Some reporter

Fish · 10-25-06, 12:47 PM

THE HAGUE/TARIN TOWT – The Dutch ministry of Defense is dealing with a problem after the news has come out of a Dutch TV-maker fighting with Dutch Special Forces against the Taliban. During the firefight the man took the gun of the MAG-gunner and fired with live rounds at the Taliban fighters. The Dutch Military Police is currently investigating the case.

It’s not clear whether or not the non-uniform wearing civilian made any casualties himself, but according to NATO-predictions around 20 fighters were killed during the fight. Sources within the ministry of Defense also reported some civilian casualties.

The gunner, Vic Franke, was on a 6-week tour with the Dutch Royal Army to make a documentary about the work of the Dutch Special Forces (Korps Commando Troepen).

Roadside bomb
On the 11th of October 2006 Vic Franke was patrolling together with 25 Dutch Special Forces, some American soldiers and a unit of the Afghan Army. 6 Kilometers from the base one of the vehicles was hit by a roadside bomb, killing one Afghan soldier instantly and leaving 9 others wounded.

The exploding roadside bomb resulted in a well-prepared ambush of Taliban fighters, assaulting the Dutch, American and Afghan forces from 3 sides. The documentary maker kept filming till his battery went empty.

“We wanted to retreat to a dry riverbank, but also from this position we were receiving enemy fire.” According to Franke. “My military service as a conscript once taught me that the best thing to do in a situating like this is to return fire. So I took one of the commando’s Diemanco and fired in the cornfield, aiming at the places where I saw fire coming from the enemy’s barrels.” After the firefight Franke surprised many soldiers as he gave away a lot of operational details of the ‘adventure’. He talked about his ‘tour of duty’ and his ‘brothers in arms’.

A spokesman of the ministry of Defense pointed out that it is definitely not a good thing when civilians are handling the firearms, but did not want to judge the incident. “That’s from the Military Police to do.”

Iceman · 10-25-06, 12:52 PM

Someone shoots at you do you have to be in some service to fire back...Not.Arm all them reporters.

Probably a bad thing to start as put all journalists at risk...hum.

The Avon Lady · 10-25-06, 01:13 PM

He might possibly be deservant of a simultaneous slap on the wrist and a medal.

TteFAboB · 10-25-06, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish

A spokesman of the ministry of Defense pointed out that it is definitely not a good thing when civilians are handling the firearms, but did not want to judge the incident. “That’s from the Military Police to do.”

I guess a definitely good thing would be for him to die like cattle. I can almost predict the automatic default bureaucratic response in that case: "It is definitely not a good thing when civilians die in combat", "that's for the Military Police to do". Well, I just think it's definitely a good thing that he suvived unlike that one Afghan soldier, RIP.

Yahoshua · 10-25-06, 05:41 PM

Good for him, I hope he got a couple. (regulations be damned, I'd do the same thing if I were in his position.)

10-25-06, 12:47 PM	#1
Fish Eternal Patrol Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,923 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Some reporter THE HAGUE/TARIN TOWT – The Dutch ministry of Defense is dealing with a problem after the news has come out of a Dutch TV-maker fighting with Dutch Special Forces against the Taliban. During the firefight the man took the gun of the MAG-gunner and fired with live rounds at the Taliban fighters. The Dutch Military Police is currently investigating the case. It’s not clear whether or not the non-uniform wearing civilian made any casualties himself, but according to NATO-predictions around 20 fighters were killed during the fight. Sources within the ministry of Defense also reported some civilian casualties. The gunner, Vic Franke, was on a 6-week tour with the Dutch Royal Army to make a documentary about the work of the Dutch Special Forces (Korps Commando Troepen). Roadside bomb On the 11th of October 2006 Vic Franke was patrolling together with 25 Dutch Special Forces, some American soldiers and a unit of the Afghan Army. 6 Kilometers from the base one of the vehicles was hit by a roadside bomb, killing one Afghan soldier instantly and leaving 9 others wounded. The exploding roadside bomb resulted in a well-prepared ambush of Taliban fighters, assaulting the Dutch, American and Afghan forces from 3 sides. The documentary maker kept filming till his battery went empty. “We wanted to retreat to a dry riverbank, but also from this position we were receiving enemy fire.” According to Franke. “My military service as a conscript once taught me that the best thing to do in a situating like this is to return fire. So I took one of the commando’s Diemanco and fired in the cornfield, aiming at the places where I saw fire coming from the enemy’s barrels.” After the firefight Franke surprised many soldiers as he gave away a lot of operational details of the ‘adventure’. He talked about his ‘tour of duty’ and his ‘brothers in arms’. A spokesman of the ministry of Defense pointed out that it is definitely not a good thing when civilians are handling the firearms, but did not want to judge the incident. “That’s from the Military Police to do.”

10-25-06, 01:13 PM	#3
The Avon Lady Über Mom Join Date: May 2005 Location: Jerusalem, Israel Posts: 6,147 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	He might possibly be deservant of a simultaneous slap on the wrist and a medal. __________________ "Victory will come to us from the wombs of our women." - Houari Boumedienne, President of Algeria, Speech before the UN, 1974

10-25-06, 05:41 PM	#5
Yahoshua The Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,493 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Good for him, I hope he got a couple. (regulations be damned, I'd do the same thing if I were in his position.) __________________ Science is the organized unpredictability that strives not to set limits to mans' capabilities, but is the engine by which the limits of mans' understanding is defined-Yahoshua

10-25-06, 12:52 PM	#2
Iceman Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mesa AZ, Arizona, USA Posts: 1,253 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Someone shoots at you do you have to be in some service to fire back...Not.Arm all them reporters. Probably a bad thing to start as put all journalists at risk...hum.