| MCR |
Posted
on 03-Oct-01 02:39 PM
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>Source : ITN News
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>Soldiers from the Gurkha regiment have been
>sharpening the skills that could see them
>play a vital role in any military campaign
>in Afghanistan.
>
>The Gurkhas - highly experienced mountain
>fighters from Nepal - are taking part in
>joint British-Omani war games which have
>assumed huge importance following the
>terrorist attacks in the US.
>
>There is already speculation that the
>Gurkhas would be the first regular British
>ground troops to see action in Afghanistan.
>
>Diplomatic pressure is still mounting on
>Afghanistan's Taleban regime as the build up
>of British and US forces in the Gulf appears
>almost complete.
>
>The US Navy has sent another aircraft
>carrier, the USS Kitty Hawk, to the region
>where it will join three other carriers
>within possible striking distance of
>Afghanistan.
>
>The three ships already in the region carry
>a total of more than 200 warplanes.
>
>The Kittyhawk steamed out of port near Tokyo
>without its normal force of 70 warplanes and
>could be used as a possible helicopter base
>for raids by elite American special
>operations troops.
>
>The attacks on New York and Washington three
>weeks ago sparked the biggest US
>mobilisation since the 1991 Gulf War.
>
>The carriers Carl Vinson and Independence
>were already in or near the Gulf and the
>Theodore Roosevelt was believed to be in the
>Mediterranean.
>
Nepal's Gurkhas to help spearhead East Timor mission
The first of 250 British Gurkhas from Nepal have joined Australian troops as part of the multinational peacekeeping force being deployed to East Timor
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INTERACTIVE:
A look at the Gurkhas
September 17, 1999
Web posted at: 12:49 p.m. HKT (0449 GMT)
By Scott McKenzie
CNN Interactive
DARWIN, Australia (CNN) -- The Australian troops to be deployed in East Timor have been joined by some of the most famous fighting men in the world.
The first of 250 British Gurkhas from Nepal arrived in Darwin Thursday as the multinational peacekeeping force began to take shape.
The Gurkhas are the small men, with the big hearts and the even bigger reputations. Historically, they hail from the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, but these fearsome soldiers are deployed all over the world.
The unquestioning loyalty and obedience of the Gurkhas first came to prominence in the 19th century when they were taken into the British army to fight in colonial India.
Their fighting skills quickly became legend and their weapon of choice, the kukri knife, struck fear into the hearts of all who went against them.
In military circles, they're often considered the perfect soldier -- loyal, obedient and toughened by a heritage of mountain life.
For decades, the Gurkhas have been the first in and the last out for the British military in hotspots all over the world. Former British colonial outposts including Malaysia and Hong Kong were favorite postings for the men.
The Gurkhas first came to Nepal in the 12th century, when they were driven out of northern India by the Muslims. Today, about 3,000 Gurkhas serve in the British military and 50,000 in the Indian military.
The Gurkha's are recruited from among the Gurung people who live predominantly in a region of the Nepalese Himalaya.
A visit to the region yields scattered images of relative wealth in a country ranked among the poorest in the world. Gurkhas normally retire to their home villages where their residences occupy prime positions.
Their generosity is famous. Throughout their military careers, Gurkhas remit up to two-thirds of their wages to their families in Nepal.
Even to strangers, the Gurkhas are renowned for their generosity. It is not uncommon when walking through a Gurung village in Nepal to be invited by a retired Gurkha to sit for a time and share refreshments.
Putting a price on life
But the role of the Gurkhas has been under a cloud for many years as claims of discrimination against them raged. They have always been paid significantly less by the British military than their British counterparts despite being asked to take the same or greater risks.
One of the most recent reminders of the inequities came earlier this year when the Gurkhas were the first NATO troops deployed in Kosovo after the calling of a cease-fire.
A Gurkha sergeant was killed while clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Sgt. Balaram Rai was killed along with a British soldier in an explosion in Kosovo on June 21.
The two soldiers from the 69th Gurkha Field Squadron - part of the British peacekeeping force in the Serb province - died while working in the village of Negrovce, 20 miles west of Pristina.
Rai's widow was to receive a lump sum equivalent to $30,400, a $1,500 annual pension for the next five years and $1,230 every year after that.
The family of a British sergeant who dies in action would receive a lump payment equivalent to $87,300, six months' salary and then $24,300 every year.
>Heavy US B-52 and B-1 bombers, other
>warships and elite special forces have
>already moved to the Gulf, Central
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