Posted on 01/12/2002 2:26:15 AM PST by Ranger
F.A.Z. KABUL. The first members of a German advance commando finally landed outside the Afghan capital after a two-day delay on Friday, the vanguard of what is expected to be a total German contribution of 1,000 soldiers to an international security force for Afghanistan.
The 31 German soldiers were the first of 70 German soldiers who left for Kabul from Cologne on Tuesday with stopovers in London and Trabzon, Turkey. After landing in Trabzon, the force was snowed in for two days.
The remaining members of the 101-strong commando were expected to arrive in the early hours of Saturday morning. Foreign flights into Afghan airports are restricted to the nighttime hours to prevent the visual contact necessary for targeting shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles.
Brigadier General Carl Hubertus von Butler, the commander of both the advance commando as well as Germany's contingent to the security force, said this mission differed from his past experience in peacekeeping in that everything had to be flown in from great distances. He added that the route was not without its hazards.
"But the most important thing is that we are well-prepared," General Butler said. "We can react to any eventuality here."
The advance commando is to lay the groundwork for the arrival of more soldiers from Germany over the next few days. The overall mission of the International Security Assistance Force, which at present has a six-month mandate, is to protect Afghanistan's interim government.
Meanwhile, a German naval group arrived off Sicily en route to taking up its station off the Horn of Africa, where it is expected to arrive on 27 Jan. The group's exact destination has yet to be determined, but Djibouti is considered by some observers to be most likely.
Jan. 11
We can leave the French and the Canadians at home plucking goose feathers; the Greeks and Italians fishing in the Mediterranean; and the rest of Europe and Asia building snowmen.
If we can work this out just right, our core coalition will be the 21st century "Allies Against Terrorism."
If the Eiffel Tower, or L'Arc de Triomphe, for example, falls down due to a terrorist attack, our responese would be, "Well, you weren't with us, so it's too damn bad. Go find some masons and ironworkers and fix your own problems."
Time to make some coffee.
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