4 Royal Marines hold off 200 Taliban

Blackleaf

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4 marines hold off 200 Taliban


The Sun



Danger ... Royal Marine commando watches for Taliban in Helmand



By VIRGINIA WHEELER
SEPTEMBER 29, 2006

FOUR Royal Marine commandos fought off an ambush by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, it emerged yesterday.

The group — who had only been in the war-torn country five days — held off the rebels for four hours on Wednesday until reinforcements arrived.

The heroes were helped by soldiers from the Afghan National Army in what marines have dubbed “Afghanistan’s Rorke’s Drift”.

During the battle, Pakistani mercenaries in the pay of Taliban warlords rained heavy gunfire and grenades from all directions.

The clash took place at an outstation known as Garmazia in the lawless Helmand region 30 miles from the Pakistan border.

The besieged commandos radioed for support with the message: “We are surrounded.”

At one point they looked death in the face as they were encircled by the advancing mob firing heavy machine guns.

They were only saved when an Apache helicopter arrived to hammer the insurgents.

The platoon house was too far from the main British base for a rescue party to be sent by land.

The marines, from 42 Commando, escaped with only minor injuries and two Afghan National Army soldiers were wounded.

A Royal Marines source said: “This was an amazing show of true British grit and heroism and a triumph against all the odds. Our marines showed why they are the best in the world.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “These men are incredible professionals — the best we have.”

Twenty-four British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since August.

Meanwhile NATO yesterday agreed to take command of peacekeeping across all of Afghanistan next month after the US pledged an extra 12,000 troops to its force.

America will provide 14,000 of the 32,000 NATO troops who will be under British command.

It will be the biggest deployment of US troops under foreign command since World War II.

v.wheeler@the-sun.co.uk
thesun.co.uk