[southernplayer99]

The Taliban have claimed that they have executed a British soldier that they seized during a fierce gun battle against the British.

A Taliban source claimed he has been executed.

If the death is confirmed he will be the 375th British fatality in the Afghanistan War.



British soldiers in action in Afghanistan

Hundreds of troops were today engaged in a desperate search for a British soldier kidnapped by the Taliban.

The man - who has not been named - was seized during a fierce gun battle with insurgents yesterday evening in the Babaji area of southern Helmand.

'The soldier was captured yesterday evening during a firefight. When the fighting got more intense we couldn't keep him so we had to kill him,' Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an undisclosed location.



The MoD today confirmed that the missing soldier was British and his family had been informed of his disappearance.

'An extensive operation to locate him is under way,' it said in a statement. 'The individual was based in Central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours of this morning.'

British forces have cancelled all other operations to hunt for him. Troops are carrying out air and land searches across the sprawling district.

It is the first time a British soldier has been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It is understood that he had been based at Checkpoint Salaang and had just finished duty when he was taken.

An Afghan soldier reportedly told officers he saw the British man walk south and was alone at the time.

The Nato command in Afghanistan said the soldier had been listed as 'duty status whereabouts unknown' and a search was under way.

No further details were released. The spokesman would not comment on the Taliban’s statement.

It is believed the missing soldier may be a marine. He was operating in the area at the centre of a major British operation - codenamed Panther's Claw - in 2009. Number of fatalities in Afghanistan

USA: 1,531
UK: 374 (375 if the missing British soldier has been killed)
Canada: 154
France: 63
Germany: 56
Denmark: 40
Italy: 39
Spain: 30
Australia: 27
Poland: 26
Netherlands: 25
Romania: 19
Norway: 10
Georgia: 9
Estonia: 8
Hungary: 6

Others: 26

Read more: British soldier kidnapped by Taliban 'and executed' during gun battle in southern Afghanistan | Mail Online

[Maserati]

The Taliban have claimed that they have executed a British soldier that they seized during a fierce gun battle against the British.

A Taliban source claimed he has been executed.

If the death is confirmed he will be the 375th British fatality in the Afghanistan War.



Number of fatalities in Afghanistan

USA: 1,531
UK: 374 (375 if the missing British soldier has been killed)
Canada: 154
France: 63
Germany: 56
Denmark: 40
Italy: 39
Spain: 30
Australia: 27
Poland: 26
Netherlands: 25
Romania: 19
Norway: 10
Georgia: 9
Estonia: 8
Hungary: 6

Others: 26

Read more: British soldier kidnapped by Taliban 'and executed' during gun battle in southern Afghanistan | Mail Online

If true, this constitutes yet another clear violation of human rights by the Taliban. When you take a prisoner, their well-being is in your hands, also when it becomes difficult.

I can see the practical benefits of having talks with these people, but on a pure ideological and principal level, I screw that. Bomb the shit out of them...

[chodeasyday]

The Taliban have claimed that they have executed a British soldier that they seized during a fierce gun battle against the British.

A Taliban source claimed he has been executed.

If the death is confirmed he will be the 375th British fatality in the Afghanistan War.

Number of fatalities in Afghanistan

USA: 1,531
UK: 374 (375 if the missing British soldier has been killed)
Canada: 154
France: 63
Germany: 56
Denmark: 40
Italy: 39
Spain: 30
Australia: 27
Poland: 26
Netherlands: 25
Romania: 19
Norway: 10
Georgia: 9
Estonia: 8
Hungary: 6

Others: 26

Read more: British soldier kidnapped by Taliban 'and executed' during gun battle in southern Afghanistan | Mail Online

The British also lost troops in the First Anglo-Afghan War, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, all fought in Afghanistan. As far as I know, no Afghan troops have invaded England as yet.

[AricGoffgog]

The Taliban is not party to any agreements concerning POWs, nor have they earn any protections under them.

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised by this behavior.

[hoconnor6605]

If true, this constitutes yet another clear violation of human rights by the Taliban. When you take a prisoner, their well-being is in your hands, also when it becomes difficult.

