Posted on 10/31/2001 2:25:02 PM PST by grimalkin
ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey has formally entered the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. The government of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has agreed to send a commando unit to northern Afghanistan. Turkish sources said Ankara's decision was in response to a U.S. request to escalate Turkey's support for the offensive against the ruling Afghan Taliban movement and Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden.
The sources said up to 50 Turkish commandos are being sent to Afghanistan. They said they would train the Afghan opposition to Taliban and not directly participate in combat missions. Until now, Ankara has provided Britain and the United States the use of Turkish air space. Ankara also cancelled an air and sea exercise in the Mediterranean to keep the area open for U.S. and British militaries.
Will they stop the training for Ramadan?
I'll bet no!
I remember another time, long ago, and place where the news reports said that "advisors" were being sent in to train the locals. Looks like we've got new allies. Welcome!
No, but they'll ask us to stop the bombing for Thanksgiving. Get it? Turkey! Bwa, ha ha. Err...(taps microphone)...is this thing on?
WFTR
Last Flight
Bill
These are probably Turkish SF, who have trained with the 5th and 10th SF Groups of the US Army Special Forces (and probably the 3rd Group, but I don't personally know). These are good guys, hard as nails and clever.
They are about as committed to Islam as the average USSF is to Christianity or Judaism, which is to say, not very. (Come to think of it I knew a Moslem in SF, too, and if he were still in he'd be a completely trustworthy teammate).
They are committed to follow the lawful orders of their government, and they are very pro-Western and secular. They are also very proud to be Turks and will regale you with tales of battles against the Russians (from 1854 and 1877!) as if they took place yesterday. I wish our guys knew our Founders as well as they know Kemal Ätatürk.
Many of the senior guys have combat experience against Kurds sponsored by Iran and Iraq, and advisory experiience organising Kurdish guerillas to fight against Iran and Iraq. (Hey, power politics can be ugly and cynical). The Turkish SF is also a drawing pool for the Turkish security services in their ongoing war with Islamic fundamentalists. (Remember, to the guys we're fighting, we're infidels, but Islamic nations that aren't "Islamic enough" are heretics which is just as bad. Maybe worse. )
The press have kind of confused the issue of what different special ops units do. For training and advising, the most likely choice is Army Special Forces, and the Turkish SF is set up just like ours. They do have two extra men per team, supply sergeants (which was a brief experiment in US SF in the sixties, when the Turks copied our organization).
Hope that this background is helpful to FReepers. No military secrets, just a portrait of a little known ally.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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