Stardate 20011205.1424 (On Screen): About three weeks ago, shortly after the fall of Kabul, a group of planes landed at Bagram air base just north of the city and
unloaded a hundred Royal Marines plus an unidentified group of Americans. Some members of the Northern Alliance objected to the presence of the British (and there was a diplomatic scuffle which was quickly settled) but no-one seemed to mind the Americans. In fact, no-one seemed to even notice them. The press
never even reported who they were, let alone what they were doing there, and the Northern Alliance didn't object to their presence. Now it's revealed: they were elements of the 10th Mountain Division, and what they've been doing is to repair the airfield (and clear mines and unexploded ordnance). They're still being coy about the mission (they won't reveal the number of men involved), which is a bit curious. I think it's that they're trying to lay low to avoid worrying the locals, who are probably always going to be suspicious of foreign troops.
(discuss)
