Embattled US troops take cynical view of progress in Afghanistan

[laststeamtrain]

Source: Guardian

Embattled US troops take cynical view of progress in Afghanistan

Reintegration will be high on London agenda – but that might be hard for some to swallow, not least the US soldiers in field
Jon Boone in Bala Murghab
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 27 January 2010 20.54 GMT


It was meant to be a routine patrol. But when a group of 28 American paratroopers and Afghan soldiers found themselves pinned down by the Taliban it almost ended in a bloodbath.

As many as 90 insurgents almost completely surrounded the platoon from the 82nd Airborne as they walked across open ground. With machine gun and sniper fire coming from almost all sides, the only place to hide was a ditch a foot deep.

Enemy rounds ripped into piled mud sending dust into their eyes. The insurgents trained their fire on anything that came into view – kit, radios and helmets.

"We need help now!" Kell Anderson, the platoon's leader, bellowed into his radio, going on to warn that they were fast running out of ammunition and about to take casualties.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/27/us-soldiers-afghanistan

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. US troops are never cynical!

:patriot:

[KG]

2. i'm certain a stray cow will be along soon with a pocket full of FACT to tell us it's all worth it.

[Prometheus Bound]

3. Their Italian housemates were forbidden to help - tended the garden instead.

"While the US platoon were watching bullets whistle over their heads their Italian colleagues with whom they share a house were unable to help, and spent the time paving their section of the compound garden."

[PacerLJ35]

4. I have only been to Afghanistan a couple times, but I may have a chance to go there again

Possibility of a deployment in my near future. I'm curious to see how things are really going over there.