French troops ready to rock Afghanistan?
posted at 5:25 pm on February 26, 2008 by Allahpundit
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We need reinforcements and NATO’s going to have to fill the bill for us to have any chance of winning in Afghanistan. Sarkozy to Osama: Get lost, dumb ass.
France may send hundreds of ground troops to east Afghanistan where NATO-led forces are fighting al Qaeda-backed insurgents, Le Monde newspaper reported on Tuesday.
It said the move would be part of a new Afghan policy being worked out by President Nicolas Sarkozy and his advisers.
France has about 1,900 soldiers under NATO’s Afghan command, most of them based in relatively calm Kabul, and Le Monde said the fresh troops would be deployed outside the capital.
“Their destination would be zones of potentially fierce fighting, preferably the eastern region of Afghanistan close to the tribal areas of Pakistan,” it said.
Exit question: Martial restoration of national pride or fateful miscalculation that’s bound to backfire when Sarkozy’s up for reelection?
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Probably just like America, his reelection will hinge on the economy and the success of his reforms. Who we choose as President will have a significant effect. President Barack? Sarkozy beter pack his bags…
Theworldisnotenough on February 26, 2008 at 5:29 PM
Maybe Sarkozy realizes that a military that never ever sees action won’t be worth a damn when you actually need it.
Dudley Smith on February 26, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Sarkozy is already under fire from socialists in this country over the economy. Im sure they will willingly paint Sarkozy as Bush’s “French poodle”
William Amos on February 26, 2008 at 5:35 PM
I prefer France as cheese eating surrender monkeys. The last thing we need is a resurgent France with renewed martial confidence wanting to lead the EU as a counter balance to the US in a new TransAtlantic cold war. Go back to sleep Frenchie. Enjoy the wine and brie…
tommylotto on February 26, 2008 at 5:36 PM
BTW forgot to add that France is sending troops to Chad also to fight Islamic terroirsm from Sudan. And there is overtures to help fight the Algerian Islamicists. Sarkozy is Jewish and look for the Muslims to start hating him alot.
William Amos on February 26, 2008 at 5:36 PM
As I said in the Headlines thread on this topic:
Frozen Tex on February 26, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Sarkozy found out France has thousands of never used rifles, many dated back to WWII, and decided to get some use out of them.
Wade on February 26, 2008 at 5:38 PM
Maybe. Especially with France’s high Islamofacist population
malan89 on February 26, 2008 at 5:39 PM
I’m no fan of French socialism, but I’ll say this for Sarkozy, it isn’t easy being brown in a black and white world. I don’t think he cares a lick if he gets re-elected. He knows the crap is going to hit the fan eventually and he is trying to say ‘hey America, not all Frenchmen own a white flag factory’. It might not last, but he at least is trying to open France’s eyes. Our men and women can use all the help they can get.
Limerick on February 26, 2008 at 5:42 PM
Going to the fight is one thing, staying when it gets hot is another. I’ll believe it when I see it, but so far Sarkozy talks a good game.
THE CHOSEN ONE on February 26, 2008 at 5:44 PM
The French are rather fed up with their local “youth” problem, but being ennervated by the domestic situation they may feel like finding some Islamic ass abroad to kick around. Call it a smack-down by proxy, or something like that.
SWLiP on February 26, 2008 at 5:46 PM
I agree totally. Doing what is right in spite of the consequence is doing what is right, even when it is unpopular
ConservativePartyNow on February 26, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Sarvozy isn’t stupid and the fact he is Jewish he knows he is a target. The East side of Afghanistan is in need of help. Our Soldiers are getting burnt out, especially those who are on the border FOB’s.
The socialist part of France is like our liberal mob, ignore it and it will go away… until the see a bombing on a subway, a building, etc and wonder who is going to save them.
I wonder when the rest of the world will wake up. Sarkozy seems to have for some of the French side.
upinak on February 26, 2008 at 5:49 PM
I’d bet on the later.
ronsfi on February 26, 2008 at 5:50 PM
Some posts might be a bit more leery of a resurgent France in terms of military intervention, and, admittedly we have wait to see what happens (i.e. is this just a soundbite or is is real), but this might be good for America.
How can having another ally actually putting troops into combat zones be a bad thing? One wonders if this is in some sense driven by a sense of the need to rebuild French pride (stop laughing…) on the world stage and amongst its own citizenry.
Any ally that will struggle against islamofacism should be welcome.
brainwizard73 on February 26, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Couldn’t be much worse then Italy!
upinak on February 26, 2008 at 5:51 PM
They are simply fulfilling their NATO obligation.
