Associated Press Writer
Monday, June 21, 1999; 5:18 p.m. EDT
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Peacekeepers clearing land
mines and booby traps from a school in Kosovo set off an
explosion Monday that killed two Nepalese soldiers and two civilians -- the first allied fatalities since the NATO-led force entered Kosovo on June 12.
Soldiers from the 69th Gurkha Field Squadron -- riflemen
from the South Asian nation attached to the British
peacekeeping force -- were helping clear ammunition in the
village of Negrovce, 20 miles west of Pristina, when a mine
or booby trap went off, NATO said. Two civilians also died and a third was injured. - End
The Gurkha Field Squardons in the Brirish Army are mercenary units that date back to the days of British Imperialism. The Gurkha soldiers are Napalese, and along with other colonial subjects regiments, such as British Indian regiments, Burmese Regiments, Sudanese Regiments, etc, provided the military need of the British Empire.
Regimental system: . Nepal maintains its own military structures and traditions, quite separate from the British, but also supplies Gurkha units to the British and Indian armies. During the Second World War, Nepal placed some its own regiments directly at the disposal of the Indian Army. The Gurkha regiments are an integral part of the British and Indian armies, but regarded by most outsiders as mercenaries. These soldiers serving abroad are an important source of revenue for Nepal. Britain and India maintain recruiting and training camps in Nepal, and maintain pension and benevolent funds for returned Gurkhas.
When India became independent in 1947, four of the existing ten Gurkha regiments (2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th) elected to join the
British Army, and the other six (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th) remained in the Indian Army. In 1994 the four British Gurkha
regiments merged to become The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
The term Gurkha (or, in Nepali, Gorkha) usually referred to soldiers of Nepalese origin who, over many generations, served in the legendary British Brigade of Gurkhas. Other regiments designated as Gurkha still served in the Indian Army as of 1991. As it has for more than 175 years, Nepal in the early 1990s served as a source of recruits for Indian and British Gurkha regiments. Retired British Gurkhas also served in specially raised security units in Singapore and Brunei.
Soldiers who served in the Royal Nepal Army usually were not called Gurkhas, although they also claimed to be the rightful heirs of many of the same martial traditions as their countrymen recruited to serve in foreign armies. The designation had no distinct ethnic connotation but derived from the name of the old kingdom of Gorkha (Gurkha), the territory that roughly encompassed the present-day district of Gorkha, in the mountains some fifty-six kilometers west of Kathmandu. Soldiers from the kingdom of Gorkha established an international reputation for their martial qualities during the eighteenth century by their successful invasions of Tibet. As the Gorkha kingdom expanded eastward across the Himalayas to Sikkim, the king's warriors, taken from all groups in the area, came to be known as Gurkha soldiers. Legend had it that Gurkhas never drew their service-issued kukri (curved Nepalese knives) without drawing blood, even if it were their own. Although probably a tradition of a bygone era, the legend added immeasurably to the Gurkhas' reputation for toughness.
The exploits and legends surrounding the Gurkhas are among the more memorable of modern military history. The old Gorkha kingdom was established in the mid-sixteenth century by Dravya Shah, the founder of the dynasty of Shah Thakuri kings that have reigned in Nepal ever since. Two centuries later, the Gorkha kingdom began a major expansion under the energetic, young King Prithvi Narayan Shah (reigned 1743-75), who conquered the Kathmandu Valley and unified numerous petty kingdoms while consolidating his control over an area substantially the same as that of modern Nepal. The first two regular Gurkha regiments, designated Sri Nath and Purano Gorakh, were raised in 1763. As Gorkha rule expanded, control over the conquered territories was left mainly to district governors (bada hakim), who were responsible for establishing military strong points and for maintaining a local militia.
The military prowess of the Nepalese soldier first became known in the eighteenth century, when forces from what was then known as Gorkha invaded Tibet. Within Nepal itself, certain ethnic groups, such as the Magar, Gurung, Limbu, Rai, Chhetri, and Thakuri, had much earlier won reputations as "warrior tribes." The Magar, Gurung, and Limbu furnished the bulk of the kingdom's soldiers up to the rank of captain. Higher ranks tended to be filled from the Thakuri, Chhetri, and Rai groups. These officers came almost exclusively from families of the ruling elite.
Until the middle of the nineteenth century, armies were raised when needed and disbanded when the need expired. This practice created a sizable reserve of trained veterans but resulted in a recurring unemployment problem. In general, only members of the higher castes were retained in military service between wars. The first steps toward the creation of a sizable permanent military establishment were taken by Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa, who governed from 1804-37 and who raised the army's strength from 10,000 to 15,000 persons. He also built arsenals, ordnance workshops, and cantonments. The large parade ground constructed at Tundhikhel in Kathmandu during that period still was in use as of 1991.
