insurgents i think or at least performing their role as soldiers. I don't believe he meant off duty pub brawls.
i have heard of hand to hand occurring during building raids. Iraq has a famous one during faluja.
and the Australian commandos have at least 1 documented one in Afghanistan. I have linked that one before. With Paul cale.
so it defiantly does happen.
It happens, but not 'thousands' of times. If it happens with commandos and SF then it's because it's being done on an operation by them not as a matter of course with the troops.
The policy of the insurgents is not to engage in CQF, they lay down IEDS because they know they injure our troops not kill them, this is deliberate, they want injured soldiers because they know then that our countries will have to continue paying and looking after them for years, they know that the sight of injured soldiers will continue to hurt us for years to come. When the limbs of our soldiers are blown off by these IEDs the Taliban collect them and hang them in the trees to taunt our troops.
They will mortar a school killing the children because they know our troops will come to help even knowing it is a trap. There are occasions where the insurgents will attack directly of course but this is rarer than some will make out. I've heard boasting about fighting hand to hand before but it's usually just that, boasting.