For a change.
Go Sarko!
profitsbeard on February 26, 2008 at 5:54 PM
There is a lot of miscalculation about Europe coming from conservative circles these days. Given the dominance of impotence-enforcing political correctness on the Continent, most of this miscalculation is understandable, but people tend to forget that, as Victor Davis Hanson has pointed out so well, the Western (European) way of war is the most ruthless the world has ever seen. Most of Europe is currently in PC sleep about its plight, but when awoken it will not allow Islam to take it back to the 7th century. There are stirrings going on now, of which Sarkozy is a sign, and I feel sure that once enough Europeans understand that Islam is a direct threat to their prosperity, the pretenses will fall from their eyes and their inner warriors will emerge. I think this will happen before the demographics deteriorate beyond the point of no return, and I’m sure Euro-pessimists like Marc Steyn will be delighted to be proven wrong about this.
Halley on February 26, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Well, if the conduct of French troops in Rwanda and elsewhere are any indicator, it’s a good thing they keep the
womengirls locked up in Muslim countries.flipflop on February 26, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Halley, forgive me if I don’t recognize your handle, but if you are one of the Captain’s crew gotta say ‘Praise Allah’ and welcome aboard! Europa knows war…..all too well.
Limerick on February 26, 2008 at 5:58 PM
Halley I hope you are right. I know the younger youth of Germany are not happy about the islamic issues in their country.
upinak on February 26, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Just gotta get the Germans on board; as Dennis Miller said of their objection to the Iraq war:
“I don’t know if they’re against the war on principal, or if it’s just not on a grand enough scale for them!”
Frozen Tex on February 26, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Bravo, Sarko. Formidable!
Buy Danish on February 26, 2008 at 6:04 PM
send the legion!
Duane Ingalls Glasscock on February 26, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Is there a t-shirt yet?
TexasDan on February 26, 2008 at 6:15 PM
A friend of mine from served in the marines during Desert Storm and said the Legionaries were bad asses.
liquidflorian on February 26, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Sarkozy it the first French leader in a while with a pair. That drives most of the French insane. Fortunately like President Bush, he does not give a flying fudge about what the left think. Unfortunately with the rising number of Islamofascist in all Europe, MSM will do anything to paint him in the worst possible light.
gzelmiami on February 26, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Technically, fighting insurgency is not preparing you to real combat, and vice versa. I know it from experience.
Aristotle on February 26, 2008 at 6:23 PM
French soldiers have historically been very good. It’s just that their leadership sucked…supremely.
They will go. They will fight professionally - with Élan even… Then they’ll get sold out by their leadership.
And sadly these days, the Brit MoD isn’t much better.
darkpixel on February 26, 2008 at 6:26 PM
I wonder how Hillary/Obama will nuance this into their own credit on the new ‘internationalism’.
Entelechy on February 26, 2008 at 6:37 PM
Fighting them abroad so they’ll know how to fight them at home.
- The Cat
MirCat on February 26, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Hooray to France. Love Sarkozy, why can’t we have someone like him running for President. Well we can probably move to France if we are going to have Obama as President.
mariloubaker on February 26, 2008 at 7:01 PM
We did, Rudy talked about him quite often.
Chakra Hammer on February 26, 2008 at 7:08 PM
Retired Army Colonel Ralph Peters has made this observation in the past.
I think there’s something to that line of thinking.
flipflop on February 26, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Maybe they (The French) can put up some of those concrete
blocks, they are famous for, to keep the Taliban tanks
from rolling in.
gary on February 26, 2008 at 7:12 PM
About time. Will be curious to see if they show up with sling shots and bolt action rifles. Seems the last time they actually showed up for a fight those were the primary weapons at hand…s/off.
Nice to see a NATO ally step up. Wonder if this had anything to do with the US wondering out loud about the viability of NATO and our membership in it, given the lack of troop support from our allies? Hmmmm.
Biffstir on February 26, 2008 at 7:16 PM
i like it. maybe he’ll deploy troops to the paris suburbs next.
ericfla on February 26, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Hmmm I see Baghdad Bob for some reason.
upinak on February 26, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Send in the Foreign Legion! Those bad-ass MFs will restore France to a position of respect. Gotta love Sarkozy.
Viscount_Bolingbroke on February 26, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Only one that’s positive, so far.
shibumiglass on February 26, 2008 at 7:42 PM
Be nice if it happens.
The three countrys doing the majority of the heavy lifting in the east, the traditional ABC coalition (America Britain Canada) could do with some more boots on the ground.
