May 2008
7 posts
1 tag
Culture shocks in killing fields as Scots train an... →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey, in Gereshk
SERGEANT Major David Gibb is on a mission normally reserved for special forces.
In a gritty mud compound in the heart of Helmand’s poppy belt, the NCO from West Lothian is leading a handful of British soldiers training Afghanistan’s army. They live side by side with about 40 Afghan soldiers, in a rundown farmhouse, miles from the nearest...
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Soldier killed in Taliban blast →
The Sun
By Jerome Starkey in Helmand and James Clench
AN elite British serviceman has been killed and two others are fighting for life after their convoy hit a roadside bomb.
Royal Marine Dale Gostick, 22, died when the explosion ripped through an armoured personnel carrier as the men returned from a firefight that left up to 15 Taliban dead.
The men — attached to the 2 Para battlegroup —...
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Brits on alert for Taliban assault →
The Sun
By Jerome Starkey in Helmand
THE SAS and Paras are digging in as an army of Taliban fanatics prepares to try retaking a former stronghold.
Taliban leaders held a “council of war” to plan the attack on Musa Qala, which was captured by British troops last year, military insiders reveal.
Hundreds of fighters are swarming in the desert outside the town, ahead of an “imminent” assault.
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'Miracle' or crash RAF helicopter →
The Sun
By Jerome Starkey, in Helmand
A HERO pilot safely crash-landed an RAF Chinook helicopter after a Taliban rocket propelled grenade smashed its tail.
Sources said it was a “miracle” no one was hurt – and praised the crew.
The chopper was carrying British diplomats and Helmand governor Gulab Managal to a meeting with province elders
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Afghan death squads 'acting on foreign orders' →
The Independent
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
Secret Afghan death squads are acting on the orders of foreign spies and killing civilians inside Afghanistan with impunity, a senior UN envoy has claimed. Professor Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on illegal killings, said “foreign intelligence agencies” had used illegal groups of heavily armed Afghans in raids against suspected...
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UK troops 'should do longer Afghan tours' →
The Scotsman
By Jerome Starkey in Kabul
VICTORY over the Taleban in Afghanistan would be achieved more quickly if British troops lengthened their tours of duty, according to the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan.
General Dan McNeill, of the United States army, said longer tours would lead to a swifter victory against the insurgents, which could, in turn, result in a cut in the number of...