An out of date map of Afghanistan which borders on Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan, Sunday Times The 20 year military campaign by US Armed Forces, to destroy the Taliban did not succeed. 69,000 Afghan soldiers were killed fighting the Taliban over 2 decades. Democracy cannot be dropped from a plane at 13,000 metres. The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, the withdrawal of US air-power, the intimidation of Afghan soldier's families by the Taliban undermined the Afghan Army w

Gebirgsjaeger, Mountain troops, were supremely fit light infantry trained for mountain warfare supported by light calibre artillery and howitzers carried disassembled by pack mules, carrying heavy rucksacks while scaling mountains. From the high mountains of Norway to the Caucasus they fought with an élan and determination second to none. Why write about these long gone Divisions? The savage war in Yugoslavia is not documented because of the savage, bitter nature of the protr

Erskine Childers and Mary Spring Rice on board the Asgard, off Howth, Co Dublin, July 1914 Erskine Childers, English born, worked in the British civil service, served in the British Army in two wars, yet, he turned completely against the British presence in Ireland. Childers, born June 25, 1870, 151 years ago to Anglo-Irish parents was brought up in Ireland. His mother was a Barton of Glendalough House, Annamoe Co Wicklow, he spent long periods thee with his cousin who la