Frontline British troops are refused kit to fight Taliban

[jetsetter]

British soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan have had dozens of urgent requests for operational equipment turned down on cost grounds, it can be revealed.

Demands by officers for attack weapons and vital tools, as well as night-vision equipment and thermal-imaging devices used to distinguish friend from foe, have all been refused by the Ministry of Defence.

The revelation has sparked accusations that Tony Blair has reneged on promises he made to British troops just four months ago, when he pledged that commanders would be supplied with whatever they needed to "get the job done".

The Sunday Telegraph has learned that all four of the Army's mine protected vehicles (MPVs), used to extract injured troops from minefields in Afghanistan, have broken down. Officers have also complained that the shortage of Chinook helicopters, first raised by senior officers last summer, was still a fundamental problem for commanders in Helmand province, where 4,500 British troops are fighting the Taliban.

During an interview on British Armed Forces Radio last October, the Prime Minister said: "If commanders on the ground want more equipment – armoured vehicles, for example, more helicopters – that will be provided. Whatever package they want, we will do."

Mr Blair went further in a newspaper article, stating: "[British forces] will get, I promise, whatever frontline commanders tell us they need to complete their job."

But MPs and senior officers accused the Prime Minister of betraying Britain's armed forces.

Liam Fox, the Tory shadow defence spokesman, said: "This shows every promise made by Tony Blair to our troops was utterly untrue. This is a complete betrayal by this Government of all of those who risk life and limb for this country's security. It will disgust the British people that Blair's spin so callously puts our frontline troops at risk." Just a week ago this newspaper disclosed that the first official report into the war in Afghanistan stated that commanders had insufficient troops and too few helicopters and that the mission was lacking political direction.

Commanders regard the MPV as one of the most vital pieces of equipment in Afghanistan, where more than 10 million mines lie primed after 20 years of war.

Since last June two servicemen have been killed in mine explosions and three have been seriously injured.

One source revealed that the farthest the MPVs have travelled outside Camp Bastion in Helmand was just one mile. Another officer said that troops from Estonia and Denmark who were working alongside the Royal Marines were better equipped and had more reliable armoured vehicles than did British troops.

The officer said: "Tony Blair promised the troops anything they needed. Well, we need four more MPVs and we haven't got them; we need more night-vision equipment; and we need more troops."

Another source described the situation in Afghanistan as "farcical". He said there were reports of specialist soldiers such as engineers and signallers being flown by helicopter to remote out-stations to perform a "two-hour job" and being stranded for a week because of the helicopter shortage.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...21/narmy21.xml

Now this is just not right. What in the hell is going on here?

This was the reason given on another board:

Okay i'll keep this short.

Long and the short of it is this: We have a two party system, labour and Conservatives.
Labour is in power, and has accused the armed forces of being 'too conservative' because they have traditional views and values on certain issues.

This has meant that they have been denied vital funds for the wars they are fighting, and not being allowed the kit they need. This is politics effecting a war the politicians started, and until the army top brass are seen as being 'pro labour', they are not going to get a single thing they ask for.

In the US even with the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties both still support the troops themselves.

[Cobol74]

I actually think that this is not conspiracy but cock up. The Ministry of Defence (sic) is bloody rubbish and could not organise a drink in a pub to be honest with you. Shame it is soldiers lives on the line, my brother was in the army for 9 years and he tells me that the British Army is known as 'the borrowers' because of all the kit they borrow from other NATO armies. One American officer was on UK TV saying that the US Army do not mind too much as they know the kit will be put to good use.

[nomix]

I am not in favor of the war, but to be honest, I support the soldiers. Sending them to do a job that requires a tool, means you have to give them a tool.

You don't send a man to fix a car, then give him a bottle of coke, you give him a wrinch.

Get them the tools, make sure they are safe, they're risking their bloody lives for the stupid policies of mr. Blair and his boss, therefore mr. Blair must give them the tools they need. Even if he'll have to ask big daddy for the tools.

[Peter3hg]

This is disgraceful but unfortunately not in the least bit shocking. We may train our troops well but then we fob them off with either shitty cheap kit or no kit at all.

[vRS]

"Give us the tools and we'll finish the job"- Winston Churchill said that during WW2 tot he allied leaders, its disgraceful that soldiers are saying the same over 60 years on in 2007.

[jayhawk]

I think someone should finish what Guy Fawkes tried to start.

That is disgraceful. Truly.

[zenkidori]

I wonder if situations like this had anything to do with the falluja situation.

[trionic]

Some weeks ago I saw BBC reporter story about british troops in afganistan and I was stunned about lack of everything. Enemy was often seen but not even helicopter was send after them, there was no helicopter close support at all, pretty much nothing could be done, other than ordering air strike, which doesnt work against small mobile easy to hide enemy.
Often situation was like "taleban is 1km that way, we cant go there".

Pretty much flat desert, and guys using 50calibers of lightly armoured vehicles to shoot enemy. Enemy was so close that bullets were whistling over, I'm amazed that allied casualties are not higher.

Somebody should definitely loose their job, light recon troops playing cat and mouse....