Eight weeks of Hel

HEROES Of Helmand was a true story of incredible courage. It told how 88 British soldiers fought off more than 500 Taliban for 56 days.

The siege of Musa Qala in Afghanistan a decade ago was the modern equivalent of the Alamo or Rorke’s Drift.

Our boys were outnumbered, outgunned and – they believed – rapidly running out of luck. Staff sergeant Ian Wornham, left, said: “I’d never encountered fighting like that. It was very intense. They were attacking from all sides, all the time”.

Worse, the 88 men of Easy Company, a mix of Paras and the Royal Irish, were in an unfortified compound, “not a defensive position in any sense,” explained commanding officer Major Adam Jowett.

The Taliban rained mortar shells and machine gun fire on them, at times coming close enough to lob grenades over the low mud walls. Miraculously we lost only three men, with 12 more badly injured before the ceasefire.

Easy Company’s bravery is beyond question, but it was never made clear why reinforcements weren’t sent.

In truth, it’s never been made clear why Blair sent our troops into Afghanistan at all.