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AFP

"I wouldn't come here without a gun" - Afghanistan

Fri Jul 03 09:38AM

'Hurry up... and wait' remains the military way of doing things, despite all the sophistication of modern warfare.

On an embed with the US military in Afghanistan, we spent eleven hours in the back of an armoured truck bouncing across the desert. A day of waiting around in the heat and the dust. And then a surprise change of plan, and a return journey all the way back to where we came from.

Then there's a sudden chance of a ride in a helicopter, and a rush to get to the air field. Sure there's a flight... in 12 hours' time. And after eight hours, they cancel it.
For the US Marines deployed in Afghanistan, such delays and uncertainty are part of the job.

"We don't know what day it is, or think about what we are doing tomorrow," said Sergeant Heath Nall, a member of a Marine counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) unit. "We just keep working, and when it's time to go home, they'll tell us."

Being out in the desert, sleeping in hammocks hung between their parked vehicles, is where these small groups of 30 or so young fighting men like to be.

They refer to Camp Leatherneck, their headquarters in Helmand province, as the "funny farm" where too many people issue too many orders. Out in the field, they are closer to the action and free from the constraints of life on base.

When not clearing roads of bombs planted by Taliban insurgents, they spend their days tinkering with their MRAPs (Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected) trucks, sweating manically through the heat of the day.

Later, in the cool of the evening, they pump weights using full ammunition boxes hanging from either end of a heavy axe, clean their guns, or doze with their iPods.

They appear to survive on a balanced diet of PopTarts and Gatorade.

Embedded journalists, who are posted to live with the US Marines for a short time, are treated with curiosity and humour.

"Put it this way," said Lieutenant Mark Tucher as he surveyed the laptop bag slung over my shoulder. "I wouldn't come here without a gun."

In this blog, reporters and editors for global news wire AFP blog about the news they report and the challenges they face covering events from Baghdad to Beijing, the White House to Darfur. Ben Sheppard is an embedded reporter in Afghanistan.

Comments21 - 30 of 111

  1. some one said to bomb pakistan, i will say with out pakistan help its immposible for nato forces even to stay in afganistan

    sajahmed1970 From sajahmed1970 on Fri Jul 03 01:26PM

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  2. cheats,liars,embezzlers MPs & co ltd.should get their own (house)country in order 1st before pushing their faces into others affairs.bring the lads HOME NOW.let them be proud to defend our own country,Mr POWELL he told you how to do it,so called "prime minister.

    wilswilli From wilswilli on Fri Jul 03 01:56PM

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  3. In all fairness being an embedded reporter in Afghanistan takes a lot of guts and the Marine is right "I wouldn't go there without a gun either!"
    .
    parsec1 - I remember the Pacifist Liberals were up in arms during Desert Storm when an 'innocent' Goat Herder was shot, bleating on about their distraught family and show pictures of them crying - These goat herders were not innocent!!

    garenacreman From garenacreman on Fri Jul 03 02:25PM

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  4. we need to bomb india as india are supporting the taliban to kill the British and the American soldiers

    nazma_par From nazma_par on Fri Jul 03 02:28PM

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  5. War is unpredicatable, what can you say.

    marc.mckeown From marc.mckeown on Fri Jul 03 02:53PM

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  6. All we need to do is to think before we speak. We have not realized the fact that the leech is India, they are Taliban of Technology! isn't that right? Every Firtune 500 company in the US hires Indians and the next thing we know is people getting laid off (opposed to getting laid) because they later realize they hired @#$%, its too late then.

    abu.zamir From abu.zamir on Fri Jul 03 06:17PM

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  7. How on Earth is India supporting the Taliban? India, in case you hadn't realised, is a predominantly Hindoo and Hindoo governed country, and has no reason to support a destabilising Moslem movement. Don't knock India just because of the fact she has been successful in business.

    jamesehibbert From jamesehibbert on Fri Jul 03 06:37PM

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  8. Lions Led by Sheep

    roguetrooper6012 From roguetrooper6012 on Fri Jul 03 07:03PM

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  9. Opinion: but why are our soldiers in Afganistan? Because of 1. use of heroin in UK etc by disfunctional people 2. abysmal judgement by Tony Blair and the morons who [say] they govern us 3. following the US into any/ all totally lost causes - and that's before they've started. There are many other comments but I don't see any government minister's children puttibng their lives on the line for their parent[s] vote to 'go into' Afghanistan.

    mikedonoghue From mikedonoghue on Fri Jul 03 07:05PM

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  10. This afghan war will end just like all previuos afghan wars with our guys dying for nothing, for god sake I wish our political masters would gat a grip and make a hasty exit from the @#$% of the world that Blair/Brown and co got us into. we have financiel melt down in britain so just how much is Brown borrowing in our name to finance and fight this crazy adventure??.
    Bring bring our service people home and save lives and money to reconstruct our economy. Afghanistan is a bottomless pit.
    VivC

    acook1939 From acook1939 on Fri Jul 03 08:13PM

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