Commando?
Posted on 07/25/2014 12:45:41 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The Netherlands is poised to send its most elite soldiers to secure the crash site of Malaysian Airways MH17, the Telegraaf reports on Friday.
The paper says all leave for the commandos of the 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade based in Schaarsbergen and Assen has been cancelled and that soldiers will leave for eastern Ukraine this weekend.
In addition, Dutch special forces currently in Mali are being recalled and sent on to the area around Donetsk, the paper says, without quoting sources.
The aim of sending troops is to ensure the 23 Dutch crash investigators and 40 unarmed military police officers can do their job, the paper says.
Unarmed
On Thursday, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands is to send 40 unarmed military police officers to the MH17 crash site in Ukraine to help forensic experts look for the remaining bodies of the victims.
The military officers (marechaussee) will not be used to secure the the area, Rutte told a news conference.
Earlier this week it was reported the Netherlands and Australia were working on sending an international army and police mission to secure the crash site in rebel-held eastern Ukraine but Rutte refused to go into details.
‘We are looking for ways to stabilise the area,’ he said. ‘It is not clear if that will succeed.’
Australia
However, according to Australian media reports, Australia is sending up to 100 police officers to Ukraine, some of whom will be armed.
The Australian newspaper says Australia is close to securing a deal with Ukraine for federal police officers to secure the wreckage site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
Prime minister Tony Abbott said 90 federal police officers were in Europe now and another 100 would be sent from Australia today.
In addition, he said a 'very modest' ADF team was in the Ukraine already for planning and protection duties.
Risks
Meanwhile, Dutch police unions have said they have serious doubts about sending unarmed officers to Ukraine and say there are major risks attached to their mission.
Police officers should be used as part of a UN mission, they said. ‘But sending 40 unarmed officers is not what we were thinking of,’ a spokesman from one union told Nos news.
I see large ransoms in the Dutch government's future.
What could possibly go wrong?
Uhoh! The Russians are in for it now!
Hard to believe European culture once dominated the Earth...
Walking your armed forces (even when unarmed) uninvited into a communist country is pure foolishness of the Dutch.
Where the hell do they think they are?
This is not the US with its open border policy.
That was only because it was the only culture around at the time...............
With the exception of the War of the Fourth Coalition (1806-1807), in which it participated as a French satellite, I don’t believe Holland has ever been at war with Russia.
The article says that elite special forces will be there to protect the unarmed military police. So some of the Dutch troops will be armed.
They’re in for a treat then!
Also, they have been invited there by Ukraine.
Commando?
Then everything will be alright.
Will there first be naval and air bombardments before landing the troops or do they think they can persuade Putin with a bottle of Bols Jenever?
I hope they have arranged their own graves.
That’s an Austrian commando and ex California guv’ner.
Australian troops are also on their way.
I bet Moscow is scared.
Wonder if they are bringing their hairnets with them. It can get windy in the Steppes.
Better they stay home and fight the Muslims there.
Arnold is Austrian, not Dutch.
Everyone gets it who saw the movie.
Ooops. Dutch in Predator. duh.
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