Thread: Why Afghanistan is the wrong war

Stay safe, stud, and the same for your troops when you do go. God speed, good luck and we'll look forward to reading your thoughts as you're able and so inclined...

Sir , you pratt , stay safe , and i hope your lady is there to embrace you on your return , please dont become a statistic , even after our emails i understand your desires ,,, SOLDIER ,,, SALUTE , STAY SAFE

Stay safe Captain,

And give them hell...

Originally Posted by tankie

If this specimen of manhood calling himself a soldier wins this case over the validity of this war , what far reaching implications will it hold ,


An expert witness on the lawfulness of war in Afghanistan could be called to give evidence at the court martial of a soldier who refused to fight.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, 27, from the Royal Logistic Corps, faces one charge of desertion for refusing to return to Afghanistan.

He appeared for a preliminary hearing at a military court in Bulford Camp, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Although he did not enter a formal plea, defence counsel Hugh O'Donoghue indicated he would deny the charge.

Mr O'Donoghue told the court that he may also call an expert witness to give evidence on the lawfulness of service and the current operations in Afghanistan.

Military Prosecutor Captain Gemma Sayer said they were considering an additional charge connected to the alleged desertion.

She said L/Cpl Glenton would be interviewed by military police. She also said she would be calling witnesses, mostly sergeants, who are currently serving in Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Medical evidence will also be heard at the court martial.

Judge Advocate Alastair McGrigor adjourned the case for another preliminary hearing to take place on September 4 at 10am.

L/Cpl Glenton, who was wearing military fatigues, did not make a comment as he was escorted to and from the court. He will now return to normal duties with his regiment at his base in Abingdon, Oxfordshire

I cant get my head round this , he has refused to obey orders yet is allowed to wander about mouthing off , surely he should be in close arrest ,and he certailny does not deserve the name of soldier .





Soldier blasts leaders over trust .Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who is facing a court martial for refusing to return to Afghanistan, made his comments before an anti-war demonstration in central London.

L/Cpl Glenton is leading former colleagues, military families and anti-war protesters in the march, calling for British troops to be brought home.

He told protesters at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park that he found it distressing to disobey orders but felt that he had been left with no choice.

He released a statement before the rally which read: "It is distressing to disobey orders but when Britain follows America in continuing to wage war against one of the world's poorest countries I feel I have no choice.

"Politicians have abused the trust of the army and the soldiers who serve, that's why I am compelled and proud to march with the Stop The War Coalition today."

A total 222 British troops have died since operations in Afghanistan began

"It is distressing to disobey orders but when Britain follows America in continuing to wage war against one of the world's poorest countries I feel I have no choice

I agree with him entirely. They should stop attacking Afghanistan immediately and instead attack Switzerland, the loot is soooooo much better there.

Originally Posted by Parihaka

I agree with him entirely. They should stop attacking Afghanistan immediately and instead attack Switzerland, the loot is soooooo much better there.

dont go giving em ideas , i have my millions stashed in a bank there , along with 10 bars of cold pressed latinum

Dr Abdullah has said he is refusing to take part in the next ELECTIONS , leaving Karzai all alone unopposed , what a f#####g farce ,oh and by the way , look .another killed , for what ????????? B/S fraudulent polibastardticians .



A British soldier has been killed in an explosion near Sangin in central Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
Soldier dies in Helmand explosion .The soldier was serving with the Royal Logistics Corps when he was killed.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield OBE, said: "It is with great sadness I confirm that a soldier from the Royal Logistic Corps died in an explosion in Helmand Province. He will be missed by us, his comrades, but he will not be forgotten."

Next of kin have been informed

RIP

He hasn't stepped down yet but even if he didn't how would the voting go? Winter is setting in there, how will the people in the more remote villages get their votes in? How could the vote be legitimate?

I really think we need to start offing the corrupt people in power in Afghanistan. Go Stalin on them, all they care about is enriching themselves and couldn't care less about their country or their people.

What a mess. RIP to the squaddie that died, a terrible loss for us all.

This is heartbreaking , his last day RIP soldier .


A senior British explosives expert has been killed while trying to defuse a bomb on the last day of his tour in Afghanistan. Skip related content
Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30, of the Royal Logistic Corps, died near Sangin in central Helmand Province on Saturday.

His wife, Christina Schmid, described him as her "best friend and soulmate" and said she took comfort knowing he had saved "countless lives".

Sgt Schmid, who was known as Oz, made 64 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) safe during his five months in Afghanistan as an ammunition technician.

As well as taking part in Operation Panther's Claw, a major assault on a Taliban stronghold, he found 31 IEDs during a single operation to clear a road near Sangin in August.

One of his senior officers described him as a "legendary figure" while another said he was "better than the best of the best".

Lieutenant Colonel Rob Thomson, commanding officer of 2 Rifles Battle Group, which was based around Sangin this summer, said: "Sgt Oz Schmid was simply the bravest and most courageous man I have ever met. Under relentless IED and small arms attacks he stood taller than the tallest."

He added: "He saved lives in 2 Rifles time after time and for that he will retain a very special place in every heart of every rifleman in our extraordinary battle group. Superlatives do not do the man justice."

