View Full Version : Gurkha ordered back to UK after beheading dead Taliban fighter
Surf n Turf
07-18-2010, 15:16
I don’t understand, what’s the problem – How do they “retrieve” the body parts of a Homicide Bomber ?
SnT
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.
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.
A source said: ‘Removing the head in this way was totally inappropriate.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295617/Gurkha-ordered-UK-beheading-dead-Taliban-fighter.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0u447ZnFW
I would hate to insult them.
I am sure he was going to send it back after the tgt was verified.;)
219seminole
07-18-2010, 17:40
A kukri is not a "ceremonial" knife, but a deadly weapon in Gurkha hands.
Remember, boys, you must play nice.
Ambush Master
07-18-2010, 18:12
Remember, boys, you must play nice.
Lacking a Sarcasm leaning Smilie i.e.:D You obviously are utterly CLUELESS!!!
Have a Very SF Day!!
Utah Bob
07-18-2010, 19:49
I would hate to insult them.
I am sure he was going to send it back after the tgt was verified.;)
Oh yes yes Sahib, Ghurkas are not being thieves you know. No sir! Would be bringing the thing back double quick at the Sgt Major's direction by jove.:D
I am sure he was going to send it back after the tgt was verified.
Yeah, by way of London Bridge.
Maybe the batteries ran down in his digital camera?;)
Stay safe.
Green Light
07-19-2010, 05:43
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.
Oops!
To me it sounds like he was thinking on his feet. I always thought that incoming gunfire was kinda insulting. He had a mission, the bad guys were trying to kill him. Let's call it a wash.
Am I to understand there is support for beheading as a legitimate course of action on the part of our NATO coalition forces? :confused:
Just askin'...
Richard :munchin
Peregrino
07-19-2010, 06:21
Am I to understand there is support for beheading as a legitimate course of action on the part of our NATO coalition forces? :confused:
Just askin'...
Richard :munchin
Personally - I'm utterly indifferent. AFAIC it's right in there with chopping off Che's fingers. Though I'm partial to Guy's response; digital cameras are easier. NTM severed body parts tend to start stinking after a while.
Am I to understand there is support for beheading as a legitimate course of action on the part of our NATO coalition forces? :confused:
Just askin'...
Richard :munchin
Well...it is one way to get a good DNA sample...and how else are they to prove they had the right man?
Besides, the Gurkha had surely noticed the difficult economy, so he just took an opportunity to get a head. :D
Buffalobob
07-19-2010, 06:50
Oops!
To me it sounds like he was thinking on his feet. I always thought that incoming gunfire was kinda insulting. He had a mission, the bad guys were trying to kill him. Let's call it a wash.
I don't condone mutilating the dead but if you have orders to bring back proof then you need to do something and not wait around all day trying to decide what to do. I might have done the same thing given the situation. Of course after a while you learn that the people who sleep on clean sheets and have hot meals three times a day never really understand the seriousness of people trying to kill you.
Green Light
07-19-2010, 06:51
Am I to understand there is support for beheading as a legitimate course of action on the part of our NATO coalition forces? :confused:
Just askin'...
Richard :munchin
Mission to either capture or make positive ID, under fire, and you come from some village in Nepal. I'm sure it made sense to him.
No worse than what they did to positively ID Che.
mark46th
07-19-2010, 12:37
Hey- The Bolivians cut off Che's hands to send in for fingerprinting.
When he get's back to London, he should get a medal and a promotion...
Well...it is one way to get a good DNA sample...and how else are they to prove they had the right man?
Besides, the Gurkha had surely noticed the difficult economy, so he just took an opportunity to get a head. :D
That was bad.
Well I hope the best for that Soldier, his intentions were not malicious, and unless you have a sample of his DNA to start with or fingerprints he made the right choice. I have a few friends that are alive and passed away that don't have all their parts thanks to roadside bombs in Afghanistan so forgive me if I don't sound sympathetic to their customs and traditions.:mad:
As I recall, the Taliban are engaged in suicide bombings. This implies, I believe, that an individual knowingly, willingly, associates themselves with a bomb. The device then detonates.
It seems likely this will spray body parts around the area. I wonder - do they have spatula squads to collect the residual? Or are they straining at the gnat of the removal of a head while swallowing the elephant of their own tactics?
Perhaps some devout Imam will point out that such tactics violate their fundamental beliefs and issue a suitable fatwa against those involved. Sadly, I have been unable to locate any trace of such a declaration.