It's a record

And it's not the sort of record most of us are ever likely to try and beat.

Telegraph.

British Army bomb disposal experts have made safe a record number of improvised explosive devices for a single operation on their current tour of Afghanistan.
Some 12 IEDs were found within 300 metres of each other on a route known as Bandi Barq Road in the Gereshk area of Helmand province.
The high-risk clearance operation found the devices, which ranged in size from 5-15kg and were targeted at vehicles and troops on foot.
All 12 were cleared by Warrant Officer Class 2 Iain Martin, Royal Logistic Corps.
The 39-year-old from Craigiehall, Edinburgh, said: ''This was a huge variety of IEDs, all within a short distance, and represented a real challenge for us.
''Our reward came when we had finished and an Afghan family came up on to the road with their herd of goats, looking around like they hadn't trodden on the land in years.
''The local people have confidence in us and our work to improve their lives, and that's a great feeling.''
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Davis GM, Commanding Officer of the Counter-IED Task Force, added that the bravery of his bomb disposal teams ''never fails to amaze me''.
''We know we are having a positive effect, not just for our own troops but also for local Afghans who approach us and express their gratitude for the UK troops helping to make their lives more bearable,'' he said.

Quite an achievement and very brave men. Whatever you think about why our troops are in Afghanistan, shouldn't detract form their bravery and compassion. These aren't the actions of "child killers and murderers" as some sections of society would name them, nor are they imperialists fighting an illegal war (it can't be illegal if our parliament says it is legal, think about it) Just brave men and women doing a job in a country where they probably shouldn't be. Yes I believe they should come home, no I don't believe that the situation there will improve any though they do some good against the Taliban and religious extremists there who treat anyone other than men in their tribes as less than human. Yes women can now be educated and perhaps live better lives, but I don't believe it's a war we can win. Sooner or later we'll leave and the Pathan (and other) tribes will go back to killing each other, it's what they do best. I doubt we'll see Afghan warriors in this country any time soon, unless it's Luton. Periodically we may have to go back in and destroy terrorist training camps, but that doesn't mean we need to keep troops there, just have the strike capability to do so.
Still for what it's worth, these guys and the rest of our Army there are mostly doing good work and I salute them for it, these guys saved lives by their actions and deserve thanks far more than this blog can give or even the Daily Telegraph. Yet I can't help but think that God forbid that any one of them should be killed or injured doing what they do it would have been worth our while being there.