What Do Spain, Poland, and the Ukraine have in Common?

[Nbadan]

They have all begun preparations to remove their troops from Iraq by the end of the summer...


Italy is to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September 2005, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said. snip

Domestic opposition to Italy's involvement in Iraq intensified after the killing of an Italian agent by US troops in Baghdad earlier this month.

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4352259.stm)

Opps...there goes Poland...


The move leaves the Poles, the lead force in the area, badly exposed and they, too, have signalled that they are halving the size of their 1,700-strong force and changing the mission.

Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the Polish Defence Minister, said last week that Polish forces increasingly would concentrate on training Iraqi troops, with the aim of handing over security to them. But there are fears that this approach may be premature as the insurgency continues to make the country ungovernable.

Nevertheless, it may be difficult to persuade remaining members of the coalition to be in the country much beyond the end of the year, whether or not the Iraqi security forces are ready. Many contributing nations expect to have their soldiers home as soon as Iraq holds its second round of elections, scheduled for December, when a permanent government should be in place.

Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1525997,00.html)

For those of you keeping tabs, here is the running troop totals...


Main international troops in Iraq s of today 3/15/05:

US: 150,000
UK: 8,000
South Korea: 3,600
Italy: 3,085
Poland: 1,700
Ukraine: 1,600
Georgia: 898
Romania: 730
Japan: 550
Denmark: 496
Bulgaria: 450
Australia: 400

Source: Global Security
BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4352259.stm)

Will the British be next to leave the U.S. to fight W's Hoily War?


<snip>
But, he said, after speaking to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair he concluded that public opinion in both countries favoured a troop withdrawal.

"In September we will begin a progressive reduction of the number of our soldiers in Iraq.

"I spoke to Tony Blair about it, and public opinion in our countries is expecting this decision," he told Rai.

He said the exact numbers would depend on the Iraqi government's ability to deal with security.

[Useruser666]

They all have the letter a in their names.

[ididnotnothat]

There you go gloating again. :angel

[Clandestino]

yep..this is the shit we're talking about.. dan loves this shit...

[Clandestino]

i have yet to see dan post any articles about NATO agreeing to take over training of Iraqi forces..

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

And you won't either CLandestino, just like you won't see him posting about the Lebanese giving Syria the finger and saying bring on elections.

Democracy is the new hotness in the Middle East, and all Dan can do is look for signs of failure by America.

It's really gonna suck when the new government gets rolling and kicks Zarqawi's ass in Iraq, Lebanon has elections and Syria's back on its side of the border, and Palestine and Israel have brokered a peace accord/independent Palestinian state.

What's Dan gonna bitch about then? :lol

[Nbadan]

yep..this is the shit we're talking about.. dan loves this shit...

This is anti-American? I'm just wondering what the Spanish, Polish, and Ukrainian get about the situation in Iraq that the current U.s. administration does seem to?

[Nbadan]

i have yet to see dan post any articles about NATO agreeing to take over training of Iraqi forces..

Actually, I did post that NATO Forces had managed to scrap together the resources and intestinal fortitude to train 1% of the Iraqi security force. A whole 1%.

[Clandestino]

This is anti-American? I'm just wondering what the Spanish, Polish, and Ukrainian get about the situation in Iraq that the current U.s. administration does seem to?

i just said you love this shit...

you are fucking retarded if you think the u.s. could just pull out now... iraq would become a haven for terrorists... we pretty much cleared afghanistan, they had democratic elections... iraq is on their way... things take time...

[Clandestino]

Actually, I did post that NATO Forces had managed to scrap together the resources and intestinal fortitude to train 1% of the Iraqi security force. A whole 1%.

1% is better than 0. you can't start at 100%..

[Nbadan]

It's really gonna suck when the new government gets rolling and kicks Zarqawi's ass in Iraq, Lebanon has elections and Syria's back on its side of the border, and Palestine and Israel have brokered a peace accord/independent Palestinian state.

Both Iraq and Lebanon have a 50-50 chance of slipping into civil war. Just in the last two weeks there have been major demonstrations in Lebanon both supporting the Syrian intervention and also against it. Politically, Lebanon is as divided as the U.S. is becoming and I think it could only be a matter of time before we see Lebanes fighting Lebanes.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm sorry, but outside of Al Jazeera I missed the Lebanese demonstrating for the government.

They had the largest demonstration in the history of the Middle East yesterday, and it was to tell Syria to get the fuck out.

[Nbadan]

i just said you love this shit...

you are fucking retarded if you think the u.s. could just pull out now... iraq would become a haven for terrorists... we pretty much cleared afghanistan, they had democratic elections... iraq is on their way... things take time...

