Chirag Thakur

🇮🇳

[Archived Tactical @Archivedtactic]

Close quarter battle drill with highly experienced operators

[Spec Ops Magazine @specopsmag]

In 2022, SAS operators deployed to Syria against ISIS killed a man they believed was wearing a suicide vest. The engagement was over in moments. What followed lasted years.
Five serving members of the Regiment were later arrested by the Royal Military Police on suspicion of murder. Investigators sent case files to the Service Prosecuting Authority recommending prosecution, and the men spent close to two years under investigation before the Ministry of Defence confirmed they would not face charges.
The Sunday Times Insight team has now published the full story behind the operation and everything that came after it. The questions it raises reach well beyond one engagement. How should decisions made under the threat of a suicide attack be judged from a desk, long after the fact? And what does a process like this do to the men involved and to the unit they serve?
Accountability matters. So does the reality of the ground these men operate on. This case sits right where the two meet.

[Anchit Gupta @AnchitGupta9]

I’ve been fascinated by the mass public affection for Air Chief Marshal AP Singh as he nears retirement. I keep asking myself why.

We now fight beyond visual range. Increasingly, we live that way too. Yet Singh has crossed a distance that military leaders rarely do. People don’t merely admire him. They feel they know him.

Fifth-generation fighters, drones and AI are only the military expression of a much larger transformation in society. Technology now totally mediates how we work and interact. And yet, Singh’s public appeal rests on something simply human.

Traditionally, military leaders have been (perceived) as larger-than-life figures. Men to admire, look up to, even revere. Figures who inspire awe, but remain somewhat distant from the ordinary citizen.

Singh seems to have turned that archetype on its head. His appeal is not that he towers above the people around him, but that he appears entirely comfortable sitting amongst them.

Whether participating in public runs, joining for a few dance steps, interacting with schoolchildren, meeting next of kin or talking to airmen, he seems completely at ease with people. He understands their language, humour and cultural references. None of these encounters is particularly grand in itself. Yet, collectively, they have created an unusually personal connection.

And from my own interactions with him, I think there is something even more fundamental. He speaks his mind, certainly, but never seems particularly interested in establishing that he is the cleverest person in the room. He listens with intent. And when he listens, you feel he is genuinely interested in what you have to say.

This is not to suggest that other Chiefs have been any less warm, humane or eager to connect. Many may have been every bit as approachable in private. Singh’s distinction, I think, is how naturally he allows that side of himself to be seen in public. Even with cameras rolling, he seems completely comfortable being himself. It doesn’t feel staged or cultivated.

That is a rather different form of military charisma. The conventional archetype inspires people to follow him. Singh makes people feel that he is one of them.

And, in an increasingly impersonal world, that simple ability to connect has become more powerful than ever.

You expect politicians to understand this instinctively. What is remarkable is seeing a military leader do it so naturally.

Military sociologists will be studying this phenomenon for years.

[Sidhant Sibal @sidhant]

Indian Air Force C-130J conducts late-night casualty evacuation of critically ill civilian from Leh to Palam for AIIMS treatment.

[Global Index @TheGlobal_Index]

Deadliest battles in Human History

[National Revival @REVIVALNATIONAL]

The time has come.

[مستر @5_8fm]

عائلة بأكملها فارقت الحياة في لحظة واحدة على يد اقرب شخص لهم

رجل هندي من منطقة غريتر نويدا رجع هو وزوجته وأبنائه من مهرجان وكانت والدته عدت له هو وزوجته نودلز للعشاء وناموا وفي الصباح بدأت ام الزوج بالصراخ

لأنها وجدت ابنها هو وزوجته وأبنائه الثلاثة متوفين داخل غرفتهم وتم إبلاغ الشرطة

وأثناء استجواب الأم أخبرت الشرطة أنها أعدت لهم وجبة نودلز ولم تأكل معهم وذهبت للنوم وعندما استيقظت وجدتهم متوفين

لكن الجيران أخبروا الشرطة أن الرجل كان على خلاف مستمر مع والدة بسبب ملكية المنزل

معقولة أن الأم ممكن تكون وضعت السم في الأكل وتنهي حياة خمسه افراد من عائلتها عشان البيت ما حن قلبها على ابنها ولا حتى على احفادها الثلاثة

[Ghar Ke Kalesh @gharkekalesh]

Mumbai: First visuals of Tiger Shroff have surfaced after the reported firing incident in Juhu, showing the actor getting into his car and leaving the area.

