Michael Yon video of British soldiers fighting in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

05 October 2009

In July, British soldiers and I boarded a CH-47 helicopter at Camp Bastion for the flight to FOB Jackson at Sangin where fighting is brutal. The helicopter was so stuffed with men, gear and supplies that the cargo was not even strapped down. We steadied the long stack with our hands and prayed that the pilots not begin flying violent evasive maneuvers. The tail gunner partially lifted the ramp to prevent bundles from tumbling into the skies, and that was it for securing the bundles. Just a week before, a giant MI-26 helicopter was shot down on final approach to this same landing zone. All aboard died in flames, as did two children on the ground.




This is, interestingly, the same landing zone where I would make the photos for The Kopp-Etchells Effect, dispatch, which was published in many languages around the world. Many readers have weighed in with ideas about the causes of the glow. Some say the cause is St Elmos fire or the triboelectric effect, or perhaps the piezoelectric effect. The actual cause does not seem to be surely known, according to J. Gordon Leishman, D.Sc.(Eng.), Ph.D., F.R.Ae.S., Minta Martin Professor of Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland. I dont know. Maybe its caused by angels. It definitely is beautiful.

We need more gear and more forces now. We can outfight these enemies and we can win the war, but at this rate a favorable outcome is difficult to imagine. This war shows signs that it will become more intense than Iraq at its peak. As with my twelve dispatches from 2006 warning that we were losing this war, the warnings over the past couple of years seem to be falling on incredulous ears. We will lose the war unless we get more troops and more gear soon.




This weekend we lost eight more soldiers in a firefight. I learned about it while they were still fighting, but did not report it until just before the media broke the story the next day. Still unreported, to my knowledge, sources tell me that FOB Keating was destroyed and that troops were under siege for up to 24 hours before Air Force Para-rescue got them out. (Subject to confirmation.) The fighting will only intensify. We can beat these guys, but not under current conditions.

The last two missions I did with British 2 Rifles ended in firefights. Due to bandwidth difficulties, only a small part of the video was uploaded. Those two firefights were melded into one short video. These are just typical hum-drum day-in day-out missions, nothing like what happened this weekend in Nuristan.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Michael Yon
• Military
• Shoot outs
• Fire Fights
• British
• Taliban
• Javelin
• embeds

[VampsAreLovee]

Wow , it's amazing how people can be so stupid . Whats with this war of England vs. America ? my dad is in Afghanistan right now w/ some british men, and last xmas we spent the holiday w/ them here in California . They were nice , I don't see where all this hatred is coming from .

[gamblino33]

all this arguing is stupid were on the same side.as ex british forces i take my hat of to uk and us forces plus the rest of the allies so lets just hope we dont lose any more men to this war.i tried to join back up but missed the age limit by months just because i wanted to to afghan and do my bit never mind and hope the boys come back safe.

[Hawaiian80882]

@killermodO: Thanks bro, there's tons of us yanks here who have nothing but respect and friendship for our allies. You and your buddies take care out there & a safe return home to your families.

Semper Fi

[killermod0]

@Hawaiian80882 I wish everyone on youtube could be like you. The comment sections need more civility haha.

[DrDerpwerth]

DEATH TO US AND BRITISH SCUM TROOPS! DIE YOU FILTHY FUCKERS! DIE!

[parcourkid]

@TheWassabassa The SAS and SBS still, to this day train U.S special forces, and when they dont, the U.S turns to British training manuals to train their troops. U.K and U.S are allies, and have been for most of history, from the trenchs of the Western Front to the landings in Normany, Stop being such a naive keyboard warrior with abit too much money to spend on toy guns, and stop posting vulgar, false facts of youtube.

Peace :)

[gladifly]

why is everyone being stereotypical the british and American army are practically the same army (as in if someone fucks with one of us they will be fucking with both of us)

[Hawaiian80882]

After 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sometimes one must wonder if the rude and vulgar comments posted here are coming from someone who has actually felt the sting and sometimes fear of battle, lost a friend or served in a combat area period: I have served beside British, French, Dutch and Canadian Soldiers, I enjoyed every moment fighting beside them knowing they were all professional warriors, true soldiers they are.

Semper Fi

[Hawaiian80882]

Spent some quality time operating with Brit's in the middle east: All I can say is that it was an honor serving beside our British allies, true professional soldiers. I'll serve with my friends from across the Atlantic any day.

Semper Fi

[uda97]

Im in the British army and have worked along side US forces and other Nato allies we are all fighting the same war and help each other, dont understand why every one is bitching, we are all fighting for the same side.

[madkyle14]

@Rachiejane1 you are just as ignorant what about troops from wales and scotland + n ireland all are heros not just english thinking their better than everyone makes me almost as annoyed as when an american says there better than a european were all the same!