Afghanistan: John Reid - bullshitter
Timesonline: John Reid's hope that British troops could patrol southern Afghanistan without firing a single shot have been proved far from the truth, says Michael Evans, The Times Defence Editor, as the first British soldier dies in combat
"When the mission to Helmand was first described, fighting a counter-insurgency operation was not even mentioned. British troops were to go to southern Afghanistan to help stabilise the region, to work with the public and the Afghan police, to run counter-narcotics operations and help defend the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based in Lashgar Gah.
"I remember John Reid, then the Minister of Defence, saying that he hoped that British troops would leave Afghanistan without firing a single shot.
"I don't think anyone was fooled. Helmand is absolutely full of Taleban fighters and supporters, and there was no question that British troops were going to be targeted. Both sides want to dominate the region, and it was inevitable that they were going to clash.
"What's more, it was all the more likely now, as the hot summer begins and the traditional fighting season of the Taleban starts.
"Helmand is a vast and unexplored place. It's not a known quantity. It only has two decent roads, for instance. And although Britain has 3,000 troops there, of those no more than 1,000 will be combat soldiers, the rest will be support staff. There are also outposts of Romanians and Canadians, but it's not a lot of troops at all. There are no armoured vehicles, no tanks. The British are mainly fighting from Land Rovers. Read more
db: I almost fell off my chair - here Michael Evans not only exposes the bullshitter John Reid but also draws attention to the fact that British troops - so loved by Blair and his pack of wolves - are currently in Afghanistan driving the notoriously useless and unprotected Land Rover snatch vehicle. Much like the folks in Iraq. Sooner or later this criminally negligent, penny pinching outrage will become 'news'... one wonders though how many more Brits will need to die first. There were rumors that an order was to be placed for Austrian Pinzgauers - although if in fact an order was placed delivery was not expected until at least Summer 2007! It's interesting to note that the minister for defence procurement is none other than Neo-Labour funder and [of course] Neo-Labour peer [he paid them hansomly] 'Lord' Drayson.
See More Brit soldiers die in Land Rover
"When the mission to Helmand was first described, fighting a counter-insurgency operation was not even mentioned. British troops were to go to southern Afghanistan to help stabilise the region, to work with the public and the Afghan police, to run counter-narcotics operations and help defend the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based in Lashgar Gah.
"I remember John Reid, then the Minister of Defence, saying that he hoped that British troops would leave Afghanistan without firing a single shot.
"I don't think anyone was fooled. Helmand is absolutely full of Taleban fighters and supporters, and there was no question that British troops were going to be targeted. Both sides want to dominate the region, and it was inevitable that they were going to clash.
"What's more, it was all the more likely now, as the hot summer begins and the traditional fighting season of the Taleban starts.
"Helmand is a vast and unexplored place. It's not a known quantity. It only has two decent roads, for instance. And although Britain has 3,000 troops there, of those no more than 1,000 will be combat soldiers, the rest will be support staff. There are also outposts of Romanians and Canadians, but it's not a lot of troops at all. There are no armoured vehicles, no tanks. The British are mainly fighting from Land Rovers. Read more
db: I almost fell off my chair - here Michael Evans not only exposes the bullshitter John Reid but also draws attention to the fact that British troops - so loved by Blair and his pack of wolves - are currently in Afghanistan driving the notoriously useless and unprotected Land Rover snatch vehicle. Much like the folks in Iraq. Sooner or later this criminally negligent, penny pinching outrage will become 'news'... one wonders though how many more Brits will need to die first. There were rumors that an order was to be placed for Austrian Pinzgauers - although if in fact an order was placed delivery was not expected until at least Summer 2007! It's interesting to note that the minister for defence procurement is none other than Neo-Labour funder and [of course] Neo-Labour peer [he paid them hansomly] 'Lord' Drayson.
See More Brit soldiers die in Land Rover
posted by exoplanet at 11:31 PM
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