British commando used Pasthun force to hunt Taliban in Tribal Areas: Report

A British commando led a Pashtun force to raid Taliban camps, hunting down kidnap victims and detaining suspected terrorists in tribal areas of Pakistan, a book revealed.

According to a report published in The Telegraph, Lieutenant Commander Howard Leedham, an ex-Royal Navy pilot recruited Pakistani Pathan soldiers to hunt Taliban. Breaking his silence after eight years, he declared this model for securing Pak-Afghan border.

The report said that the commando had worked secretary under the supervision of the US State Department in the tribal areas that border Afghanistan.

It noted, “Under a one-year contract, Leedham was granted use of an American fleet of seven helicopters and two fixed-wing planes to conduct anti-terrorist operations in support of local troops from a base in Quetta, capital of the restive province of Baluchistan. To do it he had to persuade a Pakistani general to allow him to recruit a handful of local Pathan soldiers.”

Lt Cdr Leedham tells his story in a new book, Ask Forgiveness Not Permission. In his book he noted, “For a moment in time there was a group of Pathans, there were some Pakistani military officers, there were American mechanics, there was me.”

According to the report, Leedham had left the British military after a career as a helicopter pilot for Royal Marine Commando. He had worked with an executive air service in the US when he was approached to take over a failing State Department programme in Pakistan.

The British commando taught the recruits the basics of desert warfare and gave an intense course in helicopter-borne assault techniques. In his view, the local Pathan soldiers really had performed.

Lt Cdr Leedham said the model he used — small teams of local fighters with tight security protocols that prevent tip-offs to militant leaders — could still be used to hunt terrorists even as Western forces pull out of the region.

Lt Cdr Leedham returned to the US at the end of his one-year contract at the age of 46. Today he lives in London and works in the financial world.

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Posted by Web Desk on Nov 29 2012. Filed under Pakistan, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.