Second Victoria Cross for Australia awarded recently;

Here is the citation.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/...6-1225993174364

And part of an interview with the corporal;

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3119463.htm

Three German troops were killed and several wounded in Baghlan today when an Afghan Army member unloaded his assault rifle into the unsuspecting soldiers.

Rest in peace!

And in combat operations an infantry fighting vehicle got struck by an RPG today. Four crewmen were wounded in action, the vehicle is severely damaged.

FDF's ISAF unit suffered it's second KIA in Afghanistan. A Finnish peacekeeper was killed on Tuesday, 15th February, in the Samangan region of Afghanistan. The body was returned to Finland during late Thursday.

Rest in peace.

The senior lieutenant's vehicle, apparently an RG-32M, was struck by a powerful IED explosion whilst en route to a firing range with another similar vehicle, causing the vehicle to turn over. The other 2 soldiers in the vehicle were unharmed.


pMaster, any idea what happened to that Afghani bastard afterwards? RIP... sucks when you can't even trust your "allies".

This post has been edited by Blackscorpion: Feb 19 2011, 14:21

The incident occured inside a combat outpost when German Panzergrenadiers were working to fix battle damages done to an IFV. The Afghan perp was able to gun down 9 troops from behind (! ) before he was turned into Swiss cheese by the surrounding Germans.
One German was killed instantly, two others died of injuries in the aftermath.

The worst part of this whole mess is that the incident could have easily prevented. German troops had a history with these ANA guys who were doing pot and had a reputation of being highly untrustworthy in combat. A couple of days ago, the alleged perp was involved in a harsh argument about the shocking fact that the food of the German troops in Afghanistan contains porc meal.

How hard would / is it whilst doing this sort of work to have 2 or 3 of your own men in a elevated position or somewhere with a good field of view in case the shit hits the fan.

The outpost is small, but usually the guards are busy enough with guarding the surrounding area.

That's the first informal tactic my cousin learned while deployed. Never turn your back on an Afghan unless your own guys are watching him/them. Never trust an Afghan, especially not if they're ANP. Unlike the ANA who can be deployed to all parts of the country, ANP members are local guys who can easily slip away in the confusion and find shelter with people who he is more than likely to share family ties with.

This post has been edited by JdB: Feb 19 2011, 16:26

It's not known if he actually was ANA or a Taliban with a stolen uniform, afaik. I don't know the infrastructure of the outpost or where the soldiers were standing when it happened but if one of the Afghans in a uniform suddenly starts firing even someone in an elevated position couldn't have stopped him right away.

Then again, even if you can't trust them (and I heard the same stories as well from US and German troops) the NATO needs the Afghans if they really want to give control back in 5, 10, 20 or 50 years. That's why our soldiers shouldn't point a rifle at them while doing the job down there.

If the guy really was ANA then the allied forces down there should start thinking about pumping more money into the ANA and making sure they receive more money (I think I read somewhat about 30€ a month - correct me if I'm wrong - while Germans earn almost four times as much in a day).

The pay for German troops in Afghanistan is their regular salary plus a bonus of 110 bucks a day, so a Private First Class makes a 160 daily.

Having said this, even salaries on that level wouldn't transform the Afghan security forces into a trustworthy body. I understand money can hardly break up the tribal bonds and the allegiance to what most Afghans regard as the "true way" of living.

Authorities say the perp was a fanatic and probably went rambo after smoking some pot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13820124



This one really has me scratching my head. I guess it's fortunate they were only firing their rifles and not some serious air defence kit.

This post has been edited by Daniel: Jun 18 2011, 14:43

Stumbled upon this on MP.net and had to share it :

NSFW Iraq Morgue: Female mortuary assistant's account :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aaxC7pbuT0...eedu&fmt=18

Clicky That was quite an unfortunate happening.

British understatement? We are not amused.

Rest in Peace.

Biggest single loss of life since OEF started. One wonders what the US media is saying over there about the event.

RIP Flight Lt. Jon Egging.

Now that NATO has climbed into bed with the Rebels its about time they slept in it and did some hard work instead of hiding behind a UN resolution. Fed up with our military being run by bureaucratic cowards who are happy to plink targets way out of their 'protect civilians' mandate but when it comes to actually getting involved they sit on the fence umming and ahhing and when it all goes to sh*t they blame someone else. Get a backbone and get in there, wipe the floor with any resistance and actually support the rebels not just now but later on when you call for democracy. Yes you need to give the rebels their victory but in 13 months time when break away rebel factions are denouncing the infidel west and attacking polling stations this statement will be right! and NATO/West will only have themselves to blame! :/

needed to get that off my chesty [/rant]

Some photos from the airshow up at RAF Leuchars -> http://photobucket.com/RAFL2011

Love the pics - and only the 8 Red Arrows too

They've just taken on three new pilots for next year I do believe.

Clicky A helicopter of the German Navy's Frigate "Köln" gives a leaden welcome to a bunch of pirates near the Somali coast.

The modern equivalent of having them hanging from the highest masts.

Courtesy of augengeradeaus.info.