Posted on 02/25/2005 5:36:42 AM PST by Cornpone
AMSTERDAM — The Cabinet is reportedly planning to send 150 commandos to Afghanistan to fight alongside US soldiers in secret operations against terrorists holed up along the Pakistan border.
The elite troops would be deployed for initially one year as part of the US military's Enduring Freedom operation aimed at flushing out and destroying radical-Islamic Taleban fighters and the terrorist network al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden, newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Friday.
Foreign Minister Ben Bot and Defence Minister Henk Kamp want the soldiers to engage in combat operations with US and British troops, plus those from other willing nations such as Denmark and Australia. They will be involved in destroying terrorist training camps along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border.
Preparations for the mission are believed to have been secretly discussed between the US and the Netherlands. Political sources claim Bot and Kamp will present their proposal during the cabinet's weekly meeting on Friday.
But neither the Defence Ministry nor the Foreign Affairs Ministry has officially confirmed the report, news agency ANP reported.
The mission is politically sensitive, with government coalition party Democrat D66 labelling the cabinet's plans "a radical intention", demanding guarantees over the safety of the troops. It also said the plan must not be a form of redemption with the US for the withdrawal of Dutch peacekeeping troops from Iraq.
Theoretically, the cabinet does not need to discuss the mission with the Parliament because of its secret nature. But government coalition party Christian Democrat CDA is demanding the Lower House be informed, possibly also in secret.
And because the 150 commandos and marines will be deployed in "the highest theatre of war", the mission warrants a decision by the parliament, CDA MP Henk Jan Ormel claimed on Radio 1 on Friday. He is not opposed to the mission, but is demanding more information.
The Dutch military union VBM/NOV said it is concerned about the legal position of the elite troops and wants to prevent any possible prosecution of the soldiers.
A spokesman for the union denied that the commando mission will lead to confusion due to the fact that there is also a Dutch peacekeeping force in the nation.
He told Expatica that the population is happy the Taleban regime has been forced out of power and that the Afghan people will look upon the peacekeeping mission and the Dutch combat operations as being one and the same.
The Netherlands was only previously involved in the Nato-led peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. There is an Apache combat helicopter deployment and 135 soldiers in the Afghan capital Kabul and a further 130 soldiers deployed in the north of the country.
But it was also revealed on Thursday that the Netherlands is expected to dispatch four F16 fighter jets and 100 air force personnel to Afghanistan for a mission of at least one year.
The fighter jets will replace the combat helicopters — which are due to return home on 31 March — and the cabinet is expected to make a decision later on Friday.
The cabinet is also planning to send 600 to 750 marines to the central Asian nation to maintain security during parliamentary and regional elections later this year. The troops are currently part of Nato's strategic reserve.
Sounds like a whole lot of drama just to deploy 150 "secret" forces. At times it seems like they're all hopeless over across the pond..
Any hint as to what caused them to change their minds?
That is the biggest gap in this story.
"Pragmatism" doesn't quite explain it...
I imagine this is just the vanguard to shake the rust off so they can go back and train more at home, learn about the enemy and develop tactics to support internal security efforts. Actually, 150 troops is a lot for the Dutch. Sad, but true.
As far as I remember Holland and Norway have been very vocal supporters of the US along with Poland and the UK and a very few others. They have run against the "old Europe" grain.
Dammed if they help, dammed if they don't.
You are a hard man to please.
Military union? As in AFL-CIO, UAW, Solidarity Forever?
Bravo Netherlands bump; ping.
No, I am pleased that they're helping out; I just think the Europeans need to put some serious thought into what the purpose of a military is. Is it a social welfare program or is it a national defense force?
The whole concept of a unionized military, for example, seems quite strange if you ask me..
This will be excellent hands on training for the Dutch troops who can then train others upon their return so they can be ready for the same type of operations in their own country as they are becoming overrun by the Muslims.
Whatever, I'm just glad someone over there is waking up. I don't want my kid having to wade ashore at Normandy again. The Dutch have done a lot in the past few months. This week they deported four inflammatory Imams and placed six more Islamic groups under internal security watch...and that's just what they've put in the news.
I agree. They know they have a lot of catching up to do but this is a grand start.
"The Cabinet is reportedly planning to send 150 commandos to Afghanistan to fight alongside US soldiers in secret operations against terrorists holed up along the Pakistan border"
That is a rather impressive contribution. No need to trivialize or minimize the Dutch. Considering where they are going, and what they will be doing when they get there, I am quite sure their helping hands will be more than welcome.
Now, if only we could persuade the Pashtun to remove the guest status of the Al .Qaeda and Taliban hiding behind their tradition of granting absolute sanctuary to anyone, anyone, asking for it.
How many "A" teams is that. If we heard that the US was sending another 10 "A" teams to Afghanistan we would all be saying "Booyaah"
Go Holland.
Did you catch the part about their military being UNION-ized? And that they wanted some kind of guarantee about their safety?
These liberal do-dos think they're playing video games.
A pack of Texas Girl Scouts could take Paris in a week . . . and that's with spending six of those days selling cookies on the way to finance their mission.
The answer is simple: when you finally realize that your beloved house is being eaten by termites, you quickly call Orkin, move the furniture as necessary, answer the door when the man with the spray and plugs arrives, offer him a cup of coffee, and pay your bill in a timely manner.......
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