Condolences to France for losing those two troops:
"Four foreign hostages have been freed by French forces in the West African country of Burkina Faso, France says.
Commanders launched the operation to rescue two French tourists snatched in neighbouring Benin earlier this month, before they could be handed over to militants in Mali.
During the raid special forces found the kidnappers were also holding a US woman and