# IRN Media:  Brit Chinooks Airlifting Taliban from South to North



## The Bread Guy (18 Oct 2009)

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight...   :

*UK army 'providing' Taliban with air transport*
Presstv.com (IRN), 17 Oct 09
Article link - PDF of article if link doesn't work


> The British army has been relocating Taliban insurgents from southern Afghanistan to the north by providing transportation means, diplomats say.
> 
> The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said insurgents are being airlifted from the southern province of Helmand to the north amid increasing violence in the northern parts of the country.
> 
> ...



Nonetheless, the AFG government is looking into it.

_- edited to include link to PDF version -_


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## tomahawk6 (18 Oct 2009)

Disturbing If true. Probably disinformation but after what the Brits pulled in Basra and under General Richards in Afghanistan its entirely possible.


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## CougarKing (18 Oct 2009)

:
This crap belongs in with the other crap in Taliban propaganda watch even if this is from an Iranian source.


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## X-mo-1979 (18 Oct 2009)

Has anyone else caught on yet?Here they are pointing the blame that Canada and Italy are funding the terrorist not to hurt them.The Brit's are giving them transport.

Maybe they realized how dumb the average European/North American is and how our media greatly accepts their thoughts to broadcast to our population.

Well done to the taliban.Good propaganda!You just convinced a whole bunch of Canadians for sure.


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## vonGarvin (18 Oct 2009)

I'm pretty sure that the loony left is convinced already!


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## The Bread Guy (18 Oct 2009)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Maybe they realized how dumb the average European/North American is and how our media greatly accepts their thoughts to broadcast to our population.


Or wire services?   ;D


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## The Bread Guy (21 Oct 2009)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Maybe they realized how dumb the average European/North American is and how *our media* greatly accepts their thoughts to broadcast to our population.


Or, sadly, elements of the Pakistani media, for that matter....


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## X-mo-1979 (21 Oct 2009)

Unreal.


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## medicineman (21 Oct 2009)

Perhaps they were taken north by the Chinooks - and then given impromptu flying lessons out the back of the aircraft...

MM


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## tabernac (21 Oct 2009)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Disturbing If true. Probably disinformation but after what the Brits pulled in Basra and under General Richards in Afghanistan its entirely possible.



For those of us who don't know what the Brits did in Basra, or what Gen Richards is know for, could you please enlighten us?

IMO it just seems like you're making sly, unsubstantiated attacks on an ally.


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## Kilo_302 (23 Oct 2009)

> The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said insurgents are being airlifted from the southern province of Helmand to the north amid increasing violence in the northern parts of the country.



I don't doubt that governments of any nation are capable of extremely underhanded and seemingly hypocritical actions, but if you apply a "cost-benefit" analysis to these claims, it does not add up. What would the British (or ISAF) possibly have to gain from such an operation? Can anyone come up with a possible motive, or am I missing something here?


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## X-mo-1979 (23 Oct 2009)

I also believe if we had half a clue about what goes on in the world we would be extremely shocked.


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## The Bread Guy (23 Oct 2009)

Kilo_302 said:
			
		

> I don't doubt that governments of any nation are capable of extremely underhanded and seemingly hypocritical actions, but if you apply a "cost-benefit" analysis to these claims, it does not add up. What would the British (or ISAF) possibly have to gain from such an operation? Can anyone come up with a possible motive, or am I missing something here?


In terms of a motive for such an op, you're right.

In terms of a motive for the STORY, I'm sure the Taliban is happy to see _anything_ that might cause the allies to nitpick one another (or commentators to nitpick other allies) - sound familiar?


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## X-mo-1979 (23 Oct 2009)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> In terms of a motive for such an op, you're right.
> 
> In terms of a motive for the STORY, I'm sure the Taliban is happy to see _anything_ that might cause the allies to nitpick one another (or commentators to nitpick other allies) - sound familiar?



True enough,I wonder if it was some of our Afgan allies they were transporting.If the story has ANY merit.


