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British Troops let down once more by this government
The excellent EU Referendum hits the nail on the head with a post called “What’s it to be?”
From reading some US blogs it seems that via intelligence the Coalition was aware of Iranian orders to kidnap Coalition forces from a meeting around 13th – 18th March in reply to the serious damage caused to the network of Iranian operatives in Iraq, though the EU Referendum indicates earlier .
There was an attempt to nab some Americans near the border which was prevented by the Americans using their guns to defend themselves, though some Iraqis went missing, presumably those that were part of the trap. And of course we should not forget the kidnapping and execution of 5 US soldiers which was carried out by Iranians earlier.
So the UK government knew that there was a risk.
Well the EU Referendum details very well with the operational inadequacies that allowed these troops to operate without any protection at all.
However it gets worse than that, on Hotair.com a USA commander informs them that the USA rules of engagement are a little bit more towards self-preservation and says that US naval forces would have fought back.
Then the former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Adam West says that the rules are very much de-escalatory because we do not want wars starting, rather than roar into action and sinking everything in sight (there he goes insulting the Americans again) we try to step back and that is course why our chaps were in effect able to be captured and taken away.
Well as we knew that the Iranians were looking to nab our people why did this useless government fail to change their rules of engagement, the buck stops with the UK Government for this even with the operational failure of the British navy they failed to act to the changing circumstances and saw once again that they are failing the British people and our soldiers.
The world is topsy turvy when professional soldiers, particularly the brass, talk and behave like flower people or pansys, while the civies want some action.
As for Admiral Sir Adam West insulting the Americans - he should be ashamed that Americans are more concerned about the future of their British allies in captivity in Iran then senior officers in the British military.
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But then, the officer and the political class have never valued the lives of ordinary British soldiers. NEVER. It is no wonder that the Americans, products of a far more egalitarian culture, are more concerned about the fate of the captive Brits then our won British officers.
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DP111,
That comment annoyed me, what an arrogant pompous statement, there is a time for going in guns blazing and that was perhaps one of them.
I have been really impressed by the level of support from the Americans as always.
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AjukDD
Did you see Blackadder in WW11. As usual it was very funny but there was a dark side to it, and what comes through, even in a comedy series, is the indifference the senior officers had for the common soldier dying in the trenches of dysentry and other diseases, the sheer misery of trench warfare. The degree of contempt that British army officers had for the common soldier was never in the Americam army. Whether it was in the Crimea, WW1 and 2, or even the Falkland and Gulf War 1, there was that indifference to safety of the British soldier.
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AjukDD
I'm glad you posted a link to EU Referendum. I read it daily as it gives a very informed analysis of military and defence matters, as well as the EU - far far better then you can get in any newspaper.
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AjukDD
Did you see Blackadder WW1 series. Apart from being very funny, it had a dark and tragic side to it. What came through was the indifference and contempt that the British officer class had for the ordinary soldier as he died in his own dystentry. We see that same indifference in the Crimea, WW1 and 2, Falklands war, Gulf War 1 and even now.
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PS: all this being timed out etc when posting comments is getting irritating. Can you do anything?
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I will try to have a look tonight.
By the way I cried at the end of the Black Adder episode when they went over the top, Lions led by Donkeys, but it has always been like that, the only reason we won at times was that our enemies Generals were even more incompetent then ours were... and of course the quality of our troops.
The EUReferendum is excellent on military matters and the EU, really good stuff on there.
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AjukDD
Yes, the last episode, when they went over the top, and the scene slowly turns to a field of poppies, was very moving.
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