I can see the practical benefits of having talks with these people, but on a pure ideological and principal level, I screw that. Bomb the shit out of them...

The Taliban have signed no international treaties as to how they would be limited in war. We're playing at war, they are fighting a war.

[DonnyKong]

If true, this constitutes yet another clear violation of human rights by the Taliban. When you take a prisoner, their well-being is in your hands, also when it becomes difficult.

I can see the practical benefits of having talks with these people, but on a pure ideological and principal level, I screw that. Bomb the shit out of them...

Clear violation of human rights? Fuck me. What in the name of the wee baby Jesus do you call the killing of innocent men, women, and children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen, by drone aircraft piloted from play stations in Nevada?
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb...ws21-2010feb21
The words "collateral damage" are classic Orwellian "goodthink," just like the words Quantitative Easing, recently invented to replace the older term, "currency debasement", which if done by private parties would be called "counterfeiting".

[G778G9P0]

The words "collateral damage" are classic Orwellian "goodthink,"...

I agree.

We should simply call it "pest control".

[Sliliashdes]

I agree.

We should simply call it "pest control".

No, Soot, before they invented the Newspeak, goodthink, phrase "collateral damage" for killing women and kids, the operative word was "murder", possibly second degree murder, but still murder.

From Dictionary.com

mur·der   /ˈmɜrdər/ Show Spelled
[mur-der] Show IPA
–noun
1. Law . the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder).

[artenotreah]

The British also lost troops in the First Anglo-Afghan War, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, all fought in Afghanistan. As far as I know, no Afghan troops have invaded England as yet.

Britain isn't fighting the Afghans. It's fighting the Taliban with the support of the Afghan government.

[Sleedyhex]

That missing British soldier has been found dead.

A member of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was snatched and executed by the Taliban yesterday after he inexplicably wandered off alone from a remote checkpoint in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier, Highlander Scott McLaren, 20, was reportedly shot in the back of the head and had other wounds.


Victim: Highlander McLaren, 20

Abdul Ahad Helmandwal, a local elder, said Highlander McLaren was grabbed by insurgents near the village of Kopak and killed a short distance away.

He said: 'They took his body to show the other Taliban that they had killed a British soldier. The other Taliban kicked the body and they threw him in the canal.'

But General Sayed Malook, commander of Afghan forces in Helmand, claimed Highlander McLaren drowned going for a 2am swim in the nearby Nahr-e Bughra canal.

He said the abuse happened after locals pulled the body from the canal: 'When they found the body the Taliban in the area started trampling on him, stabbing him and even shot him.'

But senior UK defence sources dismissed the claims. They said Highlander McLaren had 'died of two gunshot wounds', including one to the back of the head that indicated he was executed.

One insider cast doubt on the suggestion he had gone swimming: 'Who'd go for a dip in the middle of the night on their own in an area littered with IEDs?'

His commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Alastair Aitken added: 'He was a man with a big heart and a true friend to many. He was trusted by all and had a heart of gold.'

Major James Cross, Officer Commanding D Company, said: 'Highlander McLaren's death has come as a huge blow to all of us who have had the privilege of serving alongside him.'

Lieutenant Colonel James de Labilliere, commanding officer of Combined Force Nahr-e-Saraj (South) and 1st Battalion, The Rifles, said the soldier had been tasked with 'some of the most demanding' work during his month-long attachment.

Captain Callum MacLeod, Officer Commanding Fire Support Group and Multiple Commander, D Company, said Highlander McLaren was the perfect example of 'what makes a Scottish soldier great'.

'He was cool under pressure and unrelenting in the face of the enemy,' the senior officer said.

'The Multiple has been robbed of a friend, and the Battalion of a talent that was only just beginning to shine.'


Under guard: Flanked by British soldiers and security staff, Mr Cameron undertakes a walkabout at Camp Bastion

The incident happened on the very day that British Prime Minister David Cameron made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Cameron was told of the news minutes after arriving in the country.

The soldier's death is the 375th British military fatality in the Afghanistan War.

