The Gurkha’s Khukri Knife

New Gurkha recruits are learning correct use of the knife

Gurkhas Sharpen Up Knife Skills -- Daily Express

WITH the motto “must draw blood”, the Gurkha’s khukri knife has made the Nepalese soldier one of the fiercest and most feared in the world.

Now the British Army has reintroduced formal khukri training for its brigade of Gurkhas after a gap of more than 50 years.

The initiative, which sees a khukri package added to the Gurkha combat infantryman’s course, will teach new recruits arriving from Nepal how to properly wield the knife, develop a soldier’s aggression and ultimately instruct them how to kill on the battlefield.

It follows concerns by officers that Gurkhas, though extremely familiar with the curved blades, had lost some of the expertise needed to use them to maximum effect.

In 2010, a private from the 1 Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles narrowly avoided being prosecuted for war crimes after using his knife to decapitate a dead Taliban insurgent in Helmand province.

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My Comment: I have always been fascinated by the Gurkhas. The history, military culture, and training makes them one of the most feared and effective military forces in the world. I would easily put them in the category of US Special Forces, SAS, French Foreign Legion, etc..

The End Of The Gurkhas?

Nepalese soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment of the British army, Brigade of Gurkhas peel potatoes part of a traditional meal for Dashain, at Lashkar Gah district, Helmand province, Sept. 23, 2011. Jonathan Chandler/Courtesy U.S. Navy

Nepal's Fierce Gurkha Soldiers Find Themselves Under Siege -- Stars and Stripes

KATMANDU, Nepal - Deo Man Limbu sat in a veterans hall lined with pictures of old soldiers and reflected on his years of service, his battles and his dreams. The retired major with Britain's legendary Gurkhas faced the Argentines in the 1982 Falklands War, when being a member of one of the world's most feared fighting forces had its advantages.

Well before hostilities started, British military planners had encouraged photographs of Gurkhas sharpening their fearsome curved knives _ no one seemed to ask why you'd bring a knife to a gunfight _ and media stories about their fighting prowess.

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My Comment: Unfortunately .... the time of the Gurkhas is slowly coming to an end. Budget cuts .... a hostile Nepalese government .... a change in U.K. priorities .... yup .... the time of the Gurkhas are coming to an end.

Update: Even the Scottish are losing their historical regimental names.

Is The Era Of Gurkhas In The British Armed Forces About To End?

British Army Gurkhas take positions during a patrol in an area known as Hamburger Hill in Helmand province, Afghanistan Photo: PA

Gurkha Service In Britain's Armed Forces Under Threat From Nepal Government Bill -- The Telegraph

Almost two centuries of Gurkha service in Britain's armed forces is set to draw to a close after Nepal MPs backed a ban on recruitment when economic conditions are strong enough to generate alternative jobs.

A parliamentary report setting the Himalayan state's foreign policy, said the recruitment of Gurkhas to fight in foreign armies should be ended.

Its authors complained that since Britain granted retired Gurkha troops the right to remain in the United Kingdom, the amount of income Nepal earns from the arrangement has declined.

Those who support a ban say the recruitment of poor young men to fight other country's wars hurts Nepal's national image.

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My Comment: Maybe not now .... but one day the era of having Gurkhas serving in the British military will come to an end .... and yes .... that will be a sad day.

Gurkha Who Beheaded Taliban Soldier Cleared To Return To Duty

Cleared: A Gurkha has been returned to duty after he beheaded a Taliban gunman with his kukri knife - the curved blade seen being used in a demonstration by Gurkha soldiers in this file photograph

Gurkha Who Beheaded Taliban Soldier In Afghanistan Battle Cleared To Return To Duty -- Daily Mail

A Gurkha solider who beheaded a Taliban gunman and carried his head back to base in a bag has been cleared to resume his duties.

The private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand Province when the incident took place earlier last July.

The Nepalese soldier, who is in his early 20s, apparently made the decision to remove the head in a misunderstanding over the need for DNA evidence of the kill.

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My Comment: If this had happened in another military .... I doubt that such a soldier would have been reinstated. But .... Gurkha soldiers are who they are .... and when told to bring DNA evidence .... hmmm .... I can see how this could have been misunderstood .... cough, cough.

Gurkhas To Bear Brunt Of Cutbacks In The British Military

Around 140 of the Nepalese soldiers are to be told they face the sack Photo: REX FEATURES

Gurkhas To Bear Brunt Of Forces Cutbacks As Government Makes 2,000 Troops Redundant -- The Daily Mail

* Total of 920 soldiers and 930 RAF staff lose their jobs

* Chief of Defence describes it as an 'unsettling' time



Almost 150 Gurkhas were kicked out of the Army today, under the first wave of sweeping cuts to the UK's military.



A total of 920 soldiers and another 930 RAF personnel were told they were being made redundant - 750 of them against their will.



The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed which units were affected - but it is understood no RAF ground crews based in Italy and supporting operations in Libya were included.



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Update #1: Gurkhas bear brunt as Forces sack 2,000 -- The Telegraph

Update #2: Army chief: 'Gurkha job cuts regrettable but necessary' -- The Telegraph



My Comment: Today is not a good day in the British military .... not good at all.

