In Saturday's British Daily Mail newspaper, a fascinating article about private security firms operating in Afghanistan.
"Western private security firms earn a fortune in Afghanistan, but as Nadene Ghouri reports, they've been accused of funding the Taliban, turning the locals against the British - and murder."
The mobile phone video footage of the attack is grainy and shaky, but the events are clear. A convoy of vehicles – trucks carrying Nato supplies, and four-wheel-drives carrying the armed Afghan and foreign guards who are supposed to protect the trucks – suddenly comes under attack from the Taliban.
A shockwave from a roadside bomb hits the lead vehicle like a huge slap in the face. The driver of the second lorry swerves around the smoking bomb crater. Two more lorries follow close behind. This is the golden rule in a convoy attack: don’t stop.
Behind the last lorry, a four-wheel drive turns off the side of the road to help the stricken vehicle. One of the guards, an Afghan, is hit by a bullet. He screams as his friends drag him behind a wall for cover.
Two of the Westerners jump out and take up position behind the bonnet of the car. One of them shouts into his radio: ‘Mayday mayday mayday’. Back at headquarters, the nearest military base is alerted: the convoy needs help.
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