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Paras
learn Pashto
A Military
Operations news article25
Mar 08
Paratroopers
due to arrive in Afghanistan in the next few days have
been preparing for their deployment by learning the
local language.
Native Pashto speaker Kishwar Ali, from the Defence
School of Languages at Beaconsfield, conducting one
of the soldiers' oral examinations
[Picture: Robert Mead]
Eleven soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment
(2 PARA), based at Colchester Garrison, have spent the
last ten months learning Pashto, the language spoken
in southern Afghanistan.
The new skills will help when later this month more
than 500 troops from 2 PARA fly out to spend six months
in Helmand Province.Being able to speak the language will
be vital when the troops work alongside members of the
Afghan National Army but also when they conduct foot
patrols in local villages.Captain Joe Walker, 2 PARA
education officer, said:
"They
will deploy as soldiers on patrols but with the capability
to speak to the local people we come across and build
relationships with them. "It's all about building
a rapport with local people and we think it will be
an enormous help having them on each patrol. One of
the big jobs is to reassure and create a sense of
empathy so it's very important that we engage with
local people."
All
soldiers are given basic language skills and cultural
training before deploying but these soldiers have gone
through a particularly in-depth training programme at
the Army Education Centre in Colchester receiving lessons
from native Pashto speakers from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"I
think it will be quite heart-warming and help to gain
trust from locals when they see that people from England
have made the effort to learn the language and communicate
with them. We won't seem quite so alien to them and
hopefully theyíll trust us a little more." Soldier
from 2 PARA.
The group is made up of one Lance Corporal and ten Private
soldiers, which is quite an unusual composition. Captain
Walker explained: "It's the first course of its
kind; normally it's more senior people learning languages
but the Commander was very keen that younger and more
junior soldiers would have an opportunity to speak Pashto.
They've certainly been working very hard for the last
ten months."The eleven soldiers
were chosen after Captain Walker conducted aptitude
tests on 120 members of the Battalion, explaining what
the training required and what job they would be expected
to perform in Afghanistan, giving them all the chance
to opt out, before choosing the best 11.All have taken
exams in speaking and listening to Level 2, a NATO-recognised
level equivalent to a good GCSE standard.
The students took their final oral examinations last
week. One other incentive is that they qualify for extra
pay if they pass the exam.One Private, who did
not wish to be identified, said the training of
eight hours a day, every day, for ten months, had been
"very hard" but had been well worth it: "We can carry
out a conversation with people quite confidently. Our
skills will be invaluable. I think it will be quite
heart-warming and help to gain trust from locals when
they see that people from England have made the effort
to learn the language and communicate with them. We
won't seem quite so alien to them and hopefully theyíll
trust us a little more.
Captain Joe Walker, 2 PARA's education officer
[Picture: Robert Mead]
"We've
been on exercise where we had local Afghans being
used as interpreters so it's not just been in the
classroom, it's been practical as well."
For
one 19-year-old this will be his first tour and, prior
to the Pashto classes, his language skills had only
extended to speaking a touch of French at school:
"It's
been really hard to learn, but I think it will be
very useful and good for the Army. The other soldiers
in the Battalion all think it's a good thing and say
how lucky I am to be on the course."
Their examiner was native Pashto speaker Kishwar Ali,
from the Defence School of Languages at Beaconsfield.
He said: "I was here for the speaking examination and
they have to get through three tests: transacting business,
situational intercourse, and general conversation. "They
were quite good. Pashto is quite difficult and they
have made good progress in that time. When they go out
in contact with local people this will be very useful
and this will definitely work for them."
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Colchester
to become centre for would-be-Paras
A Training
and Adventure news article 5
Mar 08
Colchester Garrison, home to 16 Air Assault Brigade, is set to become
the centre for all potential candidates wishing to recruit into
The Parachute Regiment.
All those wanting to join the Paras will be able to experience
life as a Para at Colchester Garrison
[Picture: Corporal Jon Ryder]
A two-day Insight Course which is open to all 16- to 33-year-olds
across the country and gives a unique insight into life in one of
the toughest regiments in the world. The Parachute Regiment is the
British Army's elite assault troops and as part of 16 Air Assault
Brigade they are the spearhead troops who deploy at a moment's notice.
