If This Isn't The Start Of 'boots On The Ground' I Dion't Know What Is.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2872885/UK-boots-ground-Iraq-100-Paras-deployed-battles-against-ISIS-fighting-troops-region-2009.html

/// Paras will be authorised to shoot and kill jihadis if they come under attack ///

Ah that's good of them, at least they will only have one hand tied behind their backs then?

[sandyRoe]

Shouting is a step too far.

[Gromit]

Too little - too late.

Better not to send any than send a token force that is ridiculously out numbered.

[sandyRoe]

Wasn't there a report recently that motorbike riding members of the SAS were putting the fear of god into ISIS? A well deployed handful might be enough.

[vulcan42]

I hope our government isn't, for strategic purposes, telling us everything. According to the article, the Paras will be joined by other international forces,quantity unknown, to form a "ring of steel" around the camp, but I would like to think the SAS are there also, on a hunt & destroy mission.

[Gromit]

// The Islamic State (Isis) has recruited an army hundreds of thousands strong, far larger than previous estimates by the CIA, according to a senior Kurdish leader. He said the ability of Isis to attack on many widely separated fronts in Iraq and Syria at the same time shows that the number of militant fighters is at least 200,000, seven or eight times bigger than foreign in intelligence estimates of up to 31,500 men. //

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.html

100 is not a fighting force against tens or hundreds of thousand enemy. This is just so Cameron can stand up and say we are fighting extremists when in reality, we are doing next to nothing. Putting these men's lives in danger just so a failed Prime Minister can emit a soundbite about terrorism.

[youngmafbog]

The SAS have been out there a while. See my 8 a day post a week or so back.

I suspect many other covert operations are going on.

It is not reasonable to expect to be told everything, I really struggle to understand why people think it is. some things have to be kept secret for the greater good of all.

[zebo]

Surely the whole point of the SAS is that we don't know what's happening, there can be far too much transparency! I recall during the Falklands, a friend who is ex-SAS giving us a blow by blow account of what he expected to be happening, ten years later, turned out he was spot on!

[Orderlimit]

Good news

[Peter Pedant]

Isis have started shooting the journos so we will never know what goes on there - so long as the paras turn off their helmet-camz of course