professional soldiers

“They’re contractors, they’re IT professionals, doctors. They’re furniture salespeople. They’re not professional soldiers. They don’t want to fight a minute longer than they have to, but they’ve taught themselves to prepare for this war, and they felt they could teach themselves how to turn on a camera amidst battle.”

Still, we have heard complaints, notably from professional soldiers, that raw recruits have been sent to other fronts without inadequate training and thrust prematurely into frontline combat.

Through our time in Myanmar we meet people dressed in military fatigues, some carrying assault rifles and other guns – not professional soldiers, but farmers, students, ordinary people displaying remarkable resolve in the face of a savage conflict.

How could we climb the Pamir Mountains faster than five professional soldiers?

These people can't do what professional soldiers can do, explains Mr Cranny-Evans.