'Do not send your children here. We will kill them' [Taliban message to Blair]

The Times ^ | May 24, 2006 | Tahir Luddin and Tim Albone

[ncountylee]

WE RAN into the Taleban guerrillas only 24km (15 miles) south of the British base at Gereshk, half a dozen of them brazenly manning a checkpoint on a road to Lashkar Gah. They were bristling with weaponry and had belts of ammunition slung over their shoulders. They ordered us to stop, surrounded our four-wheel-drive vehicle and demanded to know who we were.

There is another British base in Lashkar Gah, 30 miles to the south, and Camp Bastion, headquarters of the 3,400-strong British force in Helmand province, is not far to the west. But for now, at least, the Taleban are the law in this hot and dusty land. “This is my area,” bragged the commander, a man of about 25 with a black turban and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

It was an encounter fraught with danger, but some name-dropping by The Times’s Afghan translator saved the day. Soon these self-styled “soldiers of God” had laid aside their Kalashnikovs and were giving us tea, boasting of their power in Helmand province.

“Our country has been occupied by infidels,” said the commander as he sat in the shade of an apricot tree. “The Americans, the British, Canadians and others have destroyed Afghanistan. We are hunting every individual who supports this imposed democracy . . . We will also hunt the puppet Afghans who are the rented bicycle for the infidels.”

It was a message echoed later in the day by Mullah Mohammad Kaseem Farouqi, the Taleban commander in Helmand province, in probably the first interview he has given to the Western media.

“My message to Tony Blair and the whole of Britain is, ‘Do not send your children here. We will kill them’, he told The Times by satellite telephone from a secret location.

[ncountylee]

The always pleasant ROP vermin are talkative these days.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Of course. Killing children is what the taliban do.
But Blair is sending men, men with guns.

[bigbob]

Blair: Modern trained army, precision munitions, advanced weaponry.

Taliban: man under orange tree with Kalashnikov.

[prion]

So why weren't these guys carring portable GPS units so they could relay this position to their own guys back at base?

Oh, yeah. They're journalists. They don't choose sides.

[el_texicano]

“My message to Tony Blair and the whole of Britain is, ‘Do not send your children here. We will kill them’, he told The Times

Sounds like an invitation to me..."Uhhh, Roger that Eagle One, one 2000 pounder coming up"

[SaxxonWoods]

Wait, don't tell me, it will be the "Mother of all Battles," right?

[sig226]

Not if they get killed first.

Here's hoping our friends are quick on the trigger and true on the target.

We do not often enough thank the Englanders for their work in this war. To any of you who might read this, as an American, I appreciate your sacrifices.

Thank you.

[Reagan is King]

“This is my area,” bragged the commander, a man of about 25 with a black turban and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

These guys always talk like they're the second coming of Saladin. That's right before they retreat to their caves to hide or sneak around to set off some bombs to kill some civilans in the middle of the night.

Just stay right where you are Mullah Farouqi Al-Bigmouth and see what happens.

[ncountylee]

We do not often enough thank the Englanders for their work in this war.

And our Canadian friends, who just extended their stay.

Thank you.

[Enterprise]

"Hey Taleban, I'm comin' for YOU!"