I know that our Defense Minister, Peter McKay, has been beating on our European “allies” for the last few weeks for just such a deployment.
Jim708 on February 26, 2008 at 7:45 PM
Nice!
ronsfi on February 26, 2008 at 8:11 PM
Allons enfants de la Patrie, donnez-les un bon coup de poing! (Translation: Let’s go, children of the homeland, give ‘em a good smackin’!)
With apologies to La Marseillaise…
EyeSurgeon on February 26, 2008 at 8:28 PM
I wonder how the lefty’s in France act towards their new non-liberal prez? Is there a Sarkozy derangement in France? It’s funny that now that it’s probably too late for France to fix the effects of it’s raging liberalism that’s been festering for so long, they turn to a conservative finally. Too funny.
Unfortunately, that very same thing could well happen in America should we see a run of liberal election victories for sometime going forward. Conservatives have to get into education to show youths the better alternative to the liberalism they’re being indoctrinated into these days.
BobUSMC on February 26, 2008 at 8:33 PM
Hundreds?
Why bother.
MB4 on February 26, 2008 at 8:34 PM
Who cares? The Marines are heading back in.
Last time Marines were there in force, they killed 80 Taliban in one operation. Expect Taliban body counts to rise exponentially in the months to come.
joewm315 on February 26, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Maybe the new Democratic prez can send the French into Baghdad next to surrender Iraq properly to the insurgents.
bobthepeeler on February 26, 2008 at 9:39 PM
It’s amusing how Europeans call Afghanistan the “good war” and consider Iraq to be a vile American imperial war (ya mkay, 17 ignored UN resolutions, attempted assassination of a US President, firing on coalition aircraft continually, massacring Kurds and Shiites…ya mkay, there was noooo reason to go to war with Iraq).
But I digress…
As I said, if Afghanistan is a “just” war, then why do so many Euro-weenies refuse to put their militaries in harm’s way there?
It’s good to see France cowboy-up on this. Bravo and THANKS! This’ll put some spit in their eye and gravel in their guts.
If Europe wants to have any relevance in a world outside their cafes and boulangeries, then this is a good start.
Maybe the Germans can borrow some of France’s balls.
Montana on February 26, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Insurgency is real combat these days!
mjtyson on February 26, 2008 at 9:48 PM
Go Sarkinator!
Good Lt on February 26, 2008 at 9:59 PM
Go Sarkozy!
eanax on February 26, 2008 at 10:47 PM
Good training for the banlieues down the road.
BL@KBIRD on February 26, 2008 at 10:50 PM
I applaud France for sending troops. I just hope they they don’t use Renault Military Vehicles.
Dennis D on February 26, 2008 at 11:33 PM
There have been a few generations of softening-up since the last war in Europe. Have the younger generations, now in power, been schooled out of their supremacist tendencies? Think about it: a few hundred cars torched and property vandalized in France on a daily basis is now considered THE NORM. They may not like it, but they accept it.
Accept and appease…Sarkozy is bucking a very long history of appeasement. How long can he last?
Here are a few more things to add to the speculation (hope?) that Europe may eventually wake up and sense the danger:
It’s one thing to fight against foreigners outside your borders. It’s quite another to fight against the foreign population living AMONG you for a few generations. Do the Europeans have what it takes to wake up and fight back against the Muslims in their neighborhoods, schools, markets, and government? There’s been no recent evidence to believe that modern Eurpoeans have anything close to the intestinal fortitude such a civil war would take.
And, while you’re talking about “inner warriors” and fighting back…
Fight back with WHAT? They have voluntarily disarmed. The people have no way of forcing their own governments to do anything at all, nor any way of turning back the demographic tide. They have no means of enforcement.
Churchill once said:
When is “too late” too late for Europe? I wonder if they haven’t already moved into the “precarious chance of survival” stage. After that, there’s only death.
Redhead Infidel on February 27, 2008 at 10:26 AM
I feel better already. Reinforcements from a country whose last military victory was against The Rainbow Warrior.
TooTall on February 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM
I like this guy more and more each day.
Conservative_SAHM on February 27, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Viva La Revolution!
HotAirExpert on February 27, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I’m still pondering why we “need more boots on the ground,” in the fight against the Taliban and al qaida in Afghanistan.
Oh yeah! Iraq!
OhEssYouCowboys on February 27, 2008 at 2:17 PM
I ran into some of those French soldiers in Kabul. They didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak French so our interpreters were translating from English into Dari into French. The humor of the moment wasn’t lost by any of us.
srhoades on February 27, 2008 at 3:54 PM