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Taliban bases fall after major offensive
The Times ^ | January 4, 2009 | Michael Smith

Posted on 01/04/2009 7:32:02 AM PST by Mercia

A month-long operation by British, Afghan and coalition forces saw fierce close-quarter combat.

WHEN Lance-Corporal Ben Whatley was killed on Christmas Eve, he was leading his Royal Marines from the front as they fought close up with the Taliban. His family in Norfolk had put Christmas festivities on hold, expecting him home in early January.

It has now emerged that the clash in which Whatley died – a helicopter-borne assault on the village of Chah-e Anjir — was the climax of a month-long operation in Helmand province involving 1,500 British, Afghan and coalition troops.

The offensive, described in detail this weekend by those who took part, claimed the lives of five servicemen and wounded many others. It was one of the biggest operations mounted by Britain’s forces since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Operation Sond Chara – Pashto for Red Dagger – was named after the Royal Marine commandos’ shoulder badge.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; fallen; gwot; islam; jihad; nato; royalmarines; uk; uktroops; zerotolerance

1 posted on 01/04/2009 7:32:03 AM PST by Mercia
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To: Mercia

Full article well worth reading.


2 posted on 01/04/2009 7:32:55 AM PST by Mercia
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To: Mercia

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/template/2.0-0/element/pictureGalleryPopup.jsp?id=5438976&&offset=0&&sectionName=UK

Pictures of the operation


3 posted on 01/04/2009 7:34:05 AM PST by Mercia
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To: Mercia

Good writing for the times.


4 posted on 01/04/2009 8:49:14 AM PST by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck. (Let them eat arugula!))
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To: Mercia; Clive; fanfan; 1COUNTER-MORTER-68; Straight Vermonter; Marine_Uncle

BTTT

Our Ally in Arms in action. Must read and view!


5 posted on 01/04/2009 11:50:09 AM PST by Chgogal (Don't look at me. You elected them, Comrade!)
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To: Chgogal

Thanks for the ping.


6 posted on 01/04/2009 12:21:58 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: Straight Vermonter; exg; Alberta's Child; albertabound; AntiKev; backhoe; Byron_the_Aussie; ...

-


7 posted on 01/04/2009 2:01:42 PM PST by Clive
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To: Mercia; Clive
Thanks for the post Mercia, thanks for the ping Clive.

To the family of Lance-Corporal Ben Whatley my sympathies.

Deepest Regards

alfa6 ;>}

8 posted on 01/04/2009 4:50:05 PM PST by alfa6 (One mans magic is another mans engineering... L.L.)
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To: Chgogal
The Taliban are getting their teeth kicked out each time the attempt to go against the NATO forces. The L/MSM continue to make it look like Afghanistan is not going well. But they fail to see or admit that one reason there are more NATO KIA is because our forces open up new bridge heads against the goons.
New areas are cleared of Taliban and AQA/AQP on a weekly basis. And more often it appears the goons are not welcomed back into tribal areas once they are kicked out or killed off.
9 posted on 01/04/2009 4:59:57 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (Duncan Hunter was our best choice.)
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