Realities of Conflict

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Troops in Afghanistan: 'We were all in tears. It was like losing three brothers’ “But what sticks in my mind more than anything else was the smell of blood mixed with cordite. It was the blood of the suicide bomber. There was nothing left of him and it made me gag.” “I didn’t think the lads were that badly hurt initially. There was no blood on their faces and they were all alive and conscious. But the damage was internal and there was nothing we could do. The suicide vest had been filled with ball bearings and those had caused a lot of internal injuries.”

When the spectre of suicide bombers re-emerged, I remember the cacophony of disbelief that such a weapon could be used let alone defeated. In a letter to Gordon Marsden MP Blackpool, I informed him that the niceties of war have to be suspended as the prevalent 'duty of care' has to be ones own soldiers. He would not engage someone who had fought on three continents and had some experience of similar situations.
You never let anyone within blast distance of a section. If he has to be shot for not getting down on the ground, so-be-it. And the army should be deploying dogs, no matter how it upsets the Pathan. A well trained sniffer dog will save lives. Once the dog starts to react the handler can immediately call 'bomber' and the troops disperse. Sometimes the dog-handler will misread the situation, but it is not his fault.
Blame the politicians who did not think this situation through. A thousand years of confronting different invaders and Blair and Bush expected the Pathan to welcome them with open arms? Arms, yes. Arms weighed down with dynamite and the Kalashnikov.

Well done, all the soldiers, from all the Nations. You are doing a thankless job very well.