Posted on 07/17/2010 7:43:45 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
He deserves a medal, not punishment. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and he’ll be back in action soon.
As for insulting Muslims ... uh, the head didn’t belong to Joe Muslim from the local village, it belonged to Joe Taliban, a certified enemy of the state. Isn’t there a distinction?
I see you already made it.
Thanks for pinging me.
Marines in Korea tell of Turkish soldiers who walked around with necklaces of ears they had cut off enemy soldiers - some obtained by sneaking into enemy camp at night. They say that Marines always wanted the Turks on their flanks.
Can any Old Breed verify? Or was this another tall tale told to impress young minds?
Kipling was a master of the written word.
That is what I meant in my first post—well, at least I wasn’t criticizing their troops.
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.
The Gurkha have a reputation for taking things quite literally. There is an anecdote from WWII, about a British Officer who was planning an airdrop of Gurkhas behind enemy lines from 600'. The senior Gurkha requested a drop altitude of 100'. The British officer advised him that from that altitude the parachutes would never have time to open, and only at that point did the Gurkha realize that the intent was to actually drop the soldiers with 'chutes.
Gorkha legion has it as a “ A Gorkha never sheathes his blade without first drawing blood, even if it is his own”
ROTFLOL
Burkhas: Good
Gurkhas: Bad
We need more “gross insults” to the Muslims of Afghanistan.
Victoria Cross???
Don’t screw around with Gurkhas. Ask the Japanese from World War II.
Try a websearch for his subordinate, General *Hellroaring Jake* Jake Smith.
Try a websearch for his subordinate, General *Hellroaring Jake* Jake Smith.
You familiar with an old Southeast Asia hand named Tony Poe? Made a few of the embassy spook *warriors* wet themselves, he did.
Good.
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.
So did he get the right guy?
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