Danish, Dutch evacuate Afghanistan embassies

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

COPENHAGEN/AMSTERDAM, April 23 (Reuters) - Denmark and The Netherlands have moved all the staff from their embassies in Afghanistan to secret safe locations because of concern about security, Foreign Ministry officials said on Wednesday.

Denmark moved the staff out of its embassy in Algeria a few days ago for the same reason.

"There was a change in the security situation and we decided that it was necessary..." said Danish Foreign Ministry spokesman Erik Laursen, saying the decision was based on new intelligence.

The Danish embassy staff in Kabul were moved on Wednesday and continue to work remotely, Laursen said.

He could not say how long the staff of the two embassies would remain at their new locations.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23792009.htm

[aquart]

1. This can't be good.

[xchrom]

2. recommend -- just part of the general fuckedness bushworld has given all of us. nt

[Mike Daniels]

3. Neither of these cases has anything to do with Bush

Rather, both cases deal with certain practitioners of Islam being unable to handle any criticism of their religion as depicted by certain cartoons and films.


From linked article:

The Netherlands has also moved its embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad to a hotel because of concern about security following the release of an anti-Koran film by a Dutch politician.

The controversial film 'fitna', or 'strife', by anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accuses the Koran of inciting violence and has drawn strong condemnation and protests from Muslim countries.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service warned earlier this month of a heightened level of terror threats against Danish interests in North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It said the threat level had risen since Danish newspapers reprinted an old cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammad earlier this year as a protest against a plot to murder the cartoonist. The cartoon, depicting Mohammad wearing a bomb in his turban, was one of 12 drawings of the Prophet that were first printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005 and sparked riots in the Muslim world in 2006 after being distributed more widely.

Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam offensive. (Additional reporting by Harro Ten Wolde and Catherine Hornby in Amsterdam) (Reporting by Gelu Sulugiuc; Editing by Tim Pearce)

[xchrom]

4. and the icrease of violence in afghanistan -- including ten killed

today have nothing to do with the short shrift bush has given to afghanistan in his misplaced obssession with iraq?

of course there are problems with extemeists who cannot get along with everyone else.

but stabilizing adghanistan in the wake of toppling the taliban and pursing al qaeda would have gone a long way to diminishing a good deal of this violence.

jobs, food, a more stable economy, growth, education, improved medical care -- those should have been afghanistan's future after booting the taliban and al qaeda -- instead we have this vicious chaos.

[ensho]

5. kick

nt

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. My ongoing search for employment led me to an interesting site.

.
.
.

I am a licensed mechanic, in both automotive and truck repair.

I am also 57 years old.

Here's the site that was posted in our local newspaper for mechanics/supervisors

http://www.snclavalinpae.com/eng/positions.aspx

It's in Afghanistan!

Ahhhh - I think not,

I do not approve of the war,

nor do I feel like getting bombed (by mistake of course) by the USA while changing a spark plug.

I have more fear of the USA than I do of Afghanistan,

otherwise I would consider it.