Gurkhas with Canadians at Kandahar

Our troops welcome their new compatriots in combat:

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- They are often referred to as human machines, soldiers with oversized hearts and lungs tucked into smaller than average-sized bodies.

Yet during a recent Christmas Day volleyball match, one observer on the court described the soldiers of the Royal Gurkha Rifles - in their floppy red hats - as "little Nepalese Santas."

Soft-spoken and exceedingly polite, the Gurkhas have become a key Canadian ally in Afghanistan, with the Rifles' C company fighting side-by-side during three recent operations in Kandahar province. Since they arrived in September, the Gurkha company has played an essential role in helping Canadian and Afghan soldiers chase insurgents out of Kandahar's volatile Zhari and Panjwaii districts.

"The Gurkhas are a very remarkable organization. They have very good fighters," said Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, commander of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. "We want to keep on working with them as long as we can."

Created following a peace treaty in 1816 between Great Britain and Nepal, the Gurkha brigade has since served as part of the British army.

Selected through rigourous testing in Nepal - Gurkha candidates must climb five kilometres carrying a 70-pound backpack in under 35 minutes - only one of 300 is accepted into the legendary British infantry regiment.

"We've got good quality blokes," Lt.-Col. Jonny Bourne, commander of the Royal Gurkha Rifles. "A lot of them come from particularly rugged backgrounds."

Besides working well with the Canadian soldiers, the Gurkhas have been praised for being able to communicate with the Afghan soldiers. Reared on Bollywood films, most Gurkhas speak Hindi, which is very close to Urdu, a Pakistani language [North Indian actually; the only native Urdu-speakers in Pakistan--though it is an offical language--are the Mohajir immigrants from India - MC] spoken by many Afghans.

But they are far best known for their physical prowess, including being able to carry their own weight in ammunition, gear and British-issued SA-80 assault rifles. This leg strength allows them to jump spectacularly high during their favourite game, volleyball...

At Kandahar Airfield, the Gurkhas have gained a quasi-mythical reputation among soldiers. After a recent, high-profile battle to chase the Taliban out of Musa Qala in Helmand province, word spread how insurgents fled at the news that the Gurkhas were coming.

"One Canadian soldier said to me, 'you guys must have magical, mystical powers,'" recalled 21-year-old rifleman Rajen Limu of C company.

"I think he was joking."..

About 500 Gurkhas are based at the Kandahar Airfield, but are regularly moved around to support troops in other provinces, including the Dutch and the U.S. forces. There are another 150 Gurkhas in Helmand province, supporting the British forces...

Update: And when old Gurkhas fade away...