French jets fire on Taliban

[cal04]

FRENCH Mirage fighters provided fire support as part of an operation by US-led troops against Taliban militants in southeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, the French defence ministry said.

"On Saturday, October 1 two air patrols of two Mirage FICR and two Mirage 2000 aircraft conducted a fire support mission in southeastern Afghanistan" to assist troops in the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, the ministry said.
"In cooperation with troops on the ground, the Mirages FICR and Mirages 2000 ... took part in an operation against the Taliban," it said.

France has had six Mirage fighters stationed at an airbase in Tadjikistan since August to provide additional support for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) peacekeepers and Operation Enduring Freedom troops for the September parliamentary elections in Afghanistan.

France has some 200 soldiers in Operation Enduring Freedom, in addition to 600 who are taking part in the NATO-led ISAF. The incident came one day before Karzai was due to arrive in Paris for his first official visit to France, his first trip abroad since the September 18 parliamentary election, the results of which will not be known until October 22.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16789463%255E1702,00.html

[jobycom]

1. Operation Restore Sagging Poll Numbers By Killing Innocent People And

Claiming They Are Insurgents.

[brentspeak]

3. This is Afghanistan, not Iraq

It's not insurgants that's being fought, but remnants of the al-Queda-harboring Taliban.

[jobycom]

4. Insurgent:

"A member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment."

The "Taliban" has become the anti-occupation movement in Afghanistan. Same thing. The locals want us gone, they join the strongest force against us.

[brentspeak]

5. Have you spoken to Afghan locals

to make sure they really want us gone?

[seriousstan]

8. He doesn't have to, he already knows that they were "innocents".

Being omnipotent must be quite the burden.

[jobycom]

9. I assume you mean omiscient, not omnipotent

Other than that I'll leave your jackass Repub comment alone.

[jobycom]

10. A Canadian general last month said it would take 20 years to defeat

"the insurgency." Others disagreed, claiming they should be able to do it in two years, though troops would be necessary for much longer to prevent further problems.

Kofi Annan also calls it an insurgency, and warned in August that it was growing.

The insurgents aren't the old Taliban only, they are Sunnis in small towns and rural regions who have joined with former Taliban to fight what they see as an outside occupation.

[Poppyseedman]

7. Of course they all hate us for making the Taliban release their death grip

The "Taliban" has become the anti-occupation movement in Afghanistan..........The locals want us gone

You might want to ask the women of Afghanistan what they think now that are are allowed to read, write and think for themselves

[StrafingMoose]

11. So you support the war in Afghanistan but not Iraq?

Or support both?

[ECH1969]

12. Sorry, but the insurgency in Afghanistan is no different then Iraq

They are both domestic insurgencies getting alot of outside help.

[StrafingMoose]

13. And I suspect that help to come from Pakistani's ISI

as they were those teamed up with the Saudis who built the Taliban in the first place. With the blessing of USA, of course.

Heh, I guess they need a reason to stay there forever.

[soothsayer]

2. I wonder how the afghanis are enduring freedom?

[stillcool]

6. Maybe we could have news reports...

of who isn't being bombed...and who isn't bombing. This story will not compute for me.