The
three-day Personal Development Course is designed to give the
potential Para recruit a chance to spend time in the field and
to be introduced to the survival skills required of a modern soldier.
They will also be put through their paces physically and experience
scenarios that one day, as a serving Paratrooper, they may come
across somewhere in the world.
The
one-day Action Day gives any youngsters interested in joining
The Army or The Parachute Regiment a brief, but informative, opportunity
to experience a day with the Paras. They will be introduced to
the fitness requirements of the Army, and kit and equipment of
the modern soldier, and will see what it takes to live and
work in the great outdoors. They will also be given a chance to
tackle the assault course and build team work and leadership skills
in a programme aimed at young people considering a
career in the Forces.
Members of The Parachute Regiment could be dropped into trouble
hot spots around the world
[Picture: Richard Watt]
Captain Rob Francis, who runs the Parachute
Regiment Recruiting Team at Colchester Garrison, explained:
"With
the launch of the new programme we are looking forward to welcoming
potential recruits to Colchester and giving them a unique opportunity
to spend time with the Paras here in Colchester. Activities
will involve physical tests, mental and physical challenges
on the assault course and command tasks to test team working
and problem solving. "Paras are not supermen, they are ordinary
men who volunteered and were built up physically and mentally
through a robust and demanding training regime. They are elite,
they are professional, they are men with unique stories to tell."
In
their pursuit for the right men to join their ranks The Parachute
Regiment recruits from all around the world, with many Australians,
New Zealanders, Canadians and South Africans serving today.
Paras
must achieve a high level of fitness
[Picture: Richard Watt]
|
"Arm
yourselves..."
November
20, 2007
ìArm
yourselves, and be ye men of valor, and be in readiness
for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in
battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and
our altar.î
óWinston Churchill
ìBizarreî
is an accurate word to describe how quickly a man can
fly from, say, Orlando and land smack in the middle of
a minefield. Not a metaphorical minefield, but a big,
real minefield. The transition occurred in a matter of
a few days: Goodbye Mickey Mouse, Hello Minefield. Hello
Iran.
Sleep-deprived
and hungry: welcome to British forces at war.
The
American name for the war is Operation Iraqi Freedom.
OIF 1 comprised the initial invasion back in 2003. Subsequent
rotations have led to OIF 2, 3, and so on until the OIF
number has become nearly meaningless, and definitely confusing.
The British name for OIF is ìOperation Telic,î or ìOp
Telic.î The British designation is less confusing, but
practically no British soldiers know what ìTelicî means.
Whatever the case, Op Telic 1 describes the invasion and
immediately thereafter. Since the British rotate every
six months, the ìOp Telicî number changes every six months,
and so, as I write this, we are in Op Telic 10 as we inch
up to the 60th month since the invasion.
Telic
1 was eventful because it was an invasion. Telics 2-8
were mostly uneventful, with the exception of Telic 4
which saw brief but sharp fighting. And so Basra fell
off the map. Shots were rarely fired and journalists spent
relatively little time in Basra. One could almost say
the British were treading water while we sorted out ìNorthern
Iraq.î The British call everything north of their area
ìNorthern Iraq,î while for Americans ìNorthern Iraqî is
more likely to denote areas north of Baghdad, and especially
Nineveh Province and the peaceful Kurdish areas.
Telics
2-8 were nearly sleepwalks, with exception of Telic 4
when 9 British soldiers were KIA and 35 wounded in a six-month
period. But for the most part, the work of British soldiers
in southern Iraq went largely unnoticed by the media and
unappreciated by anyone else. On both trips with the British,
I made a point of asking British soldiers how they were
treated back in the United Kingdom. They said they are
mostly ignored; occasionally expressing a muted desire
to get the treatment they imagine American soldiers get.
British soldiers seem to imagine our soldiers get big
parades and so forth, and hugs from strangers at the airport.
And to be sure, many do, especially in Texas, they say.
