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Afghanistan
Terrorists Militants threaten attacks on Germany, Austria
2007-03-12
DUBAI - Islamist terrorists militants threatened to attack Germany and Austria if they do not pull their troops out of Afghanistan, in a statement posted on Sunday on an Internet site used by Al Qaeda linked militants. ‘Germany’s participation in the US war on Islam and Muslims will lead only to... endangering Germany itself,’ said the video statement whose authenticity could not be verified.

‘We wonder where Germany’s interest lies in throwing 2,750 troops (to Afghanistan)... to fight in defence of the lies of (President George W.) Bush and his gang,’ read a masked man in the videotape released by the so-called Voice of the Caliphate. ‘In standing by the United States ... You have provoked those whom you call terrorists to target you,’ the man said in Arabic, with German subtitles appearing on the screen.

Germany has about 3,000 troops in the relatively stable north of Afghanistan, where it commands the International Security Assistance Force.
It's good they're there; it'd be better to have them in Helmand.
The terrorist statement threatened also to attack Austria if its government did not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. ‘Austria was and still is one of the safest countries in the world... But if Austria came on to the list of countries targetted by the terrorists mujahedeen (holy warriors), the situation will change,’ it said. ‘To Austria we say: Your troops in Afghanistan do not represent a real force or a real threat to our brothers, the terrorists mujahedeen, but they represent important support for Bush and his gang,’ it added.
Still a little unhappy about that whole Vienna thing in 1683, eh?
Addressing the Austrian government, the statement said: ‘Don’t destroy the security of a whole country, just for five soldiers you have sent to Afghanistan.’

‘This war is not yours. This war is between the terrorists mujahedeen and America’.
Posted by:Steve White

#16  I've sat at the feet of people who really know things here at Rantburg, rhodesiafever, you included. Some of it has stuck. BA, I had a Swiss German teacher whose husband always referred to Mr. Schwartzenegger as "that big, stupid Austrian peasant." It made an impression on me -- it'd somehow never occurred to me in my first three decades that what a man was in the Olde Country could be held against him here. I can be awfully slow sometimes.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-03-12 20:12  

#15  TW, I'd bet it was but I don't have any proof because I can't recall the source. I haven't read much fiction in recent years though so it probably came from someplace fairly reliable. I think the attitude it conveys about the German army is fairly common over there though. Maybe exJag can help on this one.
Posted by: Mac   2007-03-12 18:05  

#14  I read you, TW, you keep me up to speed.
Posted by: rhodesiafever   2007-03-12 16:00  

#13  BA dear, I would never, ever fisk you. I was merely supplying a bit of missing information. Here, have some freshly baked scones with butter and honey to help you feel better.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-03-12 14:06  

#12  Wow, my first fisking by TW!

*shrugs off, licking wounds*
Posted by: BA   2007-03-12 14:00  

#11  
Terrorists Militants Muslims threaten attacks on Germany, Austria
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-03-12 13:59  

#10   Anyone notified the Governator about this? I'd be willing to bet he'd go toe-to-toe with these jihadis to protect his motherland!

Governor Schwartzenegger doesn't give a fig for his motherland, where he would never have been permitted to be anything more than the big, dumb peasant he was born. Like so many immigrants to the US, he fully appreciates that only here could he by his own efforts become rich, famous, married into one of the aristocratic families of the country, and elected leader of a state bigger by many measures than most countries... including the one where he was born. Not to mention that Austria disowned him when he stood by the invasion of Iraq, if I recall correctly.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-03-12 13:57  

#9  Breaks my heart.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-03-12 13:53  

#8  peculiar sea story: out to sea for a brief series of workups and working in the ships library. A German naval officer comes in and was intent on starting a conversation with me. The high point was when he opened up one of the many WWII hardcovers with naval battle illustrations and said things like, "OOOhh, this is cool". One of the strangest moments of military service.
Posted by: soon to be edited   2007-03-12 12:50  

#7  A report today on a website used by angry Americans..." If I hear another Jihad gumflapper shooting his mouth off one more time...I'm boycottin' 7-11. Oh, it's happened before, my friend. I still won't eat at Popeye's Chicken and Waffles since the L.A. riots in 1992."
Posted by: Angavick the Short9612   2007-03-12 12:44  

#6  Addressing the Austrian government, the statement said: ‘DonÂ’t destroy the security of a whole country, just for five soldiers you have sent to Afghanistan.Â’

Anyone notified the Governator about this? I'd be willing to bet he'd go toe-to-toe with these jihadis to protect his motherland!
Posted by: BA   2007-03-12 11:41  

#5  My father told me that Karl Marx said that Great Britian would expand themselves to death, Germany would fight themselves to death and the United States would spend themselves to death.

Did Marx really say this? A citation?
Posted by: SR-71   2007-03-12 10:44  

#4  A heartwarming story, Mac. Any idea if it's true?
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-03-12 10:10  

#3  Islamist terrorists militants activists threatened to attack Germany and Austria.
Posted by: Excalibur   2007-03-12 09:46  

#2  Verlaine,

I read something some time back about a US soldier in Germany talking to a local young guy he knew. Local guy, very pleased, comes up to U.S. soldier and says he just got his papers to join the Army. U.S. soldier says "I thought everybody here had to go to the army for a while."

This is the part that got me: young local looks at U.S. soldier pityingly and says, "I meant the US Army. The real Army, the one that fights."

The tenor of that story didn't say much for the current edition of the German army.
Posted by: Mac   2007-03-12 06:18  

#1  "In standing by the United States".

Hmmm. Australia, UK, Poland, El Salvador, Kuwait, Japan, Spain (for a while). They did the right thing, and pursued their interests, which meant standing by the US. Germany? Exsqueeze me? I guess we shook them down for a token contribution (that is safely out of harm's way - am I wrong that they're not really up to par, thus are best kept out of the way?). I'd choke describing Germany's performance since 9/11 as "standing by the US". Naval contributions in the Indian Ocean excepted (and I'm sure their intel guys and many in the military would love to go balls-out with us, but that's not the political class, or the country).
Posted by: Verlaine   2007-03-12 01:53  

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