Gurkha ordered back to UK after beheading dead Taliban fighter

Mail Online ^ | 18th July 2010 | Christopher Leake

[csvset]

A Gurkha soldier has been flown back to the UK after hacking the head off a dead Taliban commander with his ceremonial knife to prove the dead man’s identity.

The private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand Province when the incident took place earlier this month.

His unit had been told that they were seeking a ‘high value target,’ a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man. Deadly: A platoon of Gurkhas demonstrate their skill with their kukri knives in a training exercise, after it is revealed that one of their regiment chopped off the head of a Taliban fighter in order to find proof of ID

Deadly: A platoon of Gurkhas demonstrate their skill with their kukri knives in a training exercise, after it is revealed that one of their regiment chopped off the head of a Taliban fighter in order to find proof of ID

The Gurkhas had intended to remove the Taliban leader’s body from the battlefield for identification purposes.

But they came under heavy fire as their tried to do so. Military sources said that in the heat of battle, the Gurkha took out his curved kukri knife and beheaded the dead insurgent.

He is understood to have removed the man’s head from the area, leaving the rest of his body on the battlefield.

This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved.

[archy]

Not familiar with him but I’ll look up the name and the stories associated with him. Sounds like the “John Clark” type, a’la Tom Clancy, i.e. just the sort of fellow we need.

Just so. There's a Wikipedia entry for him that'll give you a bit of an idea, but his obituary from the Asia Times might be more to the point. He was one of the legends back in the day, along with Jack Shirley and Ed *Mr Pop* Buehl.

Tony's the one with his back against the wall, [of course!] seen long ago in Lucy's Tiger Den in Bangkok. Jack Shirley's the one on the far right.

[archy]

“This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved.”

Ok leave a pig head.

Needs to be set to music.

[archy]

He was told to head off, so he did. He heard about the laws against bullying in wartime, so he figured the victim couldn’t snitch if his head was removed. Makes sense to me.

Another telling of the story here:

As a Gurkha is disciplined for beheading a Taliban: Thank God they are on our side!

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

I've got some pics of some guys that sure skeeert the

crap out of them,,,

The head huntin’ cannibals in New Guinea,,,

One pic shows one of them bringing in a Japanese head to

collect his bounty of salt,,,

For an American pilot that landed in their jungle they

were paid the pilots weight in salt,,,

One guy went down way up the Lonoki(sp) River and was gone

three months,,,

They brought him back after they fattened him up...;0)

[Pan_Yan]

Smith outranked Pershing when they were in the Philipines. Smith was a Colonel, then General. Pershing was a Captian and Major at the time. Smith’s bio doesn’t mention Muslims, though he obviously didn’t have any qualms about killing.

[Pan_Yan]

I can’t spell.

[jackibutterfly]

"Britain should just ask the Gurkha involved to fetch the rest of the body (on the Q.T.) and return it to the Taliban. As mincemeat, in a jar."

WITH PIG ENTRAILS!!!

[Candor7]

This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved.

Then we should have rules of engagement that state that NATO soldiers must behead all enemy combatants once dead. Pile the u and birn them. Insult the hell out of them.