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| Afghanistan |
| British Bases Under Siege In Sangin |
| 2006-07-05 |
| A BRITISH paratrooper was killed yesterday as his unit struggled to lift what amounted to a siege of their base in the heart of Taleban country in southern Afghanistan. He was the sixth soldier to die in just over three weeks in the Sangin Valley, Helmand province. The fighting raged for hours and was so fierce that reinforcements from 3 Para, arriving by Chinook helicopter, had to be turned back because of intense gunfire. Apache attack helicopters were called in to suppress the attack. Daily patrols in the town of Sangin have entailed regular ambushes and gunfights for members of the 200-strong unit from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment battle group. The platoon house, a fortified building in the centre of town, is vulnerable because of its position. The soldier was part of a patrol that came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles. Sangin, by the fertile Helmand river, is made up of mud-walled compounds, poppy fields and orchards, ideal cover for ambushes. The last two soldiers to die before yesterday were killed in an assault on their platoon house. Because of their isolation, the British troops at Sangin have first call on the roving quick-reaction force. A military source described the whole area as "Taleban central" and said all the British bases were coming under daily attack. Apart from the six Apaches, the 3,300-strong British battle group in Helmand has only six Chinook helicopters and four Lynxes between them to cover a province four times the size of Wales. Yesterday’s death came after the killing on Saturday of Corporal Peter Thorpe, 27, of the Royal Signals, and Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, 24, of the Intelligence Corps, in an attack on the Sangin base. Yesterday’s ambush happened a few hours after Tony Blair repeated his pledge that the British force would be given whatever it needed to carry out its mission. Corporal Chris Crabtree, 36, who has been in 3 Para since 1999, told The Times: "We are here to do a job — it’s a dangerous place. You can’t expect to get a mission and not lose people." Dang those fellas need air support. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 At Dien Bien Phu, instead of the usual tactic of seizing the high ground, the French were camped in the low ground and they were outgunned as well as outnumbered. I doubt the Brits are doing anything that .. um ..'unorthodox'. |
| Posted by: Odysseus 2006-07-05 22:35 |
| #6 The Brits have been master of defense since forever. 200 men is a company of Paras with supporting elements. Right in the heart of Jihadi country. They have to attack or lose face. Think "Rourke's Drift". I am sure the RAF and USAF have planned for this and have ready support, on-call and ready to be delivered. |
| Posted by: Brett 2006-07-05 22:24 |
| #5 The British brought their own air support with them : Apaches and Harriers. They have good comm systems that interoperated between the RAF and Army already in place. Now, if they need A-10s or AC-130Us, that might be a different matter, since those would require comms with American systems. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-07-05 22:14 |
| #4 I hope this doesn't turn into a clusterfunk because our forces can't communicate with eachother. The Brits have given priority to interoperability with the EU, not the U. S. I hope that doesn't bite them in the butt here. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-05 21:55 |
| #3 Today the headlines on page one scream "Brits under siege" (implying their collective asses are getting kicked). Tomorrow, buried on page 23A, a footnote will mention 50 AQ killed following "siege" of Brits; one Brit KIA, three wounded. The Taliban still think they're fooking with the Russians. They wish. |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2006-07-05 21:48 |
| #2 Article: Because of their isolation, the British troops at Sangin have first call on the roving quick-reaction force. This sounds a lot like Dien Bien Phu. Tether the goat to lure the tiger into a trap. At Dien Bien Phu, it was the French who got slaughtered. I hope our guys are ready to bail 'em out if things get out of hand - there might not be a lot of time to get ready. 200 guys is not a heck of a lot of people to put out in the middle of Indian country. They had better not let their guard down. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-07-05 21:48 |
| #1 Our best wishes for these brave soldiers. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-05 20:57 |