1 British commando dies in raid to free NYT reporter from Taliban

Nice going, guys, wiping out a bunch of people to rescue one person, i.e. the Westerner.

According to the BBC, Mr Farrell was also kidnapped five years ago in Iraq, so I wonder if he knows when to quit. If I was him, I'd be wondering how to sleep at night.

Shame on the NY Times.

Whoops! I just wonder if British Commando means the Royal Marine Commandos, the boaties from Dorset or the boys from down Hereford. Although there might not be much difference in terms of news reporting, these three units tend to use totally different tactics.

We will probably never know for sure but my guess is SAS. However, the SBS could quite easily have done it too.

If I was him, I'd be wondering how to sleep at night.

In the real world after a narrow escape one usually sits on the crapper after slugging down as much alcohol if it can be had or smokes the local weed.

not a complete sucess as is assiant translator was shot. i wonder how easy or what steps are tken by the rescuers to get a positive id before shooting ( if that was the case).

from bbc: "We were all in a room, the Talibs all ran, it was obviously a raid," Mr Farrell told the New York Times. "We thought they would kill us. We thought should we go out?"

Mr Farrell said he ran outside with his interpreter, who AFP news agency reports was a 34-year-old man working in Afghanistan while on a break from university studies in Germany. "There were bullets all around us. I could hear British and Afghan voices," he continued.

The correspondent said father-of-two Mr Munadi advanced shouting: "Journalist! Journalist!" But the translator was shot and collapsed. Mr Farrell said he did not know whether the shots had been fired by militants or their rescuers.

After all the NY Times has done to help to ensure US and British forces follow the rules of engagement in Afghanistan you would think the Taliban would be more grateful.

BBC now reporting that 4 people died in the rescue...

What was a Times reporter doing in the field anyway? I thought they just fabricated all of their stories from the comfort of their desks on The West Side...

maybe its more dangerous to not be the reporter but the people that assist them in these places... but i bet the priority will be on collecting the reporter though.

Its interesting the bbc news coverage as national bbc news website just focus that it was a british silder killed. the world news site versions headlines the 4 killed were killed. Maybe shows what some people care only about and dont care for.

Nice going, guys, wiping out a bunch of people to rescue one person, i.e. the Westerner.

The job was to rescue the journalist and they did it. Not much else to say.

If I was him, I'd be wondering how to sleep at night.

Really? Because if I were him I would be thanking my lucky stars that someone got me out of there before my captors put a round through my head.

The job was to rescue the journalist and they did it. Not much else to say.

There is a great deal more to say.

Really? Because if I were him I would be thanking my lucky stars that someone got me out of there before my captors put a round through my head.

You wouldn't spare a thought for the interpreter, the British soldier, and the two Afghan civilians who all got killed to rescue one Western hostage?

Well, I guess they did kill the hostage takers too, so that kinda also rescues possible future hostages....

All the NYT reporters in Afghanistan aren't worth the bones of one British soldier.

fleetwood77,

Heh, seems many Americans feel the same way about American soldiers and foreign civilians.