalion has 110 men? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-10-05 12:32 |
| #3 headline should read - Taliban just keep on getting asses kicked! |
| Posted by: Legolas 2008-10-05 12:31 |
| #2 one in 10 of the unit "They wuz decimated!" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-10-05 11:51 |
| #1 One feels for the reporter, who is forced at the end of the article to admit the key bits: In rate of death and injury in Afghanistan is much better than it was in Northern Ireland; The Taliban, both foreign and domestic, are not actually very good at either fighting or IEDs; The Brits are digging in for a very long stay, regardless of soldierly bitching or reportorial desires; The young Afghans want the advantages brought by the West, and eventually they will be in charge. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-10-05 11:47 |