Gurkas and their Kukris, recent news-fact or fancy? -- myArmoury.com

Ken Speed

Kicking around the internet I just found two recent articles about Gurkhas and their use of their kukris. In one, a retired Gurkha was traveling on a train and drove off forty bandits when they attempted to rape a young woman after robbing the passengers, In the second, a Gurkha on active duty is apparently facing a court martial for beheading a dead Taliban leader they were chasing.

Forty bandits? Hmmm...well, I wasn't there so I can't dispute the claim but they must have been pretty easily discouraged bandits to shrink from forty to one odds. The other story, sadly, seems mere believable given how we in the West do things these days.

OK, I suppose I need to say something to make this relevant to myArmoury subject matter. Well, these stories give me new respect for the Kukri i bought from another contributor here some time ago.

Lancelot Chan · Industry Professional

The first story was apparently a fact. I've checked several news articles and local news reports video... he had received medal from the government for his shown of bravery. It was not surprising. He killed 3 instantly and injured 8....His hand was seriously injured in the process. it was a crowded area and the others simply dunno what happened except their men were suddenly going down FAST! This could induce huge fear factor. Oh, did I mention that the Gurkha was trying to save the teen girl sitting beside him, who was eyed on by the bandits and was almost raped? The Gurkha in the story has a younger sister just around that age and the parents of the girl begged him to save her. He simply reacted as if she was his younger sister.

Luka Borscak · Posted: Tue 01 Mar, 2011 2:35 pm Post subject:

“They may have feared that more of my army friends were traveling with me and fled after fighting me for around 20 minutes,” he explained.

He fought them alone for 20 minutes! Tough guy!

Harry Lindfors · Posted: Tue 01 Mar, 2011 3:33 pm Post subject:

This is about the beheading in A-stan:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12956...ghter.html

Maybe theres something wrong with me, but this seems kinda understandable. Poetic justice too, the Taliban seem to do that kind of thing all the time...

Ken Speed · Posted: Tue 01 Mar, 2011 6:20 pm Post subject:

Harry Lindfors wrote, "Maybe theres something wrong with me, but this seems kinda understandable. Poetic justice too, the Taliban seem to do that kind of thing all the time.."

I suppose it could be argued very legitimately that this is not the place to discuss current political/military topics but we in the West sure seem to have figured out a very strange way to fight wars.

I thought it was interesting that even though the Gurkha soldier successfully used his kukri to decapitate the Taliban he was sent to kill the newspaper insists on identifying the kukri as a "ceremonial knife". Political correctness run amok? It seems his commanders want him to find a way to kill people but not be offensive about it. How does one kill someone inoffensively?

Things such as this convince me that I'm a 19th century man living in the 21st century.

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team