Germany’s Cowardice May Cause Canadian Government To Fall
TORONTO (AP) - Canada’s minority Conservative government said Wednesday it will ask Parliament to extend the country’s combat mission in Afghanistan, and indicated it might be willing to put itself on the line to make sure the unpopular measure passes.
The government motion will be based on recent recommendations by an independent panel saying that Canada should continue its mission only if another NATO country musters 1,000 troops for Afghanistan’s dangerous south.
Prime Minister’s Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is under pressure to withdraw its 2,500 troops from Kandahar province, the former Taliban stronghold, after the deaths of 78 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat. The mission is set to expire in 2009 without an extension by Canadian lawmakers.
The refusal of some major European allies to send significant number of troops to Afghanistan’s southern front lines has opened a rift within NATO. Troops from Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have borne the brunt of a resurgence of Taliban violence in the region, with support from Denmark, Romania, Estonia and non- NATO nation Australia.
Germany said Wednesday it will send about 200 troops to serve in a quick reaction force in northern Afghanistan at NATO’s request, but the defense minister flatly rejected sending soldiers to the volatile south.
Canadian opposition parties have threatened to bring down Harper’s minority government if he does not end the increasingly unpopular combat mission.
Carolyn Stewart Olsen, a spokeswoman for Harper emphasized that Harper has called the Afghan issue a matter of grave importance, and opposition Liberal leader Stephane Dion said Harper has told him he would put the measure to a confidence vote.
The two other opposition parties in Parliament have said they will bring down Harper’s minority government if he does not end the combat mission, but they cannot do that without the support of the Liberals.
Parliament’s vote on the mission will take place in March if NATO produces the additional troops, the spokeswoman said.
Germany’s mandate in Afghanistan, which is granted by parliament on an annual basis, will be up for renewal again in October.
Germany currently has roughly 3,300 troops in relatively calm northern Afghanistan as part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. German officials, facing public skepticism over the prospect of being drawn deeper into fighting in Afghanistan, want to maintain their focus on the north, Jung said.
“I think it would be a very big mistake if we would transfer our responsibility from the north to the south,” Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told reporters.
Although Jung insisted the 200 troops would be based along with Germany’s other troops the north, it would be available for support missions elsewhere in Afghanistan.
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What a bunch of weak kneed socialist allies we have. Time to Wake up and defend the West you fools!
February 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pmBush speaks the truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX-FiXTgKFo&feature=related
February 6th, 2008 at 1:03 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX-FiXTgKFo&feature=related
February 6th, 2008 at 1:07 pmamazing…
February 6th, 2008 at 1:43 pmBERLIN: President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday training the Afghan police and army was more important than sending more foreign troops to the country.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008131story_31-1-2008_pg1_3
February 6th, 2008 at 2:17 pmWe’re ready guys!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et7t3XRtvDk
Our politicians suck… but our boys in that video are ready to kick some Taliban ass!!
February 6th, 2008 at 3:53 pmJohn Cleese said it best in Fawlty towers. “They are german, don’t mention the war”. Comedy comes to life.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:00 amOK so you’ve been officially invited but when are you coming? and how bout you leave the crappy music home.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:58 amNATO is dead. Got to love those Europeans. They forgot about God and not they forgot they have balls or at least had em.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:16 amAgain, we’re ready… Here is a skinny on the Bundeswehr (Wikipedia):
The Bundeswehr has 200,500 professional soldiers, 55,000 18 to 25 year-old conscripts who serve for at least nine months…. Roughly 300,000 reservists are available to the Armed Forces and participate in defense exercises as well as abroad deployments.
For those of you who are into the good stuff, here is some of the German hardware the Heer has on standby
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1zV5GRImW0 (if you can bear the tunes German soldiers love to listening to lol)
February 7th, 2008 at 5:51 am