Serving as peacekeepers in Bosnia, Nepalese Gurkha troops are winning hearts as they collect weapons left over since the Balkan country's 1992-1995 war from often reluctant and stubborn locals.
The Gurkhas -- part of the British army for almost 200 years -- use their prowess with both weapons and music to charm residents of the northern Bosnian town of Kotor Varos into giving up their illegally held arms stashes.
Before attempting to coax weapons from the locals, the Gurkhas soften them up by playing the bagpipes and drums to children, instead of Nepalese instruments.
PHOTO: AFP
The youths then watch in awe as they put on a fearsome display with their traditional 45cm kukri knives, that weigh around 1kg, and combine the effectiveness of an axe, machete, hunting dagger and woodwork tool.
"The kukri is our equipment for ceremonial prayers and it is our weapon when we go into operation or in the jungle. We always take it with us," said 36-year-old pipe major Dhir Bahadur Gurung.
The heavy blades of the knives create a blur as they whirl through the air, leaving the local children gasping at the mastery of the peacekeepers, snapping away on cameras to capture the moment.
"I saw them cutting a tree about 15cm wide with that hatchet as if it was grass. If any of our highlanders wanted to have a go at some Gurkha, he would be very surprised -- and definitely get beaten up," a local man said.
Gurkhas fought against the British army in the Nepal wars of the early 19th century, during which a mutual respect and admiration developed between the two sides.
The British, very much impressed by the extraordinary bravery and fighting skills of the Gurkhas, started to enlist them into their military ranks after a peace deal signed in 1815, and this unusual symbiosis has lasted ever since.
"It is a great strength to have such soldiers, but by their nature they are humble and respectful people," said the commander of the I Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Warrington.
"The only regiment [within the British army] that is identifiable in terms of race from which they are recruited is the Brigade of Gurkhas," said Warrington, a Briton who has been a Gurkha commander for 18 years.
Only a few hundred of the very best Nepalese recruits are enlisted every year to join the 3,600-strong unit.
"We are very proud to be British soldiers. Nepalese people think that we are tough soldiers," said Dhir Bahadur Gurung, whose family has a tradition of serving the British army.
"We have a very strong father-to-son tradition within the regiment. We have some people who are third or fourth generation within the regiment," Warrington said.
"It is quite difficult to join the British army because everyone wants to," said Captain Surendra Gurung, a 43-year-old Gurkha who has served the British since 1982, adding the main attractions were the wages and travel.
It is estimated that the British brigade of Gurkhas is the fourth largest foreign currency earner for Nepal's economy.
"We can operate in different environments, but we prefer the jungle. We go with British soldiers everywhere in the world and we do what we are told to do," the father three who has completed some 15 missions abroad said.
"I am starting to think that my son might join the army as well. So the tradition of serving in the British army will continue in my family too," he said proudly.
Most recently Gurkhas have been taking part in operations in the Balkans, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since 1998, peacekeepers in Bosnia have collected some 52,000 small arms, 38,500 mines, more than 225,000 hand grenades, more than 15.5 million rounds of ammunition, 33 tonnes of explosives and more than 60,000 other military items.
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