Afstan: Dutch CDS says Netherlands troops should leave in 2008
Not good news.
Dutch troops in Afghanistan should return home after their mandate expires in a year's time, Dutch Commander of the Armed Forces Dick Berlijn has told Dutch newspaper the Algemeen Dagblad.Via Army.ca.
Berlijn said Dutch troops' mission in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan must be taken over at that time by another NATO country, the newspaper reported...
The Netherlands has about 2,200 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Along with Britain, Canada and the United States, the Netherlands has been responsible for southern Afghanistan since last August.
Berlijn said that bringing the troops back after their two-year mission is completed will avoid excessive pressure on the military.
He said the smaller specialized units like the helicopter group and the engineering corps are bearing heavy burdens and troops of these units have to travel to Afghanistan more frequently to relieve the units there than the infantry.
An opinion poll late last year showed that the Dutch public was extremely skeptical about the mission in Uruzgan, with less than half of the population believing that the Dutch forces should be in Afghanistan.
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 9:27 a.m.
2 Comments:
It's bad news because the Canadian army will lose part of it's allied air force.
Hoofdrol voor luchtmacht bij Operatie Achilles
(Major role for air force in Operation Achilles)
(my translation from article)
Concerning the commitment of Dutch helicopters, fighter-bombers and also the four-engined Hercules transport plane, the allies only have praise. Thus the Canadians in Kandahar (operation Baaz Tsuka) and during the action in the Panjawi last fall (operation Medusa) asked explicitly for ' Dutch close air support '. Reason: Dutch only bombard if they are certain that no allied troops will be hit and collateral damage remains limited, without being too careful or hesitating action.
Is this not accurate? I know they are well trained in operations with ground troops through the Air Mobile Brigade that has been established ten years now.
And yet, from Canada comes rubbish like this
OP Achilles: "wounded Taliban fighters were being taken across the border into their refuges in Uruzgan province where Dutch troops refuse to challenge insurgents."
By "the Black Rod", from Winnepeg. What nonsense.
The Dutch have taken a different approach in Uruzgan than Canadians have in Kandahar. While characterizing the Dutch approach as "unwilling to challenge insurgents" may be going too far, there's no doubt they've been less aggressive in their pursuit of the insurgents. Hence this piece.
As far as CAS is concerned, the CF tends to take it where it can get it since we're not in a position to provide our own at this point. Beggars can't be choosers, and all that.
Post a Comment
<< Home