[Bollywood Talkies @bolly_talkies]

#TigerShroff: A video purportedly shows the three assailants firing towards the actor and his car.

Extremely disturbing visuals. Such a relief to know that he is safe. 🙏

[Paul Golding @PaulGolding]

This is how the great Napoleon Bonaparte dealt with rioters.
Just saying.

[Iraola’s Reds @IraolasRedz]

I’ve fixed it 🐀

[Ashish Kumar @BaapofOption]

गुड़गांव कोई नहीं चाहता था। पानी तक नहीं था। KP सिंह ने उसे भारत का सबसे महंगा शहर बना दिया।

1970 का दशक, आखिरी साल। गुड़गांव दिल्ली के किनारे सूखी, पथरीली खेती की ज़मीन थी। मिट्टी खराब, पानी कम, न मेट्रो, न हाईवे। बिल्डर्स को नहीं चाहिए थी। निवेशकों को भी नहीं।

KP सिंह भी लगभग हाथ खींच चुके थे। 1975 में वे अपने ससुर की कंपनी DLF में अपना हिस्सा करीब ₹25 लाख में बेचने को तैयार थे। चेक टेबल पर रखा था। एक सलाहकार ने कहा, अभी रुकिए। उन्होंने साइन नहीं किया।

DLF ग्रेटर कैलाश और साउथ एक्सटेंशन बना चुकी थी, लेकिन 1957 के दिल्ली डेवलपमेंट एक्ट ने प्राइवेट बिल्डर्स के लिए दिल्ली बंद कर दी थी। तो सिंह वहां गए जहां कोई देख भी नहीं रहा था।

पहली दिक्कत थी कानून। प्राइवेट कंपनियां खेती की ज़मीन खरीदकर उस पर निर्माण नहीं कर सकती थीं। एक दिन राजीव गांधी की जीप सिंह की ज़मीन के पास खराब हो गई। ठंडी होने में दो घंटे लगे, और सिंह पूरे वक्त समझाते रहे कि एक प्राइवेट शहर देश के लिए क्या कर सकता है। ये उनका अपना बताया किस्सा है। बाद में हरियाणा ने लाइसेंस वाले प्राइवेट कॉलोनाइज़र्स को इजाज़त दे दी।

दूसरी दिक्कत थी किसान। सिंह ने एजेंट नहीं भेजे, खुद गए। चारपाई पर बैठे, चाय पी, शादियों और अंतिम संस्कारों में पहुंचे। अपनी आत्मकथा में वे लिखते हैं कि कई बार बिना ��ागज़, सिर्फ हाथ मिलाकर एडवांस दे दिया। करीब 3,500 एकड़ जोड़ने में लगभग 20 साल लगे, एक-एक प्लॉट करके।

तीसरी दिक्कत ये थी कि वहां रहने की कोई वजह ही नहीं थी। नौकरियां नहीं थीं। तो उन्होंने GE को पकड़ा। जैक वेल्च भारत आने से मना कर चुके थे। सिंह ने उन्हें बुलाने में मदद की, कुछ हद तक ताजमहल के सूर्यास्त के बहाने। कुछ साल बाद GE ने गुड़गांव में DLF की एक बिल्डिंग में छोटा-सा दफ्तर खोला, और भारत का आउटसोर्सिंग बूम वहीं से शुरू हुआ।

