Comments on: Wear Kevlar

Wear Kevlar

aqsakal — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:48:20 -0800

Camp Bastion, a sprawling, well-fortified British-run base in the desert in southern Afghanistan, is the size of the UK town of Reading and home to almost 30,000 people. Bastion - with its own water bottling plant, hospital, police force and even Pizza Hut - is widely regarded as a safe haven for troops. However, a Taliban attack breaching the perimeter and resulting in the death of two US Marines has shown it is not impregnable. What's it like inside Camp Bastion? Explore the graphical representation of the base ... to find out.

Residents of Reading, UK, will be interested to see how much of downtown Camp Bastion would cover.

By: public

public — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:49:40 -0800

Reading is surprisingly tiny.

By: Blue_Villain

Blue_Villain — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:58:55 -0800

How big is the base? Enter your postcode to find out:

So I'd imagine this is how you guys feel about things like Pandora and Hulu on that side of the pond, huh?

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:05:35 -0800

"So I'd imagine this is how you guys feel about things like Pandora and Hulu on that side of the pond, huh?" No, no it isn't, its not like that at all. Also Netflix.

By: jaduncan

jaduncan — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:09:06 -0800

Reading also has a Pizza Hut and oh my what is this in the reviews I don't even.

"Hands down the best pizza I've ever experienced. Most days they are extremely busy and the wait staff aren't on top of their game, but the pizza makes the wait worth it, mist of the time. They have two levels but they don't take advantage of it so for the most park your stuck squeezed into the entrance trying to stay out of the way and keep your place in line for a table. I'd definitely recommend this to friends and family."

Never would I have thought that the NAAFI would seem such a superior option.

By: echo target

echo target — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:13:44 -0800

If you're there, do you hear ever-present narration by a grizzled cowboy?

By: Steakfrites

Steakfrites — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:38:39 -0800

Does anybody else find it a little odd to see detailed plans and aerial views of a military base made so available? There is a war on, isn't there?

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:54:11 -0800

Seriously? Cheney gets to blur the VP residence in Google Earth due to, erm, security concerns, but we lay out the blueprints to bases plunked into the middle of enemy territory?

By: aqsakal

aqsakal — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:56:39 -0800

Well, they do say: For security reasons, the main image and video tour of Camp Bastion are graphical representations of the base and not accurate plans.

By: deanklear

deanklear — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:03:13 -0800

Enemy territory? Is that how we're describing the soil of nations we are occupying these days? Even on a purely tactical level, the game is over. The transition is failing, and every news story that says otherwise is propaganda intended to soothe western consciences about the abandonment of Afghanistan back to the fundamentalist militias that will inevitably control it. We don't need to pretend like we give a damn about the Afghani people anymore: we have drones.

By: jaduncan

jaduncan — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:21:01 -0800

There is a war on, isn't there? Absolutely not, it's a UN approved police action. We don't go to war any more, that's problematic under international law regarding armed aggression.

By: Ragged Richard

Ragged Richard — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:21:12 -0800

If you're there, do you hear ever-present narration by a grizzled cowboy? Not even once.

By: justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow

justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:59:17 -0800

Enemy territory? Is that how we're describing the soil of nations we are occupying these days? If it was friendly territory we wouldn't have to occupy it. (other than Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Honduras...)

By: T.D. Strange

T.D. Strange — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:08:08 -0800

"the abandonment of Afghanistan back to the fundamentalist militias that will inevitably control it." ...from the shiny new bases we helpfully constructed for them, using the billions in military hardware that we intend to leave for them to use.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:03:19 -0800

Taliban release video of planning for Camp Bastion assault