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'The Ammo Was Rubbish'
'The Ammo Was Rubbish'
Updated: 12:05, Thursday November 23, 2006
British paratroopers refused to go on patrol in Afghanistan because their ammunition was faulty, it has been reported.
The soldiers from 3rd battalion had to borrow bullets from Canadian and American colleagues to fend off Taliban attacks.
A video has been posted on YouTube showing two troops struggling to operate a Browning machine gun because of the dud bullets.
One can be heard swearing in frustration as the sound of incoming fire is heard.
The Daily Telegraph said MoD officials have been unable to explain how the faulty Browning ammo was sent to Afghanistan.
It is thought it came from Pakistan or the Czech Republic, where a round costs 60 American cents (31p), compared to $1.50 (78p) elsewhere.
They may even have been made for a different machine gun
A Parachute Regiment source told the paper: "The ammo we had was rubbish, it just kept jamming.
"At one point we refused to go out because it was so bad. We managed to scrounge some. If we had not got that ammo we would certainly have lost a lot of people."
The MoD said there was no current problems with ammunition.
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To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway
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