Spanish Pundit

Spanish soldiers in Aghanistan are very angry. The reason? The minister (and the High Command) insists in sending the BMR, a vehicle which can resist shooting but not heavy artillery (above), instead of one of the heavy armoured vehicles, the Pizarro, pictured below.

Why? Because the Government does not like them pictured in this mission as they have called it a “mission of peace”.

And what are several more soldiers killed?

Oops, I’m really angry today…

Another proof negotiation is not very productive with terrorist regimes, whatever some idiots say:
Taliban rebuffs Karzai’s offer - Yahoo! News

President Hamid Karzai offered to meet with the Taliban leader and give militants a government position, but a spokesman for the militant group on Sunday said it will “never” negotiate with Afghan authorities until U.S. and NATO forces leave the country.Karzai made the offer only hours after a suicide bomber in army disguise attacked a military bus Saturday, killing 30 people — nearly all of them Afghan soldiers.

Strengthening a call for negotiations he has made with increasing frequency in recent weeks, Karzai said he was willing to meet with the reclusive leader Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister and factional warlord leader.

“If I find their address, there is no need for them to come to me, I’ll personally go there and get in touch with them,” Karzai said. “Esteemed Mullah, sir, and esteemed Hekmatyar, sir, why are you destroying the country?” [Esteemed??? Are we out of our senses?? In case it’s irony, I don’t know if that’s a good thing to employ irony with such people if you’re the one who is going to negotiate with them, they can consider you as an idiot… and that’s not good, is it? ].

But the Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, repeated an earlier position by saying that it would never negotiate with the Afghan government in the “presence of foreign forces.”

“Even if Karzai gives up his presidency, it’s not possible that Mullah Omar would agree to negotiations,” Ahmadi told The Associated Press. “The foreign forces don’t have the authority to talk about Afghanistan.”

Related news from Afghanistan:

1. A suicide bomber killed 28 Afghan troops and two civilians on Saturday in an attack on an army bus in Kabul, the Afghan president said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in the Afghan capital since the hard-line Islamist movement was ousted from power for harboring al Qaeda leaders following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. [And yet, Karzai wants to negotiate with them…].
2. ‘Der Spiegel’ news magazine reports that German special forces serving in Afghanistan were commanded by senior officers who were often drunk. The report spoke of “serious cases of alcohol abuse by those in charge” of an elite KSK commando based in the southern town of Kandahar since December 2001. The news magazine said it based its report on eyewitness accounts as well as “internal documents” of the German armed forces. A defence ministry spokesman declined to comment on the allegations, saying they were part of a complex of issues currently under investigation by a parliamentary committee. [Hein??? Take care, boys, you are going to be given a new medicine: 80 lashes…].
3. Taliban constitution published h/t CB: .The 23-page shadow constitution, which would allow education for women only within the limits of Sharia — Islamic religious law, has been offered as an alternative to the government of President Hamid Karzai, Britain’s Telegraph reported Saturday. The report said the document had been approved by the Taliban’s central Shura religious council in 2005, but became known only now. [two years later??? Why waiting for so long??]. The newspaper said the Constitution of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, written in Pashto and Dari languages, says, “Every Afghan has the right to express his feelings through his views, writings or through other means in accordance with the law,” but also warns violators of Islamic thought “will be punished according to Sharia.” (so if you write something against Sharia law, you will be punished: 104.000 lashes… ). “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wishes good working relations with all the neighboring countries and specially those who have supported the Afghan nation during jihad,” the document says.
4. Aussies against Talibans: In their heaviest fighting to date, Australian soldiers with the Reconstruction Task Force (RTF) in Afghanistan have successfully repelled a prolonged attack by approximately 50 Taliban extremists.

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Otra vez se prueba que las negociaciones con terroristas no tienen mucho sentido: Karzai ha ofrecido hablar con los Taliban y le han mandado a paseo. Pero es que, además, aquí tenemos otro ejemplo de palabrería cursi:

“Si encuentro la dirección, no hay necesidad de que ellos vengan a donde yo esté, personalmente iré y me pondré en contacto con ellos,” dijo Karzai. “Estimado Mulá -el Mulá Omar-, señor (hein???), y estimadoHekmatyar, señor, ¿por que están destruyendo el país?”

Y ¿la sumisión que esta declaración destila? Parece que se está quejando como un niño frente al matón de la clase. Hombre, por favor, Mulá, no seas tan bruto, que me estás haciendo pupitaaaaa…

Así que la contestación de los Talibán ha sido la esperada:

“Incluso si Karzai deja la presidencia, no es posible que el Mulá esté de acuerdo en negociar con él,” dijo Ahmadi (representante Talibán) a The Associated Press. “Las fuerzas extrajeras no tienen autoridad para hablar sobre Afganistán.”

