Poland will ‘rue’ the decision to send more 'peacekeepers' to Afghanistan, says Qari Muhammad Yousaf, spokesperson for those who do not watch television, listen to music but who do like their women with bags over their heads.
The Kavkaz Centre, a web site for radical mujahideen types reports that the Taliban High Command – which they refer to as the Islamic State of Afghanistan – warns that when Poland sends 1000 troops to the country in February they might not get a friendly welcome from everyone.
"I advise the Poland government not to send troops by reviewing its decision and this is my message to the parliament and people of Poland that Canadian and British troops which is considered very fierce, are in trouble, therefore you should not take this decision."
"We consider all foreign troops either they are in Afghanistan or planning to come to Afghanistan as invading forces and every Afghan thinks that it his duty to wage a Jihad (Holy War) against these forces, the government spokesman, Qari Muhammad Yousaf, told the Afghan Islamic Press news agency.
"The former USSR had made this mistake by sending 120000 troops to Afghanistan but faced defeat. Now a few troops can do nothing but to bring destruction to Afghanistan and increase their death rate." Poland should thank that their troops are not as active as US, British and American troops but what fate they met? The US showing its wisdom pushed NATO into an unjustified and wrong war and God willing the Polish troops will also face defeat, the spokesman predicted.
Oh dear.
More?
Better paid, better armed, better connected - Taliban rise again, Guardian, Sept 16
20 comments:
This sounds like the standard welcome given to all the Nato visitors to Afghanistan. It’s nice to see the Taliban take time out of their busy schedule of burning schools and de-capitating teachers to say "welcome".
Unfortunately until the ruling circles of Pakistan decide which side they are really on, there exists no hope in sight of seeing an end to the violence. What does Pakistan have to gain from an Afghanistan in a state of chaos? Also why do the Americans have so little influence there, you would think based on their massive aid to Pakistan it would be otherwise.
This Polish troop deployment will be a long term effort with more casualties than experienced in Iraq, lets hope something has been extracted from the Americans to justify this.
Great comments.
Pakistan secret service used to be the main backers of Taliban. At the moment the Northern Alliance have ‘control’. Pakistan has to please US. Pakistan on a tight rope as usual.
Poland has already lots of ‘off set’ deals in the arms trade etc. The Iraq oil refinery plan is a bit of a problem as people seem intent on blowing up the pipelines.
But Poland also wants to be seen as a player in the region. It’s about Poland remerging as an independent country. In fact, lots of things here are to do with that.
And when the Talib guy says about "US, British and American troops" he means US, UK and canadian troops - who are fighting with the British a very nasty little war in the southwest.
America thanks our Polish and British friends for fighting with us against Islamic fundamental terrorists. We wish you all safety. You are in our thoughts.
Top Cat
How will Poland react to casualties? Are they there for the long haul?
Poles are casualty averse. They have been lucky in Iraq beng in safe areas they only lost 17.
One of the conditions of going to Afghanistan is that they will go to Bagram airbase. Safe. But they are a mechanized division, which means they could be sent anywhere.
And anywhere is getting dangerous.
Lots of casualties? They will be brought home.
Beatroot, you forget that we do have some troops quite experienced in peacekeeping missions - polish troops stationed in Lebanon for more than 20 year. That also had some impact on safeness, they just know how to develop good relations with people around them.
I think sending troops to Afghanistan (or other missions) can be profitable for Poland. Not in terms of material gains, but as building our position in Europe, and strenghtening their military identity. And that is crucial for our defense, and who can tell what is going happen in Russia or Belarus in 20 years from now?
Besides, I see taking part in peacekeeping missions as the only hope for REAL modernisation of our army - not gear, but rather structures. I am sure there is still rather cold war mentality among high commanders, maybe these mission can help younger, more open-minded generation to gain some power and advance.
But, personally, I doubt that current goverment can really make it all working as it should. Anyway, these are mid- or even long-term issues, so...
krucafaks
All true of course. But those troops in Lebanon had an easy time of it. They were good peacekeepers because there was a peace to keep.
In many areas of Afghanistan there is no peace to keep. So being a good peacekeeper will not come in very good use this time.
How will sending troops to Afghanistan or other middle eastern countries strengthen Poland's position in Europe?
What is military identity? Who perceives this military identity?