American
soldiers get care packages from people they do not even
know, and those packages are morale boosters. American
soldiers get cards from kindergartens from sea to sea,
and the soldiers paste the cards all over the walls of
their headquarters and hospitals. I donít know what it
is about those homemade cards, with their squiggly letters,
stick figures and smiley-faced suns, but whenever I am
in hospitals in Iraq, those cards from the kids greatly
lift my spirits. Iíve seen the British get cards and packages
like this, but nothing like the quantity, variety and
frequency of what American soldiers get. And, of course,
not everyone was indifferent to British efforts in Iraq.
As for the British fighting, the enemy was always present
in the background, but it was not until Telics 9 and 10
that the enemy truly came alive.
I
first embedded with British troops during Telic 9, and
during that approximate one-month embed, British casualties
might have been, on a per capita basis, 2-3 times higher
than American casualties for the same period. The math
is difficult because there are many variablesóat that
time there were about 30 American soldiers in Iraq for
every British soldieróbut the British officers I spoke
with generally concurred with that estimate.
Certainly,
for those approximate 5,000 Brits in Iraq, there was a
lot of shooting and all kinds of exploding munitions,
both improvised and off-the-shelf varieties. Some of it
was hitting very close; during three consecutive missions
that I went on, there were fatalities. One day the
British killed about 26; the next night I witnessed
an ambush where the
British killed about 8; and on the next mission we
got ambushed and lost
2 British soldiers with others wounded. In three consecutive
missions about 36 people were killed and the tempo was
increasing.
American
units are typically designated by numbers; British units
have names. For instance, the ìRoyal Green Jacketsî were
combined with the ìRoyal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire
Light Infantryî and the ìDevonshire and Dorset Light Infantryî
along with the ìLight Infantryî into a new outfit called
ìThe Rifles.î ìThe Riflesî consists of five battalions,
named respectively 1 Rifles, 2 Rifles, 3 Rifles, 4 Rifles
and 5 Rifles.
Earlier
in 2007, I accompanied 2 Rifles in combat in Basra, during
the expertly planned and executed ìOperation
Arezzo.î 2 Rifles killed about 26 enemy fighters without
sustaining a scratch. Surely fortune smiled upon 2 Rifles
that day, but it smiled especially brightly because 2
Rifles was loaded with combat veterans who had taken nothing
for granted and were meticulously prepared for battle,
as I chronicled in a dispatch about that mission.
 [Telic
9]
ìThe
plan for Operation Arezzo was cleverly contrived. While
Americans count on helicopter support for deliberate high-intensity
combat here, the Brits were going into extremely hostile
terrain, outnumbered, without helicopter support, relying
instead upon timing, terrain, maneuverability, firepower,
and sheer audacity.î
 [Telic
9]
ìIn
combat, luck can be a decisive factor, but Murphyís Law
remains in effect. For Operation Arezzo, the risks of
something going catastrophically wrong were apparent at
the outset. The soldiers in 5 Platoon had never conducted
such an audacious operationóin broad daylightóbut LTC
Maciejewski intended to show the enemy that even in their
strongest bastion, outnumbered British forces could strike
into their heart and inflict heavy losses.î
 [Telic
9]
ìThe
enemy was at times on both sides of us firing from many
positions, on the ground and on rooftops. 5 Platoon and
others continued answering heavy fire with accurate return
fire. I saw a soldier fire his 40mm grenade launcher several
times, arching explosive rounds into enemy positions.
A British sniper fired four bullets. One 7.62-mm bullet
struck an armed man on a rooftop in the chest. Another
bullet stopped a gunman who was firing from a car.î
 [Telic
9]
ìBullets
popped into the walls of the vehicles. British planners
had anticipated that JAM would by now have placed large
IEDs on our egress routes, and the commandersí plan to
defeat this threat so far was working. At least one IED
was in fact placed to get us, but exploded at the wrong
time and missed a Bulldog.î
 [Telic
9]
2
Riflesóphotographed after the battle described in the
dispatch ìBritish
Soldiers at Warîóhad fought well, sustained losses
and inflicted much greater, but the enemy had only been
warming up for the most serious battles to come. It was
this combat-experienced enemy that would welcome 4 Rifles
to Basra, intent on squeezing out every possible drop
of British blood.
