Posted on 11/14/2009 6:38:13 AM PST by MinorityRepublican
One night in August, the Taliban stormed a local police station in this once-peaceful province and shot dead the governor's younger brother.
Since then, the governor has singled out a culprit: The German military, which he says refused to send a helicopter to rescue his brother as he bled to death.
"I called them and they said that wasn't a mission they could do," said Gov. Mohammad Omar. "They don't like to go out at night."
German officials said there was no way they could have saved his brother. They offered their condolences, and said the death is just one of several recent complications in a mission gone awry.
"We have always tried to do good things here, but the country has changed," said Col. Carsten Spiering, spokesman for the commander at the German base in Kunduz.
Germany's engagement, its first major exposure to a war zone since World War II, was supposed to confirm the country's emergence as a full and equal participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance. Instead, the operation has become a source of trans-Atlantic tension and raised questions about Germany's military readiness.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Did they pass?
raised questions about Germany’s military readiness.
Of course, insurgents, terrorists and revolutionaries realize that the major powers have handicapped themselves and they have been making the most of that for decades.
The world will be a better place when the major powers decide, "F*** it! We're napalming villages, and if anyone gives us any lip, we'll napalm them too! And yeah, we've got nukes and we're not afraid to use them either."
There would be more peace in the world if that sort of attitude became acceptable again.
NATO is useless, It has become a Cold War relic. I believe it’s time to restructure. Start a new NATO with Great Britan, Italy, Poland, and Georgia. These Countries have had our back since 9/11/01. They are not afraid to leave the wire.
I forgot to include the Aussies.
The Taliban has opened a northern front in Afghanistan to drive out German troops it senses are undermined by weak public and political support at home. German officials said the Taliban’s ruling Quetta council, led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, had ordered a campaign of attacks this summer which had seen security in the northern province of Kunduz plummet.
Diplomats said the German forces in Kunduz had been targeted as a possible weak link in the Nato-led coalition.
The 1,000 German troops in Kunduz have faced well-laid ambushes and booby traps killing four soldiers this year. One German official told The Daily Telegraph: “There has been very hard pressure from the Quetta council to open a second front here in the north.
“They are telling the fighters to do more and to do harm to what they consider a weak partner. We were always very careful about fighting and for historical reasons there is a debate about what we are doing here.”
He said security had plummeted since July and threats and attacks on contractors had stalled reconstruction projects.
I wouldn’t say the Germans is the weak link of the coalition. I would say USA right now due to indecision by President Obama. I think we will ultimately cut and run.
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