सरकार ने सड़क, बिजली, पानी नहीं दिया। DLF ने खुद बनाया।

आज The Camellias के फ्लैट, जो करीब ₹22,500 प्रति वर्ग फुट पर लॉन्च हुए थे, ₹75,000 से ₹88,000 में दोबारा बिकते हैं। उस इलाके में कुछ घर ₹100 करोड़ से ऊपर जाते हैं। DLF की कीमत क��ीब ₹1,50,000 करोड़ है।

जिस ज़मीन पर सब हंसते थे, उन्होंने वही खरीदी। फिर 40 साल इंतज़ार किया।

[Handleit Grips @handleitgrips]

💯

[Voices of WW2 @VoicesofWW2]

May 5, 1945. Hitler has been dead for five days. The war in Europe is almost over.

In a castle in the Austrian Alps, American soldiers, German soldiers, and a group of elderly French prisoners grab rifles and get ready to fight the SS.

Together.

The castle was called Schloss Itter. The Nazis had turned it into a prison for very important people. Not ordinary prisoners. Trophies.

Inside were two former prime ministers of France, Paul Reynaud and Édouard Daladier. Two of France's top generals, Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin. A famous tennis champion, Jean Borotra. And the older sister of Charles de Gaulle.

As the Reich collapsed in early May, the SS guards panicked and ran. The prisoners suddenly found themselves in charge of a castle, with weapons left behind, and a serious problem.

Waffen-SS units were still roaming the area. Fanatics who would gladly kill them all.

They needed help. Fast.

One of the castle's prisoners, a Yugoslav handyman, slipped out on a bicycle to find the Americans. Separately, a German army officer named Major Josef Gangl also went looking for them.

Gangl was a Wehrmacht officer who had turned against the Nazis and was secretly working with the Austrian resistance. He wanted to protect the prisoners too.

He found an American tank commander named Captain Jack Lee.

Lee was 27, tough, cigar chewing, and willing to do something insane. With a single Sherman tank and a handful of American soldiers, he drove up into the mountains alongside Gangl and a few of his German troops.

They reached the castle on May 4.

The French prisoners were not exactly thrilled to see a tiny rescue force. They had expected an army. Instead they got a few Americans, a few Germans, and one tank.

The next morning, the SS attacked.

Somewhere between 100 and 150 Waffen-SS troops hit the castle with machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank weapons. The defenders fought back from the walls and windows. Americans and Germans side by side.

The French prisoners refused to hide. Some of them, including Reynaud, picked up weapons and joined in.

The Sherman tank was knocked out. The defenders were running out of ammunition. It looked like the castle would fall.

Then Jean Borotra, the tennis star, volunteered to make a run for it. He jumped the wall, slipped past the SS, and sprinted through the countryside to find American reinforcements.

He found them. And he insisted on coming back with them to finish the fight.

During the battle, Major Gangl saw Paul Reynaud exposed to gunfire and moved to pull him to safety. A sniper shot Gangl dead.

He had survived the whole war as a German soldier, only to die defending French prisoners from the SS in its final days.

That afternoon, the American relief force arrived and broke the attack. The SS were scattered and captured. The prisoners were saved.

Jack Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross. In Austria, Josef Gangl is remembered as a hero, and a street is named after him.

It is believed to be the only battle of the war where American and German soldiers fought together on the same side.

[Weatherman Navdeep Dahiya @navdeepdahiya55]

A rare mid October evening in Gurgaon with "Satisfactory AQI"

[lord. @dudexverse]

my delhi is so beautiful in winters, best place for romantic dates, literally heaven on earth, except that fakir chand book store that shithole needs to be bulldozed.

[Nadim. @nadimspeaks]

If Congress come to power in 2029, I want them to deal with the likes of Vivek Agnihotri, Smita Prakash, Aditya Dhar, Paresh Rawal, Arnab Goswami, Anjana with brute forces.. they have destroyed the ecosystem of free spirited India.

[Samar Sheoran @samarsheoran]

Sawaal aisa karo ki gutka nigal jaye

[Chase Harris @chaseharris98]

Men who attract money & women all have this secret