Assessing
the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, conventional
wisdom has Op Herrick 4 (in Afghanistan) as setting the
high-water mark for heavy fighting. But that is apparently
only because so few people know about Telic 10 in Iraq.
During the first 3 months of Telic 10, as many were killed
and twice as many wounded as during 6 months of Herrick
4.
 Telic
10:
On
16 May, 2 Rifles turned over Basra Palace to 4 Rifles.
Major Steve Webb, shown above, with his company from ì2
Battalion the Royal Welsh,î was assigned to 4 Rifles.
Webb
had served in Northern Ireland, and did two tours in Bosnia,
but this was his first tour in Iraq. His 2 Battalion the
Royal Welsh is also known as ìB (Rorkeís Drift) Company,î
a name it earned after a major battle with Zulu warriors.
Its 120 soldiers also go by the name of ìWelsh Warriors.î
When present on the 4 Rifles patrols and convoys, the
Welsh Warriors always take point. This is because 4 Rifles
mostly uses the older, armored Bulldogs, vehicles equipped
with electronics that are not well-suited for spotting
IEDs and other threats. Webbís company uses the more modern
Warriors (similar to the American Bradley), which have
more sophisticated gear, therefore landing them the unenviable
job of being permanently on point.
On
21 May, 4 Rifles would conduct its first mission in on
the deadly streets of Basra.
Enemy
deathtraps were set. As always, the Welsh Warriors had
point.
|
Truer
words were never spoken
General
Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader of the
North Vietnam military.
The
following quote is from his memoirs currently found in the
Vietnam War Memorial in Hanoi: "What we still
don't understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing
of Hanoi. You had us on the ropes. If you had
pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two, we
were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battles
of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought
you knew it. But we were elated to notice your media
was definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption
in America than we could in the battlefields.
We were ready to surrender. You had won......."
General
Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most Americans
knew. The Vietnam war was not lost in Vietnam -- it was
lost at home.
The
exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the US media,
is currently well underway. It exposes the enormous power
of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the American
public.
A
truism worthy of note: Do not fear the enemy, for they
can take only your life. Fear the media far more, for
they will take your freedom and destroy your honor.
|
Afghan
president flees gunfire
Taliban
militants attacked a ceremony attended by the Afghan
president, unleashing automatic weapons and rocket
fire that sent foreign dignitaries and senior members
of the government fleeing for cover.
Two
people were killed and nine wounded.President Hamid
Karzai, Cabinet ministers and ambassadors escaped
unharmed from the assault on the event marking the
16th anniversary of the end of Soviet-backed rule
in Afghanistan. Two politicians seated about 30 yards
from Karzai were among those hurt.Karzai appeared
later on national television saying several suspects
had been arrested. He blamed the attack on the "enemy
of Afghanistan" and appealed for calm. About 100 people
were rounded up for questioning, an Afghan intelligence
official said.
A
Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.
Six militants armed with suicide vests, guns and rockets
were deployed to target the president, and three of
those militants died in the attack, the spokesman
Zabiullah Mujaheed said.A police official said security
forces killed three gunmen who had opened fire from
an apartment block not far from the ceremony. He said
they confiscated assault rifles and machine guns.
Government officials could not immediately confirm
that information.The attack on Karzai began as dignitariesstood
for the national anthem in stands opposite Kabul's
main mosque by a parade ground.
Hundreds of people fled in chaos as shots rang out.Karzai
was hustled away, surrounded by bodyguards, and left
in one of four black SUVs.Western officials said Karzai
had swiftly returned to the presidential palace. A
US Embassy official confirmed US Ambassador William
Wood escaped unharmed. Other foreign dignitaries and
Cabinet ministers were also safe, Afghan and Western
officials said."President Karzai condemns this act
and asks for all the people to remain calm," a statement
from the presidential palace said.
|
Adm.
