Blood & guts: At the front with the poor bloody infantry

[Roland99]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1777869.ece

"When we arrived in Sangin, the locals began throwing rocks and anything they could at us; this was not a friendly place," the officer reports. "We pushed into the district centre, and during the last few hundred metres we began receiving mortar fire." By the time they reached the British position, the Canadian convoy had to stay overnight. "We were attacked with small arms RPGs and mortars three times that night. I still can't believe the Brits have spent over a month living there under these conditions."

According to Brigadier Ed Butler, whose 16 Air Assault Brigade spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq, nothing his men experienced there came close to what they have undergone in the past few weeks in Helmand. The Ministry of Defence has been accused of seeking to keep the reality from the British public by excluding journalists and television cameras from the front line. But it has learned that in the 21st century it cannot shut down all flows of information, as a stream of mobile phone videos and emails have made clear.

Soldiers have painted graphic pictures of all-out fighting amid scorpions and sandflies, with ammunition running out, equipment malfunctioning and reinforcements and supplies failing to arrive. One email described a soldier soiling himself with fear; another said there had been attacks by Taliban militiamen on motorbikes who open fire while clutching children in front of themselves.

"You see the Taliban cutting around on dirt bikes, their weapons in one hand, their kids in the other," said an email reported by The Mail on Sunday. "They think we will not shoot them. There have been some terrible accidents. It is horrible to kill a kid, nothing could prepare you for it."

[TomInTib]

1. Good God, this is just awful.

Those poor bastards.

And those French dudes definitely did not sign up for that business.

And I thought my 39 months in SE Asia was Hell.

These guys are just fucked.

[saigon68]

2. One email described a soldier soiling himself with fear

A nice way to say you crapped in your pants

lol

[Darkhawk32]

3. I'm speechless. Alas, the American public doesn't care. n/t

[sarge43]

4. The American public doesn't know

If this were shown every evening on the nightly news programs as it was during Nam, Smirky, Dick and Rummy would be toast by now.

[fedsron2us]

5. Here is a link to the original article and editorial in the British press

A quad bike bounces across battle-ravaged desert, the remains of three dead British soldiers lashed to its back, while a Chinook buzzes overhead.

Exhausted squaddies exchange desultory small-arms fire with an invisible enemy. An infantry unit nervously patrols a burning village.

hese are the images that reveal the gritty, deadly reality of the British engagement in Afghanistan. And they have been released to the world by the angry and beleaguered troops themselves.

The pictures were captured on digital cameras over recent months by infantrymen belonging to the Battlegroup of the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. For the most part, they have been sent back to Britain by e-mail, sidestepping the Government's attempts to keep the true nature of the conflict away from the public gaze.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=407830&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_article_id=407857&in_page_id=1787&in_a_source=

The Daily Mail is a right wing British newspaper which is normally pretty bullish about all things military. If its says its bad then you can be sure it is fucking terrible. The fact British troops actually have to scrounge bread off the Afghan army just goes to show what a fiasco the Bliar government has made of this whole operation. These soldiers are blood sacrifices to satisfy the vanity of politicians who want to be seen doing something on 'the war on terror'. They make me want to puke.

[SenorSanchez]

6. Infantry is not a nice job

I have two cousins in Iraq and they seen some action, but they most of the people are happy they are around. They both told me that they really only encountered serious Anti-American sentiment when they got to Baghdad. Theres a chance I could be sent to Iraq when I graduate from college this year. Afghanistan I have no idea how things are going on there. They can't be all bad though. Coca-Cola opened a bottling plant there. Afghanis might have choice in real jobs besides opium farmer, terrorist or goat herder.

[Roland99]

7. Hope you don't end up in Iraq and hope your cousins come home safe!