Read more: Scott McLaren: British soldier 'paraded in front of Taliban chiefs' after killed by insurgents | Mail Online

[HQTheodore]

Damn shame. I'll drink one to Highlander McLaren tonight.

[kvitacencia]

No, Soot, before they invented the Newspeak, goodthink, phrase "collateral damage" for killing women and kids, the operative word was "murder", possibly second degree murder, but still murder.

No, Tom, before "they" invented the Newspeak, goodthink, phrase "collateral damage" nobody even bothered to keep track of the unintentional killing of civilians on the battlefield or pay it any mind at all.

At no point in the history of humanity has the issue of collateral damage been taken more seriously than it is right now, nor has any nation on Earth gone to greater lengths and expense to minimize it than the United States has and is presently.

From Dictionary.com

mur·der   /ˈmɜrdər/ Show Spelled
[mur-der] Show IPA
–noun
1. Law . the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder). According to that definition, collateral damage is absolutely NOT murder:

collateral damage
n.
Unintended damage, injuries, or deaths caused by an action, especially unintended civilian casualties caused by a military operation. Back to the drawing board with you Tom.

You don't know history and you don't even know the meaning of the words you're talking about.

[Arbinknit]

No, Tom, before "they" invented the Newspeak, goodthink, phrase "collateral damage" nobody even bothered to keep track of the unintentional killing of civilians on the battlefield or pay it any mind at all.

At no point in the history of humanity has the issue of collateral damage been taken more seriously than it is right now, nor has any nation on Earth gone to greater lengths and expense to minimize it than the United States has and is presently.
According to that definition, collateral damage is absolutely NOT murder:
Back to the drawing board with you Tom.
You don't know history and you don't even know the meaning of the words you're talking about.

Let's take a look at where the US is trying to "minimize collateral damage" with drone-fired missiles:

!. In Iraq and Afghanistan where it has installed and is protecting Vichy governments.
2. In Yemen, Pakistan, and Somolia, where the US has not declared any type of war.

FACTS:
In 1953 the US and British governments overthrew the only democratically elected Muslim government in the Mid-East with Operation Ajax, and installed a vicious US puppet.
1953 Iranian coup d'état - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Today the US supports the repressive dictatorships of Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait, and Jordan.

You say I don't know history, so just keep your head buried in the sand and drink the US State Department Kool-Aid, and tell me that I'm wrong about those facts.

[theonsushv]

Britain isn't fighting the Afghans. It's fighting the Taliban with the support of the Afghan government.

And since every Afghan fighting the invaders is branded as "Taliban", and "Afghan government" -- is nothing more then an American puppet put in place by the invaders, Britain does fight the people of Afghanistan.

[AXGreg]

Poor kid. Had to die for selfish interests of parasitical elites...

[drlifeech]

A tommy went to Afghanistan to kill people and instead got himself killed. What a tragedy for the poor little pawn.

[Cemeuncex]

Damn shame. I'll drink one to Highlander McLaren tonight.

You and me both.

[Kghyutgykim]

And since every Afghan fighting the invaders is branded as "Taliban", and "Afghan government" -- is nothing more then an American puppet put in place by the invaders, Britain does fight the people of Afghanistan.

Britain is fighting the Taliban, not the innocent, ordinary civilians of Afghanistan.

If any Afghan, though, decides to join the Taliban, then tough.

[uranbigis]

A tommy went to Afghanistan to kill people and instead got himself killed. What a tragedy for the poor little pawn.

I take it there are no German soldiers in Afghanistan then?

You remind me of the Irish Republican loons on certain Irish discussion forums who condemn the "evil, British imperialists in Afghanistan" who then go strangely quiet when someone points out to them that Ireland has sent troops to Afghanistan, too.

And the Tommies have gone to Afghanistan, like the Germans, to kill Taliban, a medieval sect which believes that women should be treated like chattel and which murders girls on their way to school because it believes girls shouldn't have an education.

[aaaaaaaabbbby]

Britain is fighting the Taliban, not the innocent, ordinary civilians of Afghanistan.

.

You can repeat this mantra till cows come home, it will not change the fact that Taliban consists of Afghans. And they are not going to stop fighting until the invaders will leave.