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| Afghanistan |
| Iceland offers to take over Kabul Airport |
| 2003-11-05 |
| Iceland has offered to take over coordination of Kabul’s international airport for the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, a NATO source said Wednesday. Thank you, Iceland. Iceland, the only NATO member without an army, has led a multinational force managing Pristina airport since March as part of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission (KFOR) in the UN-administered province of Kosovo. Reykjavik has proposed to do the same in Kabul after Germany expressed its intention to end its management of the airport in February, a NATO official who asked not to be named said. Sounds like a dark plot by Iceland to seize control of all the hellhole airports in the world. Next thing you know they’ll be after Logan. Hummmm... ISAF has recently had contacts with the World Bank and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to discuss the development of Kabul’s airport, the NATO official said. The UN last month authorized ISAF forces to deploy outside of the capital in an attempt to provide more security ahead of elections next year. NATO ambassadors also welcomed the recent decision by Norway to send an extra 200 soldiers to provide protection to the 500-member Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, which is due to debate and adopt a new constitution in December. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Steve Heard they were offered Logan but are holding out for Baghdad IA |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-11-5 11:15:52 PM |
| #7 Settled by Vikings, invented parliament, Icelandic sagas, and they recently started hunting whales again. Iceland still tops my list of countries that aren't the US. |
| Posted by: Christopher Johnson 2003-11-5 9:03:51 PM |
| #6 Seafarious, I understand why the DOD would think that Iceland is no longer an important strategically. Personally, I am wary of assuming that we will never engage in anti-submarine warfare again. I Beleive in Power Projection and Protection of Shipping Lanes - call me old fashion. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-5 8:32:26 PM |
| #5 Made a brief (unplanned) stop in Rejkivek in 1974, on my way back to the States on emergency leave. The Icelanders are a hearty group of nice people who don't like to be messed with. If they took over Kabul, expect the heads of some of the locals to be broken. As for an army, they really don't need one - the locals are quite capable of defending their island, and trying to conquer it would make about as much sense as trying to capture Spitzbergen. Nice combination of freezing cold and boiling hot springs, thanks to their location on the top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-11-5 8:01:54 PM |
| #4 Steve, they're welcome to Logan, but hands off Manchester, NH -- the local sane alternative to Logan... |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2003-11-5 5:59:01 PM |
| #3 Iceland, the only NATO member without an army Iceland got Iceman... who needs an army. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-5 4:36:15 PM |
| #2 From Rantburg, July 2003: Nato faces rift over US plan to remove jets from Iceland |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2003-11-5 4:26:24 PM |
| #1 Iceland Air already flies out of Logan, it should be easy for them. Incredible looking |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-11-5 4:12:22 PM |