U.K. Military: 150 Gurkhas Are To Be Sacked Due To Defence Cuts

Almost 150 gurkhas face the sack after they refused to take voluntary redundancy. Photo: PA

Anger Over 'Shameful' Sacking Of Gurkhas -- The Telegraph

Almost 150 Gurkhas are to be sacked due to defence cuts after only a handful volunteered for redundancy, figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph show.

Hundreds of RAF and Royal Navy personnel will also be made compulsorily redundant on Sept 1 as only half have agreed to take the voluntary package.

A total of 17,000 personnel will be dismissed from the Armed Forces over the next three years.

Only six Gurkhas have chosen voluntary redundancy out of the 150 demanded by the Ministry of Defence in the first tranche of sackings in September.

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My Comment: Amazing .... even the Gurkhas are getting the heave-ho in the U.K. military.

Hero Gurkha Receives Bravery Medal From The Queen

Photo: Decorated: Sergeant Dipprasad Pun, 31, of the 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles holds his Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

'I Thought I Was Going To Die... So I Tried To Kill As Many As I Could': Hero Gurkha Receives Bravery Medal From The Queen -- The Daily Mail

* Corporal Dipprasad Pun defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters single-handedly

* Used the tripod of his machine gun to beat away a militant after running out of ammunition

A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly defeated more than 30 Taliban fighters has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by the Queen.

Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, described how he was spurred on by the belief that he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint in Afghanistan.

His gallantry award is second only to the Victoria Cross - the highest honour for bravery in the face of the enemy.

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My Comment: There is nothing more that I can add to such a story except that legend of the Gurkhas being incredibly brave soldiers continues.

Famed British Gurkha Regiment Faces Disbandment

Gurkha soldiers with Prince Harry in Afghanistan

Gurkha Regiment Under Threat As MoD Spending Cuts Dig Deep -- The Daily Mail

One of Britain's most famous Army regiments could be sacrificed under drastic defence cuts.

Ministers risk being forced to take the axe to the Gurkhas in an attempt to save millions of pounds.

One military expert warned that the 'writing was on the wall' for the Nepalese soldiers, who have been part of the Army for nearly 200 years.

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My Comment: The writing has been on the wall for a very long time. The end of the Gurkhas will certainly be an end of a famous British and military institution.

Gurkha Beheads Dead Taliban Fighter For Identification Purposes

Deadly: A platoon of Gurkhas demonstrate their skill with their kukri knives in a training exercise, after it is revealed that one of their regiment chopped off the head of a Taliban fighter in order to find proof of ID

Gurkha Ordered Back To UK After Beheading Dead Taliban Fighter -- The Daily Mail

A Gurkha soldier has been flown back to the UK after hacking the head off a dead Taliban commander with his ceremonial knife to prove the dead man’s identity.

The private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand Province when the incident took place earlier this month.

His unit had been told that they were seeking a ‘high value target,’ a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man.

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My Comment: I can see the British Generals rolling their eyes on this one.

The Legend Of The Gurkhas Continues In Afghanistan

Cpl Deepak Gurung, 28, of 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles, is a popstar in his native Nepal, but is this year deployed to Helmand province fighting the Taliban Photo: Ben Farmer

How The Gurkhas Are Fighting The Taliban With A Smile -- The Telegraph

The Gurkhas are making a big impression on the people of Helmand province, but will that be enough? Ben Farmer reports from Afghanistan.

The Gurkhas have become the latest weapon in the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan. Recently, a gaggle of dusty boys and girls warily approached the unfamiliar figures resting in a ditch shaded by fig trees. Five minutes later they were giggling in the late afternoon sun, joking with the legendary Nepalese soldiers.

Southern Nahr-e-Seraj, in the notorious Helmand province administered by the British, was last summer the battleground of the bloody Panther’s Claw offensive. Eleven British soldiers died in fighting to secure a corridor from Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah, to Gereshk, its economic hub. The offensive tried to extend the writ of Hamid Karzai’s ineffective national government so it could bring health, education and justice to Helmand’s residents.

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My Comment: It is good to know that some traditions still hold in the British military.

The Gurkhas In Afghanistan (Video)

My Comment: I have always been an admirer of the Gurkhas and their incredible history with the British Army .... this video does not disappoint.

Hat Tip: Prairie Pundit

The Talk Of Nepal: The Future Of Its Gurkhas

Photo: A brigade of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers during a March 2008 operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Patrick Chauvel / Corbis

From Times Online:

The kukri strapped to Mekhman Tamang's hip belt is more than an ordinary family heirloom. When his father bequeathed the traditional knife to him 10 years ago, Tamang, a third-generation Gurkha soldier, also inherited the stout-hearted reputation tethered to thousands of Nepalese men who fought for foreign countries before him. Recruited by the British army in 1999, the 30-year-old soldier has braved hails of Taliban bullets during two recent stints in Afghanistan. But he is uncertain whether he will be able to pass down his kukri — or the Gurkha legacy — to his son.

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My Comment: A sign of the times .... everything is changing .... the Gurkhas included.