Gurkhas Serving Abroad
Despite Nepalese sensitivities over domestic and foreign criticism of allowing foreign armies to recruit "mercenaries" in Nepal, various Gurkha units continued to serve outside Nepal in the early 1990s. The only Nepalese-controlled unit abroad, however, was the Nepalese army battalion posted to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Small Nepalese contingents also have served in United Nations peacekeeping forces in Korea and the Congo (now Zaire). Unlike neighboring states, such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, Nepal did not contribute military personnel to the international coalition that defeated Iraqi forces and liberated Kuwait in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm campaign.
>From Kathmandu's perspective, the military and economic advantages
accruing from foreign recruitment of Gurkhas far outweighed occasional
criticism. Militarily, the presence of over 100,000 trained and
disciplined Gurkha veterans was a valuable human resource. Service abroad
widened their horizons, and
military training and discipline taught them not only how to obey, but
also how to give orders. Many Gurkhas gained specialized skills in
communications and engineering units, and most have had some
training in such practical subjects as sanitation, hygiene, agriculture,
and the building trades. The Gurkhas also played an important role in the
country's economy. The cash flow derived from annual pensions,
remittances to families, or monies taken home in a lump sum by discharged
veterans or by service personnel on leave represented a major source of
the country's foreign exchange. Remittances and
pensions contributed by British Gurkhas were estimated in 1991 to total
over US$60 million annually, or over twice the value of Britain's annual
foreign aid commitment to Nepal. Pensions from Indian Gurkhas also
represented a major revenue source. Gurkhas returning from duty in Hong
Kong also were able legally to import a few kilograms of gold bullion duty
free.
In some Gurung villages, about half of the families had one or more pensioners. For many families, hope of financial solvency rested on their sons returning home with a substantial sum saved during a three-year enlistment. Such income also directly benefited the economy, as money circulated in the purchase of consumer goods, the payment of debts, the purchase of land, or investment in small commercial ventures.
The British Brigade of Gurkhas was the most famous unit. By 1991 the brigade comprised about 8,000 soldiers--five infantry battalions and supporting units--most of whom were posted to Hong Kong. There was considerable uncertainty over the brigade's future, however. Cutbacks in British military commitments in Europe, coupled with plans to cede control of Hong Kong to China in 1997, left the brigade's future in doubt. Under a proposed scheme, the brigade would be based in Britain and would induct fewer than 150 Nepalese recruits annually. An informal lobby of former Gurkha regimental commanders exerted tremendous political pressure whenever the British Parliament considered changes in Gurkha force structure. Although some Britons considered the existence of foreign-recruited units anachronistic in a modern sophisticated army, much of the British public and defense establishment harbored strong sentimental attachments to the Brigade of Gurkhas.
As of 1991, there were more than 100,000 Gurkhas serving in over forty Indian infantry battalions and elsewhere in the Indian Army. Their pay and pensions, though not as generous as British benefits, also represented a significant contribution to the Nepalese economy. Almost all of the Indian Gurkhas served in ethnically distinct regiments commanded by non-Gurkha officers. In addition, about twenty-five battalions of Assam Rifles, a specialized paramilitary force descended from the old British unit of the same name, were staffed almost exclusively by Gurkha recruits. Gurkhas played no appreciable role in Indian services other than the army and paramilitary forces. As during the British Raj, successive Indian governments called upon Gurkha regiments on numerous occasions to put down domestic disturbances that were beyond the control of local police. Ethnically homogeneous Gurkha units often were considered more reliable than mixed units that might be tempted to side with ethnic kin embroiled in a dispute.
Singapore has maintained a small Gurkha contingent attached to the Singapore Police since the early 1950s. Composed entirely of British Gurkha veterans and commanded by British officers, the contingent performed guard duties and assisted the local police in routine security chores. The sultan of Brunei also maintained a 900-person Gurkha Reserve Unit equipped with light infantry weapons. As with the Singapore unit, the Brunei Gurkhas all were British Army veterans. The unit functioned primarily as a praetorian guard that protected the sultan--reputedly the richest man in the world--against any internal or external threat that might arise.
1st [King George's Own] Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
2nd King Edward VII's Own Goorkha Rifles(The Sirmoor Rifles)
3rd [Queen Alexandra's Own] Gurkha Rifles
4th [Prince of Wales's Own] Gurkha Rifles
5th [Royal] Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
7th Gurkha Rifles
8th Gurkha Rifles
9th Gurkha Rifles
10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
The Queen's Gurkha Engineers
Queen's Gurkha Signals
The Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment
The Royal Gurkha Rifles