Pues nada, oye, si queremos seguir lloriqueando frente a los terroristas más variopintos, ahí tenemos la respuesta.

Aunque no es la única: se ha publicado la Constitución Talibán de Afganistán -dicen que la hicieron en 2005 y ¡¡¡qué casualidad que se publique ahora!!! cuando Karzai ha “repetido” con mucha frecuencia lo de la negociación. Si hay algo para desternillarse (si no es para llorar) es esto:

“Todo afgano tiene el derecho de expresar sus sentimientos (ojo, NO IDEAS, sólo sentimientos) a través de sus puntos de vista, sus escritos o cualquier otro medio de acuerdo con la ley,” pero advierte a los violadores del pensamiento islámico que serán “castigados de acuerdo con la Sharia.”

La letra pequeña, que siempre hay que leerla. De modo que el “derecho a expresar sus sentimientos” no existe si va a en contra de la Sharia. Las ideas, esas mejor las dejamos para otro día….

Mientras los Talibanes siguen poniendo bombas (28 militares y 2 civiles asesinados en Kabul, ayer 29 de septiembre, más importante ataque desde que echaron a los talibán), siguen atacando a militares de la coalición (esta vez fueron australianos, que los repelieron … ) y los periódicos occidentales siguen sin cubrir el conflicto informando sobre cómo va pero sí criticando a los militares aliados (ahora les toca a los mandos militares alemanes de las Fuerzas Especiales que “conducían borrachos a sus hombres“, lo que con el panorama que hay no es raro).

As it also happened when the corpses of the Spanish soldiers killed in Lebanon arrived, the plane with the soliders killed in Afghanistan arrived during the night (at 2:37 a.m.) and Zapatero was not there to receive them. Instead, there were the Crown Prince Felipe and the Vice-Presidente, Ms. De la Vega.

The funerals were held this morning in the official site of the Parachute Brigade, the one the dead belong to, in the Madrid’s village of Paracuellos del Jarama. In the altar: “Honour to all those who gave their lives for Spain“.

h/t Hartos de Zporky.

Spain is sending more troops to Afghanistan:

Defense Minister Alonso said that Spain is in Afghanistan in order to resolve the “equation: security for re-construction” and admitted that the risk troops face is great. Afghani warlords, Taliban, and narco-trafficking all conspire to produce a country that is “unstable and insecure”.

The Spanish troops will help to form two Afghan army battalions at a base some 15 kilometers from Spain’s base at Heart at a cost of 200,000 euros monthly. Reforming the Afghan army, said Alonso, is a “key issue” for the international community. For his part, Gaspar Llamizares of the United Left bloc voted in the Congressional Defense committee against sending more troops to Afghanistan. Llamizares that this is a “gesture” towards the United States on the part of Spain’s ruling Socialist party in the midst of a “deterioration of the situation and an ever-growing commitment in combat missions”.

Uff, Gaspar Llamazares… that lover of Castro is protesting a “gesture” towards USA..

But don’t forget that this is (part of) the price Spain has to pay for Zapatero’s wish to place Gral Sanz Roldán as Chief of the Military Council of NATO. NOT because he has actually changed his consideration for US, for Spanish military -as it can clearly be seen- or any other more accurate reason.

Si ayer veíamos que en Afganistán habían secuestrado a dos soldados italianos, hoy estos habían sido liberados (ambos están heridos, uno de ellos de manera seria). Pero también hoy nos hemos enterado de la muerte de dos soldados españoles en la misma zona. ¿La causa? Lo más probable es que fuera una bomba explosionada por control remoto:
Libertad Digital: Hallan restos de cable en el lugar del atentado que mató a dos soldados españoles

El Ministerio de Defensa informó en un principio de que el vehículo BMR en el que viajaban los dos soldados españoles muertos y los seis heridos en Afganistán había pisado una mina. Pero horas después el Departamento de José Antonio Alonso ha señalado, en un comunicado, que se han localizado restos de cable, en concreto 70 metros, en la zona del atentado, por lo que no descartan la hipótesis de una bomba explosionada por control remoto al paso de los militares españoles. Mientras, el presidente intentó convencer a los españoles de que se trata de una “misión de paz” y de que enviar nuevos soldados no es aumentar las tropas.

Los fallecidos son Germán Pérez Burgos y Stanley Mera Vera.

RIP.

Ayer escribía que EEUU había exigido a España el envío de más tropas SI quería colocar al general Sanz Roldán en la  OTAN. Pero a la vez, Zapatero, en vez de decir que a) en Afganistán se libra una guerra y b) el envío de nuevas tropas -que es necesario según ya escribí ayer- es porque quiere colocar al general, dice todo lo contrario…

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Another two Spanish soldiers have died in Afghanistan. Although at first, it was thought that the BMR vehicle had gone over a mine, which exploded then, the discovery of a cable (of about 70 meters) in the attack surroundings, has made the military consider the possibility of a bomb, activated by remote control.

