WHEN I LAST reported on the Gurkhas, the elite Nepalese warriors in the service of the British army, there was much anticipation that they would be unleashed on the Taliban. After all, about 150 Gurkhas happened to be in nearby Oman performing joint military exercises at the time of the September 11 attacks, and many of them were eager to do battle: “The attack on America was very sad and many lives were lost. It was terrible to watch on television. So I would love to go to Afghanistan to fight,” said one. “From what I have read, the Taliban are bad people, so the fight would be very just. I would even ask to go first,” said another.
So how did they do? Did the Gurkhas storm the Hindu Kush, run into dark caves with guns blazing, kukri knives flying through the air, beheading members of al Qaeda? Well, no, not exactly. As it turns out, they were never even deployed.
“There was simply no need for them,” explains Ian Kemp, editor of Jane’s Defence. “Gurkhas play an important role as light infantry. Here in Afghanistan, the need was for mechanized infantry, and the Gurkhas would’ve needed extensive technical training.” And because Gurkhas are in their own special category, they were not part of the commando units sent to the war zone, either for reconnaissance purposes or for target-spotting from the ground. Specifically, the British sent over the SAS (Special Air Service) and SBS (Special Boat Service).
But now Great Britain will also play a major role as peacekeepers in Kabul. Surely the Gurkhas could find their way here? “It’s . . . possible,” says Kemp reluctantly. “Right now you have the 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Royal Marines. But in time, Gurkhas could make it into the rotation.” Major Charles Heyman of the Royal Greenjackets puts a much more positive spin on things: “The Gurkhas are kept in reserve. The situation in this first phase was never dire and so they weren’t needed. Consider them the ace card. You don’t want to waste them simply on patrol duty.” Heyman served in the 99th Gurkha Infantry Brigade in Borneo in the 1960s.
Still, it feels like an awful waste of such good talent at a time when they could be hunting down members of al Qaeda. Heyman says the Gurkhas do best in the mountains–isn’t Afghanistan mountainous? And though Kemp says that training the Gurkhas for the current campaign could be time-consuming, it’s not like they haven’t been there before.
Between 1878 and 1880, the British Empire fought what became known as the Second Afghan War. In 1879, the British mission in Kabul was annihilated by the Afghans, and to recapture that city, a regiment known as the Kandahar Field Force was sent to the rescue. Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar led the men, who were mostly from the 5th Gurkhas and the 72nd Highlanders. But after relieving Kabul, the force had to return to Kandahar, which was also under attack. In August 1880, having survived fierce battles along the way, the Gurkhas and the Highlanders did indeed make it back. It was a feat unlike any other: In 23 days, they covered 305 miles. In “Valour: A History of the Gurkhas,” author E.D. Smith notes that this trek averages to “15 miles a day over the most difficult country imaginable.”
Other Gurkha units would also take part in the Second Afghan War. According to Smith, “in December 1878, the 3rd Gurkhas entered Afghanistan via Quetta, the terrain over which they had to march was so difficult that the bullocks of the gun teams broke down, whereupon the Gurkha soldiers were ordered to manhandle the guns on their march to Kandahar.” A more personal perspective on the campaign is gained by a letter recently published in the Daily Telegraph. Written in 1880 by Colonel Frederick Rowcroft, commander of the 4th Gurkha Rifles, the letter describes recent battles and the bravery of his men in glowing, albeit colonial, terms:
“At once a company of my gallant little Gurkhas rushed down a ravine that skirted the hill and intercepted some of these men and killed 16. . . . I never saw anything like the wonderful eagerness of our little Gurkhas in a fight. Literally you see the ‘light of battle’ in their round eager little faces!!!”
(Rowcroft’s letter actually ends on a funny note: “On the march back to Kabul we heard the horrible news of Gladstone being made Prime Minister! I climbed down off my noble war steed and lay down by the side of the road and was quite sick! I have not been myself since!”)
You can imagine the Gurkhas today, crawling and climbing through much of the same terrain, hunting down remnants of the Taliban, even hunting for Osama (and imagine if they had come upon John Walker). Instead, it’s the Delta Force and the SAS doing the job–which they no doubt can do. But it must be frustrating for the British Gurkhas, stationed back in cold and gloomy England, wanting to fight but having to sit around. Again, Major Heyman is hopeful: “I would say there’s a very high chance the Gurkhas will serve as peacekeepers in Afghanistan. After all, we’re going to be there for a while. Besides that, they’ve got a good 10 to 15 years in the service.”
And after that? “Many of them retire and receive a nice pension. And some of them are recruited by high-tech security firms,” says the major. In fact, because of their stellar reputations, you will find Gurkhas working for companies like De Beers, or in casinos, or as bodyguards to the rich and famous. Gurkhas are also now working for Royal Caribbean cruise lines.
So sailing through the Bahamas isn’t the same as hunting for bin Laden. At least they’re getting paid well and they get to see some really nice islands. And any fears you had about going on a cruise have now been dispelled.
Victorino Matus is an assistant managing editor at The Weekly Standard.