Mullen: U.S. Preparing Strike Option Against Iran
Making it crystal clear to Iran, Adm. Michael
Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday that the
United States is preparing for "potential military courses of action"
against it if Tehran does not stop aiding insurgents in Iraq and fails
to stop building nuclear weapons. Admitting that a third conflict
in the region would be "extremely stressing" for America's military,
he warned Iran that it was mistake to suggest the United States did
not have the resources to strike Iranian military targets. "I have
reserve capability, in particularly our Navy and our Air Force, not
just there, but available globally,'' Mullen said. "There are lots
of potential military courses of action.'' Mullen made similar comments
about the Pentagon's ability strike Iran last November. "From a military
standpoint, there is more than enough reserve to respond if that,
in fact, is what the national leadership wanted to do, and so I don't
think we're too stretched in that regard," he said then. Mullen's
comments, made during a Pentagon press conference, are aligned with
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, both of whom
have stepped up the pressure on Iran. Gates said last week that Iran
is "hell-bent" in acquiring nuclear weapons. |
British
troops deployed to Kosovo
Britain is to send 600 soldiers to Kosovo to assist Nato with
peacekeeping activities, Defence Secretary Des Browne announced.
The
troops from 2nd Battalion The Rifles are to go to the newly-independent
Balkan state at the end of May for a one-month deployment, ending
on June 30.Their deployment comes in response to a request from
Nato for assistance in dealing with sporadic bursts of violence
between Kosovo's ethnic Albanians and its minority Serbian population.Nato's
request for reinforcements to its Kfor force in Kosovo went to
Britain because the UK is responsible for providing a standby
Operational Reserve Force for the Balkans for the first six months
of this year.
In
a written statement to the House of Commons, Mr Browne said that
2 Rifles - based in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland - have been
"trained specifically for this requirement".He added: "This deployment
will demonstrate our commitment to the security of the region
and will provide Nato with extra flexibility in maintaining peace
and stability for all communities within Kosovo."I would like
to stress that the deployment of the UK ORF battalion confirms
yet again the professionalism of our armed forces and their ability
to provide essential military support at short notice."Britain
will remain committed to the Nato/EU Operational Reserve Force
for the Balkans at a lower level of readiness during the second
half of 2008, said Mr Browne.He added that, since the Government
of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia
on February 17, the security situation had remained "tense" with
"sporadic incidents of violence"."The Nato Kosovo Force (Kfor),
in co-operation with the UN international police authorities,
are working hard to address this and to maintain a safe and secure
environment," he said.
|
Soldier's
body returns with William
Prince William flew back from his brief visit
to Afghanistan with the body of a soldier killed in action.
Once back in the UK he privately met members
of the family of Trooper Robert Pearson, who died on April 21 when
his vehicle hit a mine.Royal watchers and British troops suggested
the trip was a public relations exercise to "cover up" recent controversy
over the Prince being allowed to fly military helicopters to a stag
do and his girlfriend's family home.Clarence House said William was
"honoured" to be a member of the air crew that repatriated Trooper
Pearson's body.
The possibility of the Prince joining a flight
into an operational theatre was under consideration last year and
detailed planning began at the start of April, Clarence House said.
William met service personnel at Kandahar airfield for three hours
on Monday before returning to the UK later that afternoon.The official
purpose of the trip was for the Prince to familiarise himself with
RAF operations in a battle situation.But publicist Max Clifford said
William's flying visit to Afghanistan had been "a good public relations
exercise".Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe said William
would have been in no real danger during his visit to Afghanistan.It
is understood that the repatriation of Trooper Pearson's body was
unrelated to the Prince's presence on the flight. Trooper Pearson,
22, from Grimsby, of the Queen's Royal Lancers, was killed when his
armoured vehicle hit a mine. |
Maimed
para's benefits stripped
TOM
NEWTON DUNN
Defence Editor
SHOCKED Para Stu Pearson has seen his disability benefits axed
‚ despite having his LEG blown off. The hero sergeant was deemed
ìfully fitî again because he now has a false leg 18 months after
the horror in Afghanistan. Landmine victim Stu, 31, who still
uses a wheelchair when the prosthetic limb becomes too painful,
also had his blue disabled parking badge confiscated. The decision
by Whitehall penpushers was blasted last night amid fury over
the army of spongers who lie they are disabled to get millions
in handouts. And Stu told a pal: ìI just donít understand it.î
Medal...
