One Bullet Away: Taliban Minefield Tactic

ONE BULLET AWAY // 82 I turned to a report on Taliban tactics. Their technique for moving through a minefield, according to the brief, was to put the unit in single file with the man at the front holding a large sandstone rock. Before each step, he drops the rock in front of him. If it falls on a mine, it will explode in a puff of dust, with the soft sandstone absorbing most of the blast. The point man may be stunned and temporarily deaf, but he will just go to the back of the line while the next guy takes over with a new rock.

A printed passage describes a Taliban unit crossing a minefield in single file by having the front soldier drop a sandstone rock before every step. If the rock triggers a mine, it absorbs most of the blast, and the stunned soldier moves to the back while the next person continues. The joke is the absurdly literal and grimly practical method, making it useful as a reaction to reckless problem-solving or passing danger along to someone else. EN: A printed passage describes a Taliban unit crossing a minefield in single file by having the front soldier drop a sandstone rock before every step. If the rock triggers a mine, it absorbs most of the blast, and the stunned soldier moves to the back while the next person continues. The joke is the absurdly literal and grimly practical method, making it useful as a reaction to reckless problem-solving or passing danger along to someone else.

• @rzeczyzabawne / 13003 2023-10-25