At the same time, PM Zapatero has tried to convince everyone that the mission in Afghanistan is “a peace mission” and that sending new soldiers there is not rising the number of Spanish troops deployed in the Asian country.

Yesterday, I wrote that USA had asked Spain for a rise in the number of troops deployed in Afghanistan, IF Zapatero wanted General Sanz Roldán to be new President of the Military Comission of NATO. Looks like Zapatero also forgot that part in his speech.

Libertad Digital: Bush exige a Zapatero más presencia en Afganistán si quiere colocar al general Sanz en la OTAN

A dos meses de la votación en Bruselas, sede de la Alianza Atlántica, comienzan a realizarse movimientos encaminados a valorar si realmente el candidato español es el militar idóneo para estar al frente de un comité, al que le corresponde la misión de aprobar los documentos y planes de la OTAN.Según publica este domingo el diario ABC, EEUU, pieza clave en la elección (el comandante supremo para Europa es el general estadounidense John Craddock) no ve con buenos ojos este nombramiento, y no por la personalidad o la valía del general en cuestión, sino por las reticencias que despierta el papel de la España de Zapatero en el orden internacional, tras la sonada espantada en la Guerra de Irak.

Por eso, según afirma el diario de Vocento, los estadounidenses no descartan condicionar su apoyo a Félix Sanz Roldán a “un mayor compromiso” de España en la misión que lleva a cabo la OTAN en este país asiático. Esto se traduce, según fuentes de la Alianza, en más tropas y un papel más activo de las mismas sobre el terreno.

De momento, el Gobierno de Zapatero se ha negado a enviar más tropas. Máxime cuando la zona este donde se encuentran las tropas españolas es cada vez más comprometida y aumenta la inseguridad por la mayor presencia de talibanes, que han llegado procedentes del sur de Afganistán, tras la ofensiva americana que los ha desplazado hacia el norte.

Todo ello juega en contra de Félix Sanz Roldán, cuya candidatura se ha presentado en el peor momento de la misión en Afganistán, la principal que desarrolla la OTAN y que se ha convertido en el mayor desafío y en el que esta organización se juega su prestigio.

Era de esperar…

Al mismo tiempo, dos italianos han sido secuestrados en el oeste de Afganistán, junto con sus dos ayudantes afganos. Estaban realizando tareas de relación con los autoridades civiles afganas. La misión italiana en Herat, está intentando localizarles. El presidente Hamid Karzai ha dicho que en cuanto tengan alguna noticia la hará llegar a Italia.

Irán ha sido otra vez acusado de mandar armas a los talibanes y las tropas inglesas han encontrado algunos búnkers de los Talibán.

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Zapatero wants Spanish General Sanz Roldán to lead NATO, a very surprising wish considering that Spanish PM is not a very good friend of USA, leader of NATO, and the shameful withdrawal from Iraq.

So Bush has asked Zapatero for more support in Afghanistan in exchange of US support to Gral Sanz Roldán. Zapatero’s Government has announced Spain is not sending more troops to the Asian country, as the ones who are already there have a very compromised situation and the insecurity is rising because of the increasing presence of the Talibans there, who are arriving from the South, after US offensive.

A very illogical decision: as there are more Talibans, I am not sending more troops.

From Yahoo:

Two Italian military personnel were believed to have been kidnapped in western Afghanistan, and police Sunday said they were searching for the pair and their two Afghan staff.

At a meeting at the United Nations, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told participants he had information about where the Italians were and would pass the information to Italian authorities, said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

In northeastern Afghanistan, meanwhile, NATO helicopters fired on a group of suspected insurgents in response to a rocket attack. Four Afghans died and 12 were wounded, the alliance said, and officials were investigating whether the dead and wounded were Afghan police or civilians targeted mistakenly.

The two missing Italians, with their Afghan driver and translator, drove through a police checkpoint in the Shindand district of Herat province on Saturday, and they have not had any contact with anyone since, said Gen. Ali Khan Hassanzada, chief of police criminal investigations in western Afghanistan.

An official from the Italian embassy in Kabul said the Italians last spoke with officials at their base on Saturday night during “routine contact.” The Italian military in Herat was trying to reach them again.

“We believe they have been kidnapped together with two Afghans,” the Italian Defense Ministry said. “The personnel were carrying out liaison activities with local civilian authorities.”

Meanwhile, Iran is once again accused of giving weapons to the Taliban (and yet, Ahmi is going to speak to the American people…) and UK troops have uncovered some Taleban bunkers.