Iraq is already a haven for terrorists, or haven't you heard? Afghanistan's elections were a farce, and there is now talk of letting the Taliban back in.

[Clandestino]

Iraq is already a haven for terrorists, or haven't you heard? Afghanistan's elections were a farce, and there is now talk of letting the Taliban back in.

stfu... you are so anti-american it is not even funny...

and the taliban will never be back in power of any country...

[Nbadan]

I'm sorry, but outside of Al Jazeera Imissed the Lebanese demonstrating for the government.

They had the largest demonstration in the history of the Middle East yesterday, and it was to tell Syria to get the fuck out.


Probably because it wasn't covered on Faux News. Gotta get the latest on MJ and Scott Peterson in ya know.

To think that the Lebanese want a foreign army illegally in their country gone? Who would have thought?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Afghanistan's elections were a farce, and there is now talk of letting the Taliban back in.

:lol

I don't care what you think of the elections Dan, they happened and Afghanistan has been pretty peaceful since.

There is talk about letting the Taliban back in? By who? Osama? :lol

[jalbre6]

I would have never guessed that South Korea has 3,600 troops in Iraq. That is great that they are supportive of the US and all, but I figured every soldier in South Korea is pointing a rifle north through the fence at Kim Jong Il.

[Nbadan]

:lol

I don't care what you think of the elections Dan, they happened and Afghanistan has been pretty peaceful since.

There is talk about letting the Taliban back in? By who? Osama? :lol

:rolleyes



Rocket man gives up rebellion to put the Taliban on road to peace
By Thomas Coghlan in Kabul
(Filed: 22/02/2005)

One of the Taliban's most senior and charismatic commanders has become a key negotiator as more and more members of the Islamic militia in Afghanistan give up the fight against the Americans.

The commander, Abdul Salam, earned the nickname Mullah Rockety because he was so accurate with rocket propelled grenades against Russian troops.

He later joined the Taliban as a corps commander in Jalalabad before being captured by the Americans after September 11.

Now he is a supporter of President Hamid Karzai and is tempting diehard Taliban fighters to accept an amnesty offer and reconcile themselves to Afghanistan's first directly elected leader.

"The Taliban has lost its morale," he said, speaking by satellite phone from the heartlands of Zabul province, a Taliban redoubt.

"But you have to go and find the Taliban and call to them and ask them directly. If they believe they will be secure and safe they will come down from the mountains."

After the Taliban's three-year struggle against a superior US force, there is growing optimism among the Americans and Afghan government that the end is close.

More than 1,000 people have died in violence in the past 18 months, but attacks have tailed off since the guerrillas failed to make good their vow to disrupt the presidential election in October, which saw a huge turnout and was won by Mr Karzai.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, said yesterday that a group of Taliban militia including senior officials will soon join the Afghan government's peace initiative.

"They are in Kabul seeking peace and to boost the reconciliation process," he said, adding that he was hopeful that the Taliban surrender would take place before the parliamentary elections, expected in the summer.

Afghan officials claimed in recent days that four unnamed senior figures from the former Taliban government have accepted the US-backed offer of amnesty extended to them by Mr Karzai's government and will form a new party for the elections.

"This step is a great encouragement to other Taliban to end their struggle," said Mullah Rockety. "I have said to the Taliban that now is the time for unity, the time for Afghan brother to stop killing Afghan brother."

He claimed that negotiations are close to success with Mullah Mohammed Ghaus, the former Taliban foreign affairs minister,.

The amnesty offer is expected to be available to all but Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader, and a list of about 150 named Taliban suspected of war crimes and links to al-Qa'eda.

Mullah Khaksar Akhund, once the Taliban deputy interior minister, said: "This [reconciliation] is a very good step for the people of Afghanistan. It is very good that the Karzai government has chosen to negotiate with the Taliban.

"The government should not consist of one party, everybody has the right to a part of the government."

A British embassy spokesman said: "We are welcoming President Karzai's attempts at reconciliation. It is for the Afghan government to decide to which individuals to offer the reconciliation package."

A spokesman for Mullah Omar denied that the Taliban would lay down their arms.

"Karzai and the Americans have been speaking about these so-called negotiations for the past 16 months," said Abdul Latif Hakimi.

"It is psychological warfare aimed at creating a rift among the Taliban."

He blamed Taliban inactivity on extreme winter weather and promised a spring offensive against US troops.

Telegraph (http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/22/wtal22.xml)

After the NeoCon oppointed, administration-controlled, former Cemix-employee, Hamad Karzia's 'overwhelming' victory in the Afghanistan elections he promptly signed deals with American oil companies to build a long planned natural gas pipeline which the Taliban refused to build for any money while still in power.

Carrot and Stick people.