What is it good for?
Most Americans have no idea that Polish troops are being sent to Afghanistan and most that do are just waiting for the next (anti) Polish joke to come out of it. I'm not suggesting that the latter is in any way appropriate but it is the reality. Oh hell, most Americans don't even have a clue where Afghanistan is, much less that the US armed and financially supported the Taliban for years.
And you'd think that bin Laden would have been nabbed in Pakistan a long time ago . . .
I think the Washington plan is for Poland to offer the itroops and others would follow. But nobody looks very keen. Peacekeeping is one thing, this looks nasty.
What good would it do in Europe? Poand does desperatly want to be taken seriously. It fancies itself as a regional power. It will be soon as well - a few years.
As far as more troops in general to Afghanistan: everuone says that troop deployment is only a quatre of what it needs to be. If the west wants to play nation building then it has to get its hands dirty.
What they are doing is neither one thing or another. Cheering from the sidelines is about all it is.
I would call it humanitarian posing. As usual.
"I think the Washington plan is . . ."
Exactly.
Kaczynski looks like a toady who will fall over himself every which way and then some to do Bush's bidding.
Why will Polish troops being committed to Afghanistan make other nations take Poland more "seriously"? Might other folks and governments look at Kacynski's toadyism and similarly consider Poland a nation of toadies?
Cheese and crackers -- it drives me batty to agree with Lepper.
what, no steppx yet?
Beatroot,
So being a good peacekeeper will not come in very good use this time.
You are wrong. It is always building the best relations with people around you. Every time you show them, that you really care, you protecting asses of yourself and your colleagues. Every abuse against locales is like killing your own troops. You can win a war like this only in two ways: by being a good peacekeeper or killing them all. And the latest is the only sure mean be successful, sadly.
And what are your proposals, anyway? Go back home and leave things as they are (they won't, they get even worse, that's for sure)? Of course, it will be much easier to and watch sitcoms, not thinking about what is happening there without NATO troops. Or in Darfur, or Kongo, or West Sahara.
May sound weird, but now there is only one solution - Hasta la victoria, sempre!
Sounds ironic, isn't it?
It is ironic - it's also wrong.
You are painting a picture of Afghanistan where we support the Good guys against the Bad guys.
Truth is we have supported what we are now calling the ‘bad guys’ before. It was many of the elements who fought the Soviets. Same in Bosnia. Then they were the ‘good guys’. Now these same people are the ‘bad guys’.
So we build up these people and then when they have become expedient the people of that have to get rid of them. Except they can’t. So we come running in to get rid of them for them.
Result: chaos.
So maybe the constant meddling in Afghan affairs has prolonged conflicts - not shortened them - between a colonial creartion that is really just the sum total of a lot of different tribes who belong to different clans who belong to different ethnic groups who have been at war with each other and various outsiders for a long time.
Afghanistan cannot be understood in the simple way you see it.
At the risk of flag waving, I'd say this *is* bad news for American forces and their helpful NATO allies. In particular, I refer to the contents of the link trailing your piece.
I find it incredibly easy to seperate Afghanistan from Iraq. And I must say this is a theatre of war from which we must have complete and total victory, be that eradication or surrender.
I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop on the opium trade. It's a natural two-fer. Not only the cash influx, but also the promotion of drugs on your western enemies. You'd think they would have picked up on that ages ago.
I wonder who is drawing up plans for the next phase and what they will be.
No, it's the cash to fight a war. . When Taliban were in power they firtually stopped the opium trade. In fact they restored some form of order to Afghanistan - whuch before was a chaos of war lords fighting for power. That's why the Taliban were popular with many at first.
Right. I couldn't disagree with the historical reality.
But I am saying the pro-Opium stance seems natural *to me* (for them). Hence, I've been waiting for it.
But, yes, of course you're right about how it was.
They are now growing 30 percent more heroin than the world market of adicts can inject/smoke! There is going to be a heroin mountain. Maybe they should sell it to the EU?
Hi there.
Just wanted to say we must Support the U.S. Marines.
Anyway, found a good support song and web-site on the internet to support the U.S. Marines
I liked it and thought that it is a good song. It is important now that all our troops know that we stand by them no matter what.
Check it when you can.
http://westandbyyou.net
Pass it on.
Thanks.
Dave
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