My pick for the next Medal of Honor recipient...
A Gurkha soldier has been flown back to the UK after hacking the head off a dead Taliban commander with his ceremonial knife to prove the dead man’s identity.
The private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand Province when the incident took place earlier this month.
His unit had been told that they were seeking a ‘high value target,’ a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man.
The Gurkhas had intended to remove the Taliban leader’s body from the battlefield for identification purposes.
But they came under heavy fire as their tried to do so. Military sources said that in the heat of battle, the Gurkha took out his curved kukri knife and beheaded the dead insurgent.
He is understood to have removed the man’s head from the area, leaving the rest of his body on the battlefield.
This is considered a gross insult to the Muslims of Afghanistan, who bury the entire body of their dead even if parts have to be retrieved.
Maybe we should ask Daniel Pearl for his opinion on the whole consideration for the dignity of Muslims thing.
I do believe his problem was he took his head from a dead taliban.
btw, I think most soldiers would give a thumbs up if they were allowed to.
Posted by: Texas Canuck | July 19, 2010 at 04:36 PM
Serves the bast$@&s right.
Why do you think the Muslims behead the infidel---because in their crazy world that's the ultimate insult.
Let's behead the dead terrorists, then bathe the severed heads in lard and cradle a football (pig skin, of course, the real deal) in the carcass's arms.
Sorry if that sounds a little harsh---I'm sick of allowing these monsters to get away with whatever they want while our side is unduly restricted. That's the recipe for failure and surrender. There's a place for the "moral high ground", but these people only respect superior force and cruelty.
Remember the Russians in Lebanon in the 1980s: One of their personnel was abducted for ransom by Hezbollah. The Russians promptly kidnapped a Lebanese Muslim, killed and dissected him, and had some of the body parts delivered to Hezbollah. Guess what? The Russians promptly got their man released unharmed, and had no more trouble with Hexbollah.
Contrast that with the absurd ROE under which Americans must fight now in Afpak---it's WORSE than the ROE in Vietnam. We have to do everything except read them their Miranda rights.
Posted by: Monnie | July 19, 2010 at 05:06 PM
Oh dear, we wouldn't want to 'grossly insult' the Taliban...
Give the man a medal, and make it part of the ROE, for god's sake.
Posted by: Marty | July 22, 2010 at 06:31 AM