Gurkha's back, Beheading Taliban's in Afghanistan

Gurkha's back, Beheading Taliban's in Afghanistan

A Gurkha solider who beheaded a Taliban gunman and carried his head back to base in a bag has been cleared to resume his duties. 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 last July.

The Nepalese soldier, who is in his early 20s, apparently made the decision to remove the head in a misunderstanding over the need for DNA evidence of the kill. 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. However, Army sources revealed at the time that he told investigators he had unsheathed his kukri – the symbolic weapon of the Gurkhas – after running out of ammunition.

'Thankfully he has been returned to normal duties having had a question mark hanging over his future for some time,' a military source told The Sun. 'This particular Gurkha is good soldier and has a good record.' The Gurkha faced a court martial and possible jail sentence if he had been found guilty of a war crime.

However, the decision taken was that the soldier was fighting for his life and did not have time to reload his weapon as his victim attacked. 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. British soldiers often return missing body parts once a battle has ended so the dead can be buried in one piece.

- Daily Mail

Flanker and Typhoon Dogfight Ex Indra Dhanush

Flanker and Typhoon Dogfight Ex Indra Dhanush  

Royal Air Force and Indian Air Force fighter pilots participating in Exercise Indradanush are full of admiration for each other’s capabilities and aircraft.

The two week exercise has seen four Su-30MKI Flanker fighters from 2 Squadron IAF deploy from Northeast India to RAF Coningsby to train with Typhoon FGR4 equipped 3(Fighter) Squadron. The exercise provides a rare opportunity for RAF pilots to test themselves against the fourth generation Russian built fighter.

Over the course of two weeks the complexity of the training sorties is increasing, starting from 1 v 1 dogfight to sorties involving up to 20 fighters.

Wing Commander Chris Moon is Officer Commanding 3(F) Squadron. He said: 

“First impressions of the Flanker are very positive. It is a superb aeroplane and it’s a privilege to operate our Typhoon alongside it. 

“The RAF and IAF both pride ourselves on operating some of the leading edge technical equipment in the world. However without the people to support that we are nothing so that’s where our real strength lies.”

His views were echoed by Squadron Leader Avi Arya, a Qualified Weapons Instructor responsible for training pilots on the radar and weapons systems of the Su-30. He said:

“Both are fourth generation aircraft and so are matched evenly, so the learning value comes from the person to person contact, it’s the man behind the machine which matters. All fighter pilots speak the same language, that’s the common thing we have and it’s very comfortable to learn from each other.”

Speaking shortly after his first encounter with the thrust vector equipped Su-30, Typhoon pilot Flight Lieutenant Mike Highmoor had no doubt about the values of the bilateral exercise:

“This is fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve flown against a Flanker this morning and it’s fascinating to see another air force do its thing in a different aeroplane. Flying against an aircraft which is equally comparable to the Typhoon isn’t something we get to fight against on a regular basis in the UK. It’s very exciting.

“It’s an incredibly impressive fighter but the Typhoon is a good match for it.”

Opposing Flt Lt Highmoor on that first sortie was Squadron Leader Amit Gehani who trained with the RAF in the UK. He said: 

“It’s going well. We’re flying a lot of missions that are proving our air combat missions. We brief on the ground, we go up there, set up the fights and thereafter it’s a free for all.

“The Typhoon is a good aircraft, a very powerful aircraft. The RAF pilots here are really amazing and flying with the Typhoon we’re learning a lot of new lessons from the RAF which we will take back to India. Of course we’re also giving some good points to the Typhoon pilots.”

On training sorties the fighters are being refuelled in mid-air by tanker aircraft from their respective countries operating from RAF Brize Norton. C-130J Hercules aircraft are undertaking joint parachute drops of RAF Regiment and IAF Garud troops while RAF and IAF C-17 crews are also training together. The exercise concludes 31 July.

 Edited by Wg Cdr Dylan Eklund published in Royal Air Force