France Steps Up Role In War on Terror

[beetbox]

France Steps Up Role in War on Terror

Sunday August 28, 2005 8:16 PM

By JIM KRANE

Associated Press Writer

Paris has significantly boosted its military presence in Central Asia and Afghanistan, plus in nearby seas, as both it and Washington nurture their budding rapprochement after a bitter falling out over the Iraq war.

French fighters have been flying sorties under U.S. command in Afghanistan since Aug. 16, and France also took command this month of an international naval task force on terrorism-related patrols in the seas between the Horn of Africa and Pakistan.

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Since earlier this month, French Mirage-2000 fighters have been flying alongside U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthogs to assist American and Afghan ground troops near Kabul, Ghazni, Delaram and Qalat, said Capt. David Small, spokesman for U.S. Central Command Air Forces in Qatar.

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France's current deployment is its largest since the Afghan campaign's early days, Michel said from Afghanistan's Bagram air base. It includes some 500 French pilots, air controllers and ground crew who arrived this month at U.S.-operated bases in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar.

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``We remind the bad guys that they might get a bomb on the head if they're not careful,'' warned Michel, who is an old hand at joint missions with the U.S. military, flying a French fighter in the 1991 Gulf War and in NATO-led operations in Bosnia and Kosovo.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5239423,00.html

[Charlie Brown]

1. The greedy, arrogant, ungrateful French

how dare they lend a hand?

[wli]

2. the "war on terror" (like the "war on drugs") is fake, why do they care?

If we can figure out that al Qaeda is a CIA front to claim responsibility for false flag, surely the French know? Why are they participating? Why is anyone else in the world participating?

[beetbox]

6. They want a portion of the spoils

Per capita the French drive more miles per year than the USians. of course they are doing it in much smaller vehicles and not using near the amount of petrol.
Any confidence placed in the French by the Left here in the US is misguided.

The French are as mercantile as it gets.
Haiti anyone?

[are_we_united_yet]

3. Oh they mean

"Cheese eating, surrender monkeys".

:eyes:

[SouthernDem2004]

4. I love Willie on the Simpons :)

[are_we_united_yet]

5. LOL!

[Orsino]

7. At least they're concentrating on Afghanistan...

...as we should have.