Denmark secretly airlifted 200 Iraqi translators and relatives

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2031209220070720

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark said on Friday it secretly airlifted out of Iraq about 200 translators and other Iraqi employees of its troops in Iraq and their relatives this week and most were expected to seek asylum in the Nordic nation.

"Out of concern for the interpreters and their families' security as well as the security of the Danish base in Iraq, the Defence Ministry has chosen to inform the public after the interpreters and others had left Iraq," the Denmark Defence Ministry said in a statement.

It said the airlift involved "about 200" people. A ministry spokesman reached by telephone could not provide an exact number but said most of the Iraqis brought to Denmark were translators and their families.

Danish Ambassador to Iraq Bo Eric Weber said the moved followed the killing in December of an Iraqi who had worked with the Danes as an interpreter. Around 80 of those flown out of the country were employed and the rest were family members, he said.

[Homer Wells]

1. Good on them!!!!!

Kiced and recommended!

[marmar]

2. Denmark actually gives a damn about people....

which makes it all the more curious why they cuddled up to the Bush/Cheney/Blair triad of evil in this sham war.

[babylonsister]

3. Bookmarked; did we do anything? nt

[Yupster]

21. This is something I've been posting about for over a year

Before we leave, we need to make sure the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who've worked for or supported our efforts are gotten out first.

One killing fields in my lifetime is more than enough.

[razors edge]

4. The tall grass bows first in the wind,

Only a matter of time till the funds run out. Not so much by our leaders actions as by the leaders of other nations who will de-fund our endeavors worldwide.

We are being sanctioned by individual acts, death of a thousand cuts. Not as dramatic as a UN sanction, but just as effective.

[PDJane]

5. No, the Administration has done nothing

to protect these folks and their families.

They don't even offer sanctuary in the US.

[pinto]

6. Kudos.

[emmadoggy]

7. Yay for the Danes! I have Danish relatives so this makes me proud.

:thumbsup:

[Mabus]

11. Same here

one of my grandmothers was half-Dane (from her dad) and half-Welsh (from her mom). She was very proud of her Danish heritage and I was very proud of her.

[emmadoggy]

13. Cool. My grandparents on my mom's side (and therefore, my mom)

are full-blooded Danes (my Dad's side are full-blooded German).

Long story, but my Grandmother's father died when she was only a few years old so she never knew much about that part of her family. About 20-25 years ago, she found some old letters, did some research and ended up tracking down some long lost relatives in Denmark. She made a trip over there to meet them and then several of them ended up coming over here to meet all the family here. One of the teenage girls, who was about my age, came and stayed with my grandma for a month or two and she spent a week with me at my first year of college. It was very cool to meet foreign relatives. They were all really nice people.

:hi:

[Mabus]

19. That is so cool

My great-grandfather was also a full-blooded Dane who met and married a full-blooded Welsh woman in, of all places, Missouri. My GG also died when my grandmother was still a child and I don't remember much about him except that he owned a dry goods store. Their surname was Hanson. I'd like to know more about them. I know that the Danes were pretty progressive people.

That is so cool that your family reconnected with your Dane relatives. I'd like to find ours someday. I think they might be taken aback by my family. We take after my mom's side of the family (full-blood Arapaho) and no one ever guesses that I'm part Dane.

[emmadoggy]

20. Huh! My Danish side are Hansen's! (with an "E")

Of course, that's a VERY common name. And yes, I believe that in general Danes are pretty progressive.

I can imagine that the Arapaho might overpower the Danish in your family, but knowing how generally pleasant and friendly and accepting the Danes are, I doubt they would be taken aback by your family at all. :)

One more little tidbit...the teenage relative who came to stay (her name was Louisa) was actually adopted. She was actually a native Greenlander, which I thought was so interesting! She had dark hair, dark skin, high cheekbones and almond-shaped upturned eyes (I believe the native people there are Inuit). Very pretty. We had SO much fun the week she came to stay with me!

Hey, it's been great chatting with you! Not many people around with Danish background, so it's nice to "meet" one! :hi:

[pansypoo53219]

8. i was there at the beginning of iWaq in 2003

they seemed to care far more than americans. petitions an fund drives. i told them we broke it and america should pay for it.

[lonestarnot]

9. Yeah!

:applause:

[IChing]

10. I'm proud my kids have dual US/Danish citizenship.

Their army is under british command in the south and it was said in
February that they were withdrawing their troops.

[Jemmons]

12. Yeah - there is a big group of smiling ex-Iraqis here now.

It had been debated for a while, after one staffer had been killed by insurgents. They decided to do the right thing, but kept a lid om for security reasons - no point in getting all on a plane and then get shot down at the end of the runway in Bagdad.

[moondust]

17. You can be proud.

This is the right and responsible thing to do. Thank you, Denmark!

Too often these kinds of people are used, taken for granted, and left behind to be killed. I doubt the U.S. has plans to evacuate Iraqis that have helped. I think a lot of collaborators and facilitators were left behind in Vietnam.

200 isn't too many even for Denmark is it?

[TheBaldyMan]

14. Good, unfortunately my UK government continues to crap on our interpreters

they and their families are living under the sword of Damocles and the FCO (equivalent to the US State Dept) has refused asylum to all but a handful. There have been a lot of casulalties among interpreters because they are always on the front line, they work for buttons and then get the shabbiest treatment possible.

Well done Denmark, with any luck it might shame Britain into similar treatment for Iraqi employees.

[moondust]

15. Danes are great!

Heroes again!

[alarimer]

16. I am just sick that we destroy a country and then not let the refugees in

WE caused them to lose their home and we don't even let them into the US. We suck. Or our government does at least.

[Terri S]

18. I hope Andy and his family were among them..

Don't know if anyone read about this .. It will piss you off and tear your heart out!

http://www.alternet.org/audits/56397/?comments=view&cID=697463#c697463