Troops use up ammo as war with Taliban claims 14th life(UK)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/28/wtaliban28.xml

British forces suffered their 14th combat death in Afghanistan yesterday as commanders admitted that intense fighting against the Taliban meant they were using up missiles, rockets and spares at an alarming rate.

The vital Apache attack helicopters have been particularly hard hit with a senior Army source claiming that stocks of weapons and components meant to last until April next year could be used up "well before Christmas".

British combat troops are so few on the ground in Helmand province - effectively one battalion, 500-600 fighting troops, to cover an area the size of Scotland - that they are having to call in air strikes by American B1 bombers and other aircraft on a daily basis.

The eight Apaches in Helmand are operating at full stretch, answering calls for help from British patrols and small outlying garrisons. The £1 billion in funding promised by the Treasury for the intended three-year deployment is being used up at a much faster rate than predicted and Apache units in Britain will have to be stripped of their weapons, spares and flying hours to cope. The MoD may have to ask for more money from the Treasury or face cutting other budgets.

<snip>

It has also emerged that the Royal Military Police are investigating six shooting incidents in Afghanistan involving British soldiers. The circumstances are unknown. British paratroopers have, as senior commanders admit, been involved in the most prolonged period of intense fighting since the Korean War. What should have been a security operation covering a major reconstruction effort to win "hearts and minds" has turned into a full-blown war.

Sounds to me like things are going swimmingly! :sarcasm:

[IChing]

1. Denmark pulled out its troops story here:

COPENHAGEN: The Danish military leadership has withdrawn all of its troops from Musa Qala base in Afghanistan following massive attacks by Afghan rebels, Copenhagen’s Berlingske Tidende newspaper reported. The base is under British command

Many Danish soldiers had been injured - two seriously and several others slightly - in almost daily attacks since they occupied the base in the treacherous Helmand province, the newspaper reported.

The soldiers’ association trade union said the deployment in Afghanistan was poorly prepared and insufficiently equipped.

The soldiers had been sent to Musa Qala to assist in the reconstruction of a civil society in the region and then exposed to ’all-out war,’ the union said.

Defence Minister Soren Gade rejected the criticism. ’Nobody can remain in a place like Musa Qala for the long-term. That is why the soldiers have now been relocated to another place where they can have a breather,’ Gade said.

The army’s supreme command described the relocation as a ’planned relief.’

Denmark currently contributes 225 soldiers to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=101564

[rodeodance]

10. wise choice by Denmark

[The Straight Story]

2. My friend Jorge updates me from there about once a week now

He said it is hell at times, and they spend a lot of their time chasing down the taliban.

He commented once to a mutual friend 'man, we ain't even looking for bin laden, just chasing these thugs around all day'.

[rodeodance]

11. aren't these all part of the NATO peacekeepers?--not intented to look

for bin laden as far as I know??

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. This appears to be a replay of the Russian occupation.

However, without US made surface to air missiles the Taliban is unprotected from bombardment. Not that appears to be doing anything but slowing them down a little anyway.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Eventually the Earth will be consumed...

...by the sun and the insurgents will definitely be in their last death throes then---in about 5 billion years.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060808101247AARxgHX

[Rex]

5. But but but...the Taliban was destroyed by Rummy's Army.

Why would Fauxnews lie to me?

[Subdivisions]

6. What a complete an utter failure...

The neocons gambit to rule the world's oil is coming apart at the seam and the hornets nest is stirred.

It's going to be the best TV ever when these guys fall. We're a breath away from celebrating the downfall on this regime. The natives, as they say, are restless.

November. We win. They lose.

[krispos42]

7. Sounds like it's time to start using harsh language... n/t

[FlavaKreemSnak]

8. I guess the people in Afghanistan are not grateful either

I just don't think even Bushco really thinks stuff like that, I know he said it, about Iraq anyway, that he was upset because they were not grateful or because there is so much more anti-American sentiment for us to stamp out there, but you just want to go well hello. I mean how grateful would we be if some country invaded us? It wouldn't matter how much we think Bush sucks we would still have sentiments against the country that did it.

But what this story is really about I think is that England is going to have to have more foreign aid from us to pay for more weapons to stamp out anti-American and anti-England sentiments.

[rodeodance]

9. we lost Afghan when we left for Irag. Bad move for both countries.

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Trying to dominate Afghanistan broke the Soviet Union - it is no more . .

.
.
.

I hope this war and the one in Iraq,

will break the back of the USA.

Sorry guys,

but this empire-building of the USA has gotta stop -

hopefully in my lifetime,

but somehow I suspect not.

BUT

Like any other empirical nation, It WILL fall . .

History says so . .