Paying emotional tribute, Sgt Schmid's wife said: "Oz was a phenomenal husband and loving father who was cruelly murdered on his last day of a relentless five-month tour. "He was my best friend and soulmate. The pain of losing him is overwhelming. I take comfort knowing he saved countless lives with his hard work. I am so proud of him."

Sgt Schmid was born in Truro, Cornwall, and lived with his wife and five-year-old stepson Laird in Winchester, Hampshire.

R. I. P. Staff Sgt. Schmid

Godspeed to him.

This is one individual that hasn't lost a thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/wo...afghan.html?hp

I question what good soldiers and innocent people dying for.

Pakistan offers Bounties for Taliban.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan offers Taliban bounties

Such a shame, his family must be gutted.

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Military Operations | Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid killed in Afghanistan

Originally Posted by Kodiakmarmoset

Godspeed to him.

This is one individual that hasn't lost a thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/wo...afghan.html?hp

I question what good soldiers and innocent people dying for.

This is what they are dying for mate , to give em democracy and train them to look after their nation , but then this happens .


Five British soldiers have been shot dead in Helmand Province, in an attack the UK military blamed on a "rogue" Afghan policeman.

The soldiers, three from the Grenadier Guards and two from the Royal Military Police, had been mentoring and living with the Afghan police in a compound.

The officer opened fire, injuring eight others, before fleeing the compound.

Gordon Brown said the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and may have infiltrated the Afghan police.

Speaking in the Commons, the prime minister said evidence was being gathered and security would be stepped up after the shooting.

But he added that training of Afghan police remained an "essential element" of the strategy in Afghanistan and would not be stopped as it was "what the Taliban fears most".

Manhunt

A total of 92 UK service personnel have now been killed this year, the highest annual figure since the Falklands War in 1982.

Six British servicemen and two Afghan National Police officers were injured in the attack, in the Nad Ali district.

An investigation is under way and the soldiers' next of kin have been informed of the deaths.

A UK military spokesman said: "One individual Afghan National Policeman, possibly in conjunction with another, went rogue.

"His motives and whereabouts are unknown at this time. Every effort is now being put into hunting down those responsible for this attack."

BBC Kabul correspondent Ian Pannell said sources had indicated the attacker was a police officer called Gulbuddin who had fled the scene after the shooting.

It appears he could have been involved in a dispute with his commander, but tribal sources have pointed to a link with the Taliban, our correspondent said


Training the Afghan police as well as the Afghan army is key to Nato's plans in Afghanistan, so they can ultimately take over security across the country, allowing British and American forces and their allies to gradually leave.

However, recruiting and training the police and ensuring their loyalty to the Afghan government has long been extremely difficult. In Helmand especially, the police are proving less reliable - as well as more corrupt - than the Afghan Army.

The Afghan police are relatively badly paid - earning rather less than a Taliban fighter - and are said to earn extra cash from taking bribes from ordinary Afghans at official or often unofficial checkpoints.


Lt Col Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the men who were killed had been mentoring a number of Afghan police officers.

He said they had worked and lived in the compound at a national police checkpoint for the past two weeks.

The attack did not come as a result of any breakdown or fight between British and Afghan forces, he stressed.

Col Wakefield said: "It is with the deepest sadness I must inform you that five British soldiers were shot and killed yesterday in Nad Ali district.

"Five British soldiers, five of our own, shot down in the course of their duty. They will not be forgotten."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the latest deaths were a "terrible loss".

He said: "My thoughts, condolences and sympathies go to their families, loved ones and colleagues. I know that the whole country too will mourn their loss.

"It is my highest priority to ensure our heroic troops have the best possible support and equipment - and the right strategy, backed by our international partners, and by a new Afghan government ready to play its part in confronting the challenges Afghanistan faces.

"Our troops deserve nothing less. My commitment to them remains unshakeable."



Tory leader David Cameron said: "I pay tribute, as will the whole country, to their professionalism and their courage, and send my condolences to their families and their friends."

Gen Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said he had spoken to the Afghan Minister of Interior, Haneef Atmar, who shared his regret for the incident.

"He gave me his assurance that this incident will be fully and transparently investigated, he said.



Lt Col David Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, explains what happened
"We will not let this event deter our resolve to build a partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces to provide for Afghanistan's future."

A former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, said the shootings were a very worrying development.

He said: "It will undermine trust, certainly in the short term, until we establish exactly what happened. And it wouldn't at all surprise me now if there aren't a lot of soldiers, British soldiers in Afghanistan, with their fingers very firmly on the trigger when they're around Afghan police and military."

The British Military Police have launched an investigation. The local chief of the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Afghan national director of security have also begun investigating at the scene.

There was a similar incident involving the deaths of two US personnel in 2008.

The British casualties were evacuated to the field hospital at Camp Bastion in Helmand by medical emergency response teams using Chinook and a US Black Hawk helicopters.

The Grenadier Guards have been advising the ANP and the Afghan National Army in training, tactics and patrol methods.

The deaths take the number of UK troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 229.

This is the worst single incident in Helmand since 10 July, when five soldiers from 2 Rifles were killed by bombs near the town of Sangin