<

Blair Tells Troops: “We Must Fight or Let the Extremists Determine Our Fate”
War against terrorism: Oman Visit
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
(Time)
By Donald Macintyre / Independent.co.UK

"Beyond that berm<fonr color= red >* there are mountains just like Afghanistan. I'm due to be going home when the exercise is over, but we'll do what we are told to do. That's our job."

AL-SHA'AFA, Oman
A shirt-sleeved Tony Blair was flown by helicopter into the Omani desert on Wednesday to tell British troops wondering whether they could be called to serve in Afghanistan that they were in the "front line" of the battle to stop the "extremists, the terrorists, the fanatics."

In blistering heat, the Prime Minister was heard out with respect ­ and perhaps the slightest tinge of apprehension ­ as he told hundreds of servicemen and women that the experience they had gained in a joint exercise with Omani forces would "stand us in excellent stead for any trials we face in the future."

After lunching with troops in the main mess tent, Mr Blair told his mainly Britishaudience: "For all of you, you never know when you are going to be called on to risk your lives. Sometimes it's worth remembering why it is we need our forces and ask you to put your lives at risk in this way."
(More: Independent.co.UK News Source)
2001 © Independent Digital (UK) Ltd.

Dan
* Berm (French), or berme (Dutch), is a military term for a space before a parapet, sometimes misused (to the point of blatant acceptance these days) to label the mound of protective dirt in front of a foxhole. The term can therefore be used to reference a small hill. Pity the reporter didn’t know any of this, as he used the word “burn” for some reason, but definitely used the term to describe a small hill.