Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 12:09:52 -0400 From: carol@carolmoore.net (Carol Moore) Subject: [libs4peace] Gay Afghanis Proposition Brit Marines
See, if you read http://www.antiwar.com everyday you'd find fun stuff like this :-) (Who says all Muslims are prejudiced against gays?)
> http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?id=561752002&tid=1
> Startled marines find Afghan men all made up to see them
> Fri 24 May 2002
>
> Chris Stephen In Bagram
>
> BRITISH marines returning from an operation deep in the Afghan mountains
> spoke last night of an alarming new threat - being propositioned by swarms
> of gay local farmers.
>
> An Arbroath marine, James Fletcher, said: "They were more terrifying than
> the al-Qaeda. One bloke who had painted toenails was offering to paint ours.
> They go about hand in hand, mincing around the village."
>
> While the marines failed to find any al-Qaeda durng the seven-day Operation
> Condor, they were propositioned by dozens of men in villages the troops were
> ordered to search.
>
> "We were pretty shocked," Marine Fletcher said. "We discovered from the
> Afghan soldiers we had with us that a lot of men in this country have the
> same philosophy as ancient Greeks: a woman for babies, a man for
> pleasure."
>
> Originally, the marines had sent patrols into several villages in the
> mountains near the town of Khost, hoping to catch up with al-Qaea suspects
> who last week fought a four-hour gun battle with soldiers of the Australian
> SAS. The hardened troops, their faces covered in camouflage cream and weight
> down with weapons, radios and ammunition, were confronted with Afghans
> wanting to stroke their hair.
>
> "It was hell," said Corporal Paul Richard, 20. "Every village we went into
> we got a group of men wearing make-up coming up, stroking our hair and
> cheeks and making kissing noises."
>
> At one stage, troops were invited into a house nd asked to dance. Citing
> the need to keep momentum in their search and destroy mission, the marines
> made their excuses and left. "They put some music on and ask us to dance. I
> told them where to go," said Cpl Richard. "Some of the guys turned tail and
> fled. It was hideous."
>
> The Afghan hill tribes live in some of the most isolated communities in the
> country. "I think a lot of the problem is that they dont have the women
> around a lot," said another marine, Vaz Pickles. "We only saw about two
> women in the whole six days. It was all very disconcerting."
>
> A second problem the British found came minutes after the first helicopter
> touched down at one of the hilltop firebases, when local farmers appeared
> demanding compensation for goats they claimed had been blown off the
> mountains by the rotor blades. "Every time we landed a Chinook near a
> village, we got some irate bloke running up to us saying his goat has just
> got blown off the mountain ridge by the helicopter - and then he demanded a
> hundred dollars compensation," said Major Phil Joyce, commander of Whisky
> Company, one of four companies deployed.
>
> As patrols moved away from the landing zones, the locals began pestering
> Afghan troops attached to the marines with ever more outrageous compensation
> demands - topping off at a demand from one village elder for $500 (300) for
> damage to a tree by the downdraft from helicopters.
>
> But the marines were under orders to win the "hearts and minds" of local
> farmers in what is one of the few remaining Taleban bastions. "I managed to
> barter him down to two marine pens, a pencil and a rubber," Major Joyce
> said. "He went away quite happy ."