Para's 100 yards away?

I see the Daily Mail page 2, is reporting a unit from the Parachute Regt were 100 yards away from the police station when the incident that resulted in the RMP deaths occured. But were not aware of the RMP's situation.

All very grey and speculative and the MoD have  refused to comment until ' the facts are known'

 

Hmmmm.....

 

And your point is?  

Two of the guys killed were former members of the Parachute Regiment (one of them had been in 1 Para, the other I believe toured NI on attachment to 1 Para while in the TA)

Do you really think that the 1 Para patrol in the same location would knowingly leave men to their certain death. The CO 1 Para has gone on record (Sunday Telegraph 29/06/03) as saying that this 'rumour' is complete nonsense.

There appears to be confusion regarding which patrol was where and for what reason, but this is a million miles away from hinting that one patrol left another in the shit.

 

 

Until the enquiry is held, and the verdict reached, no more posts along the lines of "Paras cause problems"

It's not fair on anyone. I imagine that Para patrol are beating themselves up something fierce. Even if it was impossible for them to have mounted a rescue, I believe, they still would have given it a go.

So let's not start fighting amongst ourselves, the press are gagging for quotes from Pissed off Pongos

I have spoken with a senior reporter from a Red Top. He has told me, there is no way his newspaper will start a finger pointing exercise

We will see.

 

There's no w
ay the PARAs would have left them behind.  They might have stirred up something which led into the unrest, but they wouldn't have left the lads there on thier own.   If they knew that there were squaddies in that town and weren't of the size to deal with it, they would have summoned back up.   There has been a f*ck up here and until the investigation into it is completed and the full story is known, the papers will continue to hint at anything they can.  Look how they conducted themselves (the hacks that is) in the early stages.  They have to sell papers lads and when the story dries up......well, just add a little bit yourself to spice it up.  Atrocious conduct, particluarly as the familes of the lads who died, want to know what really happened.  

Reporters = Kuntz with a capital K  

 

I've read several versions of what is supposed to have happened, the early reports placed the emphisis on the Para's winding up the locals, later editions talk about a crowd reaction to their being in the town, others to confusion regarding the searches. In all honesty I don't know which to believe.

What I do know is that 1 Para would not have left those lads if they knew they were there.

As for upsetting the locals because of weapons searches can someone tell me the difference between finding a rusty old rifle and a an RPG or mortar tube.................both can still be used against you to good effect. If you were in the next unit to take over and some of your blokes were KIA because the previous unit hadn't found these weapons in previous searches you would be rightly pissed off.


Six men died that day, finger pointing and second guessing what happened helps nobody.

If the moderators wish to amend the above please feel free

>>>>>Amended <<<<<<<<

 

Hear Hear Egg,

As you so rightly say - fingerpointing achieves nothing -except huge amounts of unnecessary angst. You are also spot on in saying that second guessing helps nobody.

There is a huge amount of work going on to get to the bottom of last weeks events. Suffice to say I wouldn't believe ANY of the reports mentioned in your first paragraph. The only truth was that the crowds had been wound up but that does NOT mean that the para's were the cause.......

If we start taking sides and infighting then the Iraq 'enemies of the peace' [sic] have gained a 'win'. Is that what we want? Methinks not. We need to quickly find out the truth - but that involves sifting through all the misinformation that is flying around. It doesn't help when our own people start believing the rumours and counterrumours........................

Nuff zed.

 

I am just reporting what I read.

 

The articles I saw also stated that units in the area (I don't recall reading the '100 yards' bit in my paper) were unaware of the RMPs' situation. People from those units who spoke to the press made it clear how upset, and angry, they were that communications weren't better. I certainly haven't seen anything in print suggesting any of the units in the area failed or abandoned the RMPs.

 

Current info suggests this tragedy was one of those incidents that 'with hindsight' could have gone better.  No shit.

Comms were inadequate.

The RMP Section shouldn't have been isolated, as they were.

Those in small Corps like mine, without the permanent backup of a full Bn/Regt of troops, will know that we all get sent out on questionable jobs to places we shouldn't really be sent.  Until the unthinkable happens, we just accept it and get on with the job - as do the main teeth arms of course.

The unthinkable happened last Tuesday, but the blame lies with a crowd of fanatical Iraqis with a bloodlust.  No one else.

Lessons will, as always, be learnt (hopefully).  Let's not sully the memory of those who lost their lives so bravely, by succumbing to sensational press reports with in-fighting and smart remarks.

 

Just watching the coffins of the six brave soldiers who died ..being carried off the plane at Brize Norton..BBC 1 now....

So very very sad. God rest them.
My sympathy and thoughts are with their families.

 

From past experiences, and as seen in some of my previous posts, I've no great love for the Para's or the RMP's.  However at times such as this, professional inter-unit rivalries should be set aside.
1.  Regardless of what capbadge may or may not have been in the vicinity of those redcaps, I honestly believe that had they known what the situation was then neither hell nor high water would have stopped them doing all they could to help them out.
2.  Watching the footage on BBC1 of those blokes coming home is breaking my heart.  My thoughts are with all those who knew and loved them.

 

I've just come from the rest room at work.  The collection of civvies on lunch break were peeved that the above coverage had/has disrupted the tennis coverage on the telly.  Very sad to hear them tut and moan, especially as each coffin came out of the back of the aircraft.

 

Statement from SofS today

http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/statement_sofs_2july.htm

 

I would have liked to have seen a statement in there condemning the dubious testimony of the Radio Sawa journalist, that led to the awful execution stories surrounding this tragic event

But that is for another day.

Rest in Peace.