The New York Times runs this story on Dutch counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. The key quote comes from an Afghan translator working with the Dutch troops:
“The Dutch, if the fight starts, they run inside their vehicles every time,” said the interpreter, who asked that his name be withheld because he risked losing his job. “They say, ‘We came for peace, not to fight.’ And I say, ‘If you don’t fight, you cannot have peace in Afghanistan.’ ”
In January of last year, Vance Serchuk predicted just this problem in an article for THE WEEKLY STANDARD titled Dutch Retreat. The question Serckuk posed: “Will NATO forces continue to press as aggressively [as American forces], even if it means that they will lose more men?” I guess we now know the answer…
Dutch counterinsurgency operations. Courtesy of Tyler Hicks/The New York Times.
