Reid sends ill equipped troops to certain deaths in S Afghanistan

Defence Secretary "Dr" John Reid met some of the troops due to die (We expect to take casualties)in Afghanistan. In a nationwide 2 bases *Salisbury Plain , Dittingham Norfolk, and Otterburn) exercise 3 Para are part of 3000 3,300 army personnel are due to go to the lawless southern region of the country.


They will help provide a "stable environment for reconstruction and help the government gain control of the more troubled areas" it says on this press release here.

Dressed in a combat jacket, watched as two Apache attack helicopters, two Lynx helicopters and a Chinook carried out a simulated medical evacuation. Soenmthing they will need get used to. Of course the AGED Chinooks are ill equipped to cope with the territory (remember the last batch were delivered incapable of operating in cloud).

The Apache gun ships with their newly trained pilots enter their first attack roles, prey for the welter of Stinger missiles given by the CIA to the sons of Bin Laden, not to mention the Russian hand held SAM's which have surfaced in Bagdhad shooting down experienced US pilots only ten miles from Baghdad last week.

Earlier, he paid tribute to the soldiers due to travel to Afghanistan and said they were playing an important role in ensuring global security.

"They are performing a vital task on behalf of the nation," he said. "We will never allow Afghanistan to go back into the hands of the terrorists." Brave words bravely soken... as much of the country is in the hands of the bloody handed war Lords like Dostum they are also redundant.

Mr Reid conceded that they would face danger but said the risk to international security would be far greater if the troops did not act.

It is evident that the Armed Forces are VERY reluctant to go, so confusing is their NATO / US role and Command structure...chasing terroists, eradicating the deadly poppies ?

Sweeping up the shit for the US ? For as long as the horizon stretches... at least six years or until we runout of troops and patiemce.

perjaps we cpuld set up a thermometer of the street price of heroin on the Streets of London in a prominent place in Trafa;gar Square to evaluate how successful the poppy eradification program is ?