Stu sees Prince Charles
îStu won the hearts of the nation with his squaddie black
humour in the face of his injuries. The Sun pictured him, above,
in a T-shirt that read: ìI went to Afghanistan and all I got
was this crappy false leg.î Department of Work and Pensions
rules state that to claim the allowance, people must have a
physical or mental disability, be in care or have trouble walking.
Stu, who is based in Colchester, Essex, qualifies in two categories.
Two weeks ago, it emerged that an Iraqi teenager accidentally
shot by a British soldier is to get up to £2million compensation.
Stu, who got a paltry £61,000 for his loss, will meet Princes
William and Harry at next weekís City Salute event in London
‚ to honour the sacrifice of our forces. Last night a DWP spokes-person
said: ìWe cannot comment on individuals." But Minister for
the Disabled Anne McGuire vowed to take up Stuís case ‚ after
being alerted by The Sun.She declared: ìI have a huge regard
for all our soldiers and I am sorry to hear about
Mr Pearsonís injuries.î Defence Secretary Des Browne ALSO
stepped in ‚ to pursue Stuís entitlement to a blue badge with
the Department of Transport.
|
U.S.
Strikes Known al-Qaida Target in Somalia
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2008 ‚ U.S. Central Command conducted a strike
against a known al-Qaida target in Somalia yesterday, a Pentagon spokesman
said today. The strike was near Dusa Mareb, north of the Somali capital
of Mogadishu.
U.S. officials would not confirm news reports that the strike killed
Aden Hashi Ayro, the head of al-Qaida in Somalia, nor the means used
in the strike.
ìWhen you have something like this, there is a certain amount of analysis
that goes on,î said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman. ìWhile you
are conducting that analysis, you want to be careful not to provide
any information that potentially could be of use to the enemy.î
Whitman said the strike is an example of U.S. policy in the war on
terror.
ìWe will pursue terrorists worldwide,î he said. ìThe U.S. is committed
to identifying, locating, capturing and, if necessary, killing terrorists
wherever they operate, train, plan their operations, or seek safe
havens.î
News reports said the strike killed eight people. U.S. officials have
no information that substantiates any civilians being killed or injured.
As a general rule, U.S. planners seek to minimize any affect of such
strikes in civilians, a U.S. Central Command official said, noting
that in many cases, planners abort a strike rather than endanger civilians.
|
'Ex-Guantanamo
man in Iraq bombing'
A
Kuwaiti who was imprisoned in Guantanamo for more than three
and a half years carried out a recent suicide attack in Iraq,
the US military has said.
Abdallah
Salih al-Ajmi took part in one of three suicide bomb attacks
last month in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, said US Navy
Commander Scott Rye, a military spokesman.It appears to be
the first time someone who was held at the prison at the US
base in Cuba has carried out a suicide attack, said Pentagon
spokesman Navy Commander Jeffrey Gordon.Al-Ajmi, 29, was transferred
in 2005 to Kuwait, where the government was supposed to ensure
he would not pose a threat. In May 2006, a Kuwaiti court acquitted
him and four other former Guantanamo prisoners of terrorism
charges.
Dubai-based
al-Arabiya television reported last week that al-Ajmi had
carried out a suicide attack, but the US military could not
confirm it until now.Commander Rye said that al-Ajmi's family
had confirmed his death and that authorities determined he
entered Iraq through Syria.Commander Rye said: "It is unknown
what motivated him to leave Kuwait and go to Iraq. His family
members reportedly were shocked to hear he had conducted a
suicide bombing."Three suicide car bombers targeted Iraqi
security forces, killing at least seven people and wounding
28 in the northern city of Mosu. It is not yet known which
involved al-Ajmi.Military documents previously released show
that al-Ajmi was "constantly in trouble" while in Guantanamo
and held in disciplinary blocks during his detention.He also
allegedly told officials in August 2004 that "he now is a
jihadist, an enemy combatant, and that he will kill as many
Americans as he possibly can".
|
|
Native Pashto speaker Kishwar Ali, from the Defence
School of Languages at Beaconsfield, conducting one
of the soldiers' oral examinations
Captain Joe Walker, 2 PARA's education officer
