Soldier's guide to surviving Afghanistan war - written 92 years ago

Mirror ^ | 31/12/2011 | Paul Byrne

[Pan_Yan]

...

Cpl Kavanagh lied about his age to join the Cheshire Regiment at 15 and was sent to the Third Anglo-Afghan War in May to August 1919.

He wrote: “The endurance and experience gained by the tribesman from years of incessant raiding make him a formidable enemy.

“He will sometimes hide his rifle and appear as a peaceful villager.”

One tip to young recruits was: “Avoid shaking hands with a strange Pathan. They will seize with their left hand and stab with their right.”

Cpl Kavanagh continued serving with the British army and was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. He died in 1992, aged 87.

[Pan_Yan]

This might interest you.

[Blood of Tyrants]

What? None of the tips he learned?

[LearsFool]

I read Churchill on “The Malakand Field Force”, then Junger’s “War” (aka “Restrepo”). Things haven’t changed much over there in the last hundred years. (And they probably won’t in the next hundred either.)

[Cold Heart]

Avoid shaking hands with strange Ken yams.

[Rashputin]

When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier

Kipling

[Pan_Yan]

That’s some good advice from Kipling.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Pan_Yan, alas:

• Brit guide to Afghanistan survival... from 1919

[AnTiw1]

Those Afghans have some wicked knives.

http://www.museumreplicas.com/popup.aspx?src=images/product/large/1045_2_.jpg

[Eric in the Ozarks]

At your feet or
at your throat...

[Oatka]

At your feet or at your throat...

Another one: "Kiss the hand you cannot bite".

[Always A Marine]

Those were the first words that came to mind when I read the headline. Stone Age mohammedans...

[Notary Sojac]

Queen Victoria thought her army could subjugate the Afghans. She failed.

The Czar thought his army could subjugate the Afghans. He failed.

Brezhnev thought his army could subjugate the Afghans. He failed.

GWB thought his army could subjugate the Afghans.

[Pan_Yan]

I don’t know that Bush thought he could subjugate Afghanistan. He left enough men there to keep the Taliban out of power but not enough to control the country. Obama instituted the surge to try and “win” Afghanistan. We had to respond to 9-11 and I agree with Bush that it was going to take more than lobbing some missiles. I’m not sure our strategy was great and Bush had little hope of success fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq while being sabotaged at every step by the CIA and State Department.