President rejects US call for troops to Afghanistan
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has rejected a call by the United States to send Sri Lankan troops to war-torn Afghanistan, the Government Information Department said.
According foreign media reports most international troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. In December 2012 there were about 102,000 Nato troops serving in Afghanistan from 50 contributing nations, the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) said.
Of these the bulk – about 68,000 – are US troops, the BBC reported.
The number of US forces in Afghanistan peaked at about 101,000 in 2011, taking full Nato force numbers to about 140,000. But an extra 33,000 American soldiers sent as part of the “surge” have now been withdrawn and Washington plans to carry on winding down combat operations during 2013.
The BBC said that leaders of nations contributing forces in Afghanistan have been talking about withdrawal for some time. Both France and Canada ended their combat missions early, although they have yet to bring all their troops home.
Britain, the second largest contributor to Nato’s Afghanistan operation, has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, and 4,000 more will be brought home by summer 2013, with the remainder leaving by the end of 2014.
Australia has said most of its troops most will be home by the end of 2013. Other contributing countries include Germany, Italy, Australia, Poland and Turkey. (Courtesy: DM Online)
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka welcomes 2 millionth tourist, marking historic milestone December 26, 2024
- Sri Lanka Police introduces nighttime traffic rules to enhance safety December 26, 2024
- Today marks 20 years since 2004 Tsunami Disaster December 26, 2024
- Wasantha Handapangoda passes away December 25, 2024
- PM Harini Amarasuriya calls for togetherness, gratitude, and peace this Christmas December 25, 2024
Ye! Ye! Stand by shoulder to shoulder as Blair did. Then Take orders and succumb to poodleship. Of course, we should go there since their erstwhile friends like Australia are going home now having had and seen enough.
We are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the World that SL forces can eliminate terrorism as they did in Mullaithivu, with zero civilian casualty, with the Human Rights Charter in one hand and the Weapon to destroy enemies in the other.
If we go to Afghanisthan, the war crime accusations will dissaper. The US will become our bosum pal and all those resolutions drafted by petty public servants in Washington will dissaper.
President Barack Hussein Obama will visit our emerald isle and we can have Air Force 1 (the Presidential Jet) land in the Mattala International Airport.
The US Navy can have the Hambantota Harbour for their exclusive use.
By the single act of going to Afghanistan, we bring about prosperity to our Nation by the end of 2013.
I disagree with VM. USA and the imperial neo-colonialist West (who call themselves ‘International Community’) are evil, the ‘AntiChrist’, who will come at the end of the world. Would USA be the cause of a nuclear holocaust oneday as it launches its nuclear arsenal against N Korea, China and Russia, with the poodles Britain and France in support?
USA started the war against al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan the Bush era, in retaliation for the 9/11 ‘bombing’ of state buildings in USA using passenger airlines. It had the support of its allies in the imperialist neo-colonial West, the so-called ‘international community’. It is now bogged down in a never-ending war of invasion in Afghanistan.
The imperial neo-colonialist West is fighting in Afghanistan a threat to them from the radical militant Islamists, Jihadists, a conglomeration of various factions within militant fundmental islamists including Al Qaeda. If we join the imperial neo-colonial West in their war against these radical militant Islamists we will invite trouble from them in our shores also. Already such groups are forming in SL, aided by the bankrupt JVP, the Sinhala traitors, to their utter shame! Let us fight them in our shores by ourselves alone if and when the time comes. In the meantime, let our military and police intelligence wings penetrate these groups and gather intelligence. When the time comes SL security forces are very competent to eliminate them totally in SL, as they did the most evil terrorist group in the world, the LTTE totally, under the heroic leadership of our Hon President, MR.
USA and its allies went to war in Afghanistan without a UN mandate. Now their economies are in dire trouble because of needless defence spending. They have therefore made drastic cuts on defence spending. They are withdrawing their troops, as they did in Vietnam, having been defeated by the power of resistance of the smaller nation not to succumb to invasion.
I am very glad our Hon President bravely rejected the call of USA to send our troops instead to Afghanistan in their war to save themselves the spending. How wicked and cunning! We do not want President Obama to vist our sacred shores ever. He is antichrist with hands covered in blood! We do not want our sacred shores to be sullied by this evil man.
Look Nicholas,
Leaving the philosophies aside, we do have a great opportunity of having Hussein Obama land in Mattala and going for a swim in the sea in Habantota. Just imagine the boost it will give to SL’s profile in the IC. Imagine the socio economic benefits that will accrue to 22m people.
In life, one should learn to strike while the iron is hot and that’s where opportunities are.
Our professional troops who subdued the World’s most ruthless terror outfit with zero civilian casualty as stated by our Defence Secretary. Our troops certainly do have the capability to subdue the Taliban and that capability will drive us to the centre of the World’s arena. Why not make use of it? It is indeed a legitimate purpose and it has great rewards.
Blog 2; “If we go to Afghanisthan, the war crime accusations will dissaper. The US will become our bosum pal and all those resolutions drafted by petty public servants in Washington will dissaper.”
YES! I wholeheartedly agree.
do you think that talibans, mujahideens are like these eradicated little juniors LTTE?it would be a day time dream, eradicating them.
mahinda’s gov is right at this stage in order to his future dreams of gov.
these above toddlers say every thing but nothing.
Obama and other US Presidents of late have blood of innocents in their hands. They are war criminals. They have committed terrible crimes against humanity. But they will never be tried for these crimes in the War crimes Tribunal of UN because the UNSG is in the pockets of USA. UN has become another tool/weapon of US imperial neo-colonialist West against small nations like SL who defy them.
How ridiculous and puerile of blog 4 MD to say that Obama will visit SL to thank us in person if we send troops to find the Taliban etc in Afghanistan! We have no quarrel with Afghanistan. Taliban are no threat to us. But if we do invade Afghnaistan to please Obama then we make Taliban our enemies also. Obama and the past US Presidents got themselves into their mess in Afghanistan. Let them get out of it themselves now as they did in Vietnam. We do not ever want this mass murderer Obama to visit our sacred shores in SL. Our Hon President will keep him out. I hope China and Russia will get together one day to kick his ass to teach USA a lesson.
Mr.VM….We don’t want our great heroes to battle against another people’s land. It’s non of our business. Currently US struggling to come out from Afghan and pulling others to the fire. May be you can send your own guys to showcase.
I am no supporter of terrorism. However if you think carefully, Thaliban’s or Al-Quaeda’s demands are very different from Tamil Tigers. Tamil tigers fought to break a piece of Sri Lanka, but Thaliban is not fighting with US to get a piece of US. They are simply asking US to leave their Muslim land. US has absolutely no right to occupy a foreign land like Saudi Arabia or Yeman. Demanding US to leave these lands was the root case for all this trouble.
At the end, if Thaliban is so bad, why did US supported Thaliban early in the piece against Russia. That shows it is not the principles that keeps US and Thaliban apart, they are both terrorist outfits. It is the politics that makes US and Thaliban different.