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May 18, 2004
Albert and the Lion?
The famous poem from the Music Halls about "our Albert" and the results of his teasing a lion at the zoo springs to mind as I read the papers today. Twenty soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Regiment, on patrol in Iraq, were attacked recently by a vastly larger force of al-Sadr's "al Mehdi" militia men. The troops dug in and put up a spirited defence, radioing for support - which arrived in the form of more trrops supplied by the Princess of Wales Own Regiment.
A fierce fire fight developed, and the al Mehdi goons discovered that, if you kick the supposedly aged and infirm Lion that the British Troops represent, it can turn very nasty indeed. Due to ammunition shortages (thanks, Mr Blair, Mr Brown, and the civil service!) and the need to get in close and personal when clearing entrenched positions, the British units resorted to their bayonets. The result will give many at home and in Iraq pause for some serious thought.
In a battle which lasted just over 3 hours, two soldiers were slightly wounded on the British Forces side. The al Mehdi lost 35 known dead, 15 wounded seriously and taken into custody, 9 captured and an unknown number of other dead whose bodies could not be recovered from the river. The Iraqi Police are now "interviewing" the captives, a spokesman for whom said, "it shows how good the British are at defending themselves. It was a total disaster for al Mehdi."
An old African proverb says that you should not taunt a sleeping lion - it might have a mate in the long grass and they will combine to avenge the insult.
The British Troops may be under equipped, ill supported, and poorly served by the self serving politicians and civil servants who manage them, but they can still make us as proud as hell to be British. It's on a par with the Colonel of the Royal Irish Regiment (an armoured Regiment) who said after a battle against Republican Guard T-72's which engaged his Challenger II's - "Thirteen of theirs came in to bat against twelve of ours. The score was 13-0 in our favour."
Sadly, I do not think it will be long before we start to hear the howls of "atrocity", "brutality", and "war crime" from the contemptible likes of Amnesty International, the ICRC, and members of the British Labour Party and their "freedom fighter" comrades who seem to think that the troops should line up neatly and allow themselves to be killed or captured in the name of peace.
Treat that ilk with the contempt they deserve.
Posted by The Gray Monk at May 18, 2004 08:02 AM
Comments
Good post - it is as it ever was...
Posted by: Tim at May 18, 2004 12:54 PM
The Brit's are some of the best trained fighters in the world and this just proves that point once again.
Posted by: Matthew at May 19, 2004 05:38 AM
...Like the story of the single Aussie Soldier and the Iraqi platoon?
Must tell you that one some day...
Posted by: Peteski at May 23, 2004 07:04 AM