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

[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.

[WachtAmWeb]

this video is from 2008/9, which is before the new MPT uniforms were being issued. It's surprising how long ago that seems, isn't it?

[Luke Phillips]

95 kit in Afghan ?

[001silky]

UK /USA

We stand united as ONE.

We felt Americas pain on 9/11 and we stand by you shoulder to shoulder.

Godbless the USA - from LONDON / UK

[pieoffire]

God dangit of i see another ignorent idiot who thinks warfare is some sort of game, who dosent care about the fact that so manny are dying, or just planly sqwabling about the uk and america, for crying out loud were on the same side!

[05lukeyboy]

i'm on my little bros account i have come back from Iraq on a honourable discharge after getting shot 8 times in the chest lung and arm because I'm British i think British troops are the best we've saved american lives and they have saved British lives i have seen my friends die children injured, america cannot afford to lose England as a allie as we cannot aford to lose america we are the only country's in the world that will never go to war with each other.

[Schohlück Zar-Kotzi]

Where are the videos that show british royal democratic mercenaries dying?!

[Connor Duff]

Brings back memories! 2 rifles herrick 10 in sangin, hardest 7 months of my life. Met micheal on pharmacy road. Nice bloke, shame he had to leave cuz he posted to much info online. Don't read all the comments but anyone who is arguing can piss off. U have no idea so shut the fuck up!!!

[btonyb123]

Yes they are brave men and you are. Some people on you tube are like children they write spiteful things just to get a reaction. Thanks for your service.

[ErraticConduct]

Cool story, bro.