troung

Frontline troops are refused kit to fight Taliban

British soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan have had dozens of urgent requests for operational equipment turned down on cost grounds, it can be revealed.

Demands by officers for attack weapons and vital tools, as well as night-vision equipment and thermal-imaging devices used to distinguish friend from foe, have all been refused by the Ministry of Defence.

The revelation has sparked accusations that Tony Blair has reneged on promises he made to British troops just four months ago, when he pledged that commanders would be supplied with whatever they needed to "get the job done".

The Sunday Telegraph has learned that all four of the Army's mine protected vehicles (MPVs), used to extract injured troops from minefields in Afghanistan, have broken down. Officers have also complained that the shortage of Chinook helicopters, first raised by senior officers last summer, was still a fundamental problem for commanders in Helmand province, where 4,500 British troops are fighting the Taliban.

During an interview on British Armed Forces Radio last October, the Prime Minister said: "If commanders on the ground want more equipment – armoured vehicles, for example, more helicopters – that will be provided. Whatever package they want, we will do."

Mr Blair went further in a newspaper article, stating: "[British forces] will get, I promise, whatever frontline commanders tell us they need to complete their job."

But MPs and senior officers accused the Prime Minister of betraying Britain's armed forces.

Liam Fox, the Tory shadow defence spokesman, said: "This shows every promise made by Tony Blair to our troops was utterly untrue. This is a complete betrayal by this Government of all of those who risk life and limb for this country's security. It will disgust the British people that Blair's spin so callously puts our frontline troops at risk." Just a week ago this newspaper disclosed that the first official report into the war in Afghanistan stated that commanders had insufficient troops and too few helicopters and that the mission was lacking political direction.

Commanders regard the MPV as one of the most vital pieces of equipment in Afghanistan, where more than 10 million mines lie primed after 20 years of war.

Since last June two servicemen have been killed in mine explosions and three have been seriously injured.

One source revealed that the farthest the MPVs have travelled outside Camp Bastion in Helmand was just one mile. Another officer said that troops from Estonia and Denmark who were working alongside the Royal Marines were better equipped and had more reliable armoured vehicles than did British troops.

The officer said: "Tony Blair promised the troops anything they needed. Well, we need four more MPVs and we haven't got them; we need more night-vision equipment; and we need more troops."

Another source described the situation in Afghanistan as "farcical". He said there were reports of specialist soldiers such as engineers and signallers being flown by helicopter to remote out-stations to perform a "two-hour job" and being stranded for a week because of the helicopter shortage.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...21/narmy21.xml

__________________
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

Officer of Engineers

*** Eyes Wide With Shock ***

Well, that explains alot.

__________________
Chimo

glyn

__________________
Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

tankie

Unfortunately OOE , its happened in Iraq as well ref a SGT Roberts a tank cmdr who was ordered to give up his flak jacket to someone on the ground as there were not enough to go around , his turret was deemed enough protection ? A person may think fair comment ? however he was killed when on the ground trying to quell a riot situation ,apparently through he was killed by his own gunners actions ? but the fact remains after the enquiry , that his flak /protection jacket would/could have saved him, and the same can be said for the Military Police who were killed because they had no comms or enough ####### AMMO for their weapons

So i hope you can now see why the military (not all of course ) hate the name and sight of them lying bastards ( me included who hate them ) who govern this country at the moment and are making moves to guarantee a payrise to themselves , to take their pay to £100.000 a year ? whilst also ploughing into the E/U £1.5 million per hour ,and then deny basic equipment to lads in the field whom Bliar has now told that another ten years war may be on the cards for them .Reid the X card carrying communist , when he was minister for the MOD said we will be in and out of Afghanistan in 2 weeks without a shot being fired . ####hole .

The promise of more kit to Afghanistan was PROMISED by Bliar, and the other Brown ( MOD minister ) on BBC news , and apparently they are still waiting for it , i hope im wrong and they have now received it , but as yet i have heard nothing to verify it .

rant over .

__________________
TANKIE , WITHOUT WAX

Ray

Anyone has any news about the daredevil recovery operation where British troops strapped on the outside of a helicopter landed under gunfire and picked up the dead body?

I saw it in the news.

Great job, that!

Medals should be due!

__________________


"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

Stan187

Wow and I thought we weren't giving our troops enough. Penny pinching out of the budgets that are meant to support basic soldiering equipment. Simply disgusting.

__________________
In Iran people belive pepsi stands for pay each penny save israel. -urmomma158
The Russian Navy is still a threat, but only to those unlucky enough to be Russian sailors.-highsea

dave lukins

|Ray.not before the yachtpersons,footballers and the like get theirs first ,then ,if there is any left the HEROES!!