tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860714.post113760564613955509..comments2023-10-05T11:42:57.648+01:00Comments on Grains of Sand: Imperial Grunts in Injun CountryCaspar Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04667141284390082748noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860714.post-1138789889562576432006-02-01T10:31:00.000+00:002006-02-01T10:31:00.000+00:00The last time British troops were in Helmand was d...<I>The last time British troops were in Helmand was during the second Anglo-Afghan war in 1880, and it was a disaster. The Afghans sent the British packing after a bloodbath at the battle of Maiwand, halfway along the perilous present-day road between Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. Writing from his sick bed afterwards, one embittered officer blamed the boardroom generals commanding the operation from faraway India. "Playing chess by telegraph may succeed, but making war and planning a campaign on the Helmand from the cool shades of breezy Simla is an experiment which will not, I hope, be repeated," he said.</I><BR/><BR/>The Wild Frontier, Declan Walsh, 31 Jan<BR/><BR/>http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1698587,00.htmlCaspar Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667141284390082748noreply@blogger.com