The Italians forgot to mention to the French that they were playing Aethelred the Unready, and so the French were ambushed and killed. "French troops were killed after Italy hushed up 'bribes' to Taleban," by Tom Coghlan in The Times, October 15 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):
When ten French soldiers were killed last year in an ambush by Afghan insurgents in what had seemed a relatively peaceful area, the French public were horrified.Their revulsion increased with the news that many of the dead soldiers had been mutilated -- and with the publication of photographs showing the militants triumphantly sporting their victims' flak jackets and weapons. The French had been in charge of the Sarobi area, east of Kabul, for only a month, taking over from the Italians; it was one of the biggest single losses of life by Nato forces in Afghanistan.
What the grieving nation did not know was that in the months before the French soldiers arrived in mid-2008, the Italian secret service had been paying tens of thousands of dollars to Taleban commanders and local warlords to keep the area quiet, The Times has learnt. The clandestine payments, whose existence was hidden from the incoming French forces, were disclosed by Western military officials.
US intelligence officials were flabbergasted when they found out through intercepted telephone conversations that the Italians had also been buying off militants, notably in Herat province in the far west. In June 2008, several weeks before the ambush, the US Ambassador in Rome made a démarche, or diplomatic protest, to the Berlusconi Government over allegations concerning the tactic.
However, a number of high-ranking officers in Nato have told The Times that payments were subsequently discovered to have been made in the Sarobi area as well.
Western officials say that because the French knew nothing of the payments they made a catastrophically incorrect threat assessment.
"One cannot be too doctrinaire about these things," a senior Nato officer in Kabul said. "It might well make sense to buy off local groups and use non-violence to keep violence down. But it is madness to do so and not inform your allies."...
Madness all around.
If I recall didn't Mark Bowden's book, Blackhawk Down, mention that during the US mission in Somalia the Italians were tipping off the Somalis when the US troops were leaving their bases to come look for Adid? I believe the Italians were providing signals to the locals in exchange for not being attacked by the locals.
My late father, a WWII vet, used to joke about the Italian kamikaze pilot who flew fifty missions.
What can you say about the Eyties?
Are these people the ancestors of the Mighty Roman Empire?
Are these the peoples who managed to kill off the son of God?
I don't know....but they certainly seem the ancestors of Eytie soldiers of the 2nd world war, who kept their war ships in port.
The Taliban obviously used the monies to buy bread and have food in their house each evening (drone attacks not withstanding). Naturally when you are hungry; you get pissed off, the French had been unlucky, but brought into the realities of Taliban hunger mighty quickly. I take it that the French are now providing the necessary food.
madness indeed!
We used to joke about the Italians in their tank regiments.
The tanks had one forward speed and three reverse.
Shameless cowards helping a deceitful ememy.
Yom al juma well your ancestors were the proud followers of the pedophile mohammad raping, looting, mass murdering, enslaving women and children and robbing lands. Such highly degrading fecal deeds indeed. You seem to be proud of your pedophile mohammad deeds, he was a scoundrel?
Yom : The Taliban obviously used the monies to buy bread and have food in their house each evening..
Why would that be an obvious use of the money they were bribed with? Traditionally they spend money on weapons and more opium production. More lies, Yom?
The Italians have done more positive things in their time than any moslem based cultist. Just watch Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' for all the evidence you'll ever need.
What have the Romans done for us?
Cowardice, appeasement, treachery, deceit, stupidity. No wonder the islamists think they can win. They have correctly assessed that many European governments have no stomach to fight and will quickly sell out supposed allies for faux peace. This is perhaps one of the most nauseating stories I've ever read here...AND IT'S ABOUT OUR ALLIES!!!
I wonder if the Italian people realize what their government has wrought here? It is directly responsible for the deaths of friendly troops. It has given material support and provided aid and comfort to the enemy. It has improved the morale and fighting will of the enemy. It has created mistrust and animosity between allies. It has helped demoralize allied troops in the field.
All Italians, regardless of their stance on Afghanistan, should feel shame and outrage for what was done here in their name. Let us hope Italians of goodwill and clear mind hold the officials responsible for this debacle to a stern accounting.
I think that is one of the most SHAMEFUL and cowardly military acts that I have ever heard of. "Psst! Here's some Lira...don't attack us, attack somebody else."
Once the facts have been checked and the rocks overturned who'd like to bet that the person in the Italian Intelligence Service that facilitated the payments was a moslem?
I love that (as one poster on The Times site commented) a Holy War can be so efficiently halted with a few coins to the right insurgent commander.
They are SO committed! [puke]
Appeasement is never innocent; but this is less innocent than most.
It gives me no pleasure to post that a report in the UK Sunday Times some months ago said it was routine for NATO convoys to pay "tolls" on certain roads in return for not being ambushed.
It depends on how much is being paid and to whom. A British officer who served on the Afghan frontier in the 1930's said the tribesmen had no great cause and did it for sport (sic). The British on the frontier used to say "You cannot buy an Afghans loyalty - you can only rent it." Given that every Afghan has access to arms it could be cost effective.
A modern British officer who served there said that the Afghans were not the problem. The serious assaults NATO forces suffered were all carried out by foreign muslims and particularly Arabs.
One would agree that what the Italians did wrong was they did not tell the French.