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## The Bread Guy (23 Oct 2009)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> True enough,I wonder if it was some of our Afgan allies they were transporting.If the story has ANY merit.



Or even ISAF troops, for that matter?  I stand to be corrected, but I've heard there's more than a few NATO troops moved about at night by Chinook from time to time in that part of the world...


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## X-mo-1979 (23 Oct 2009)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Or even ISAF troops, for that matter?  I stand to be corrected, but I've heard there's more than a few NATO troops moved about at night by Chinook from time to time in that part of the world...



Yeah.That was my secondary thought after I cut through the B/S of the article.


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## Colin Parkinson (23 Oct 2009)

medicineman said:
			
		

> Perhaps they were taken north by the Chinooks - and then given impromptu flying lessons out the back of the aircraft...
> 
> MM



I had a similar thought, imagine the Brit Air Movement Command officer getting the complaint from the local Taliban Commander about his troops being splattered across the North: 

TC: YOU terrible Infidel, YOU kill my men, when you promise to fly them to North as agreed by you politicians, may fleas of a thousand camels infest your crotch!!!! Infidel I KILL YOU!

Brit AMC: My dear chap, calm down, no need to get excited, now if you kindly look at through all 36 pages of the contract, you will note that we had agreed to fly them North, but we never said anything about a landing. 
But since you seem unsatisfied with our service, we can toss in a free box lunch for the lads on the next trip?


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## medicineman (23 Oct 2009)

Colin P said:
			
		

> But since you seem unsatisfied with our service, we can toss in a free box lunch for the lads on the next trip?



...of pork chops and ham sandwiches?

OOps, inside voice on outside again...

MM


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## DocBacon (23 Oct 2009)

Consider the  source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_TV

Yup.  If I ever find myself nodding at anything the Iranian PM says I'll check myself into the psych ward.


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## Jungle (23 Oct 2009)

medicineman said:
			
		

> ...of pork chops and ham sandwiches?
> 
> OOps, inside voice on outside again...
> 
> MM



Or a kidney pie !!!


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## The Bread Guy (26 Oct 2009)

....followed by the "progressive" media - shared with the usual disclaimer:


> Persistent accounts of western forces in Afghanistan using their helicopters to ferry Taleban fighters, strongly denied by the military, is feeding mistrust of the forces that are supposed to be bringing order to the country.
> 
> One such tale came from a soldier from the 209th Shahin Corps of the Afghan National Army, fighting against the growing insurgency in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. Over several months, he had taken part in several pitched battles against the armed opposition.
> 
> ...


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## Colin Parkinson (27 Oct 2009)

Lots of historical information of the Pakistani army/ISI moving and supporting the Taliban and aligned forces in Afghanistan during Russian-Afghan war, also reports of Pakistani helicopters picking up wounded high ranking Taliban/other have circulated since 2001.

I do believe that somebody is willing to support Taliban operations with helicopters, just not a Western military. I do recall that the Taliban captured approx. 30 helicopters in Kandahar during their invasion in the 90’s and operated them with Pakistani help. I doubt any of those are still operating.


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## The Bread Guy (30 Oct 2009)

.... about this particular rumour and the alleged ITA payments to the Taliban, but about a range of what Afghans believe - here's the latter part of the piece from a usually left-of-centre, not-exactly-pro-coalition publication (highlights, as always, mine):


> Revelations such as these do not exactly endear the NATO coalition to the Afghan people. Double-dealing with insurgents while touting the success of the Italian military - as The Times also describes - strikes people as dishonest because that's exactly what it is.
> 
> Further, Afghans find it hard to believe that the U.S. and NATO cannot defeat insurgents despite having impressive arsenals, air-power, satellite technology and endless resources with which to fight. Rather than beating the insurgents and securing Afghanistan, the coalition has withdrawn from key areas such as eastern Nuristan, leaving them in the hands of insurgents, who will soon be reinforced by others from across the nearby Pakistan border.
> 
> ...


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