Badge of honour

BRITAIN’S crack Paras are going to war proudly wearing badges proclaiming themselves the Taliban HUNTING CLUB.

Sickened by the deaths of 117 Brits in Afghanistan, they are hitting back with a dose of black humour.

Troops from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment commissioned the grim badge to wear as they patrol hostile Helmand province.

It shows a skull caught in gun sights against a background of two crossed assault rifles.

The morale-boosting cap badge—which also appears on their T-shirts—bears the chilling slogan: “Final notice. Payment Due”.

And the army’s top brass are right behind the soldiers’ newly-formed club.

Lt Col David Reynolds, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “There are all sorts of badges being produced about the Taliban which raise a smile and boost the spirits of soldiers.

“When men are fighting in such raw conditions, black humour is often needed to get through the day. The Taliban are the enemy of the Afghan people and a target of ridicule.”

One para said: “Our badge simply raises morale and all the blokes are wearing it.

“Paratroopers are special. We like to look different so that people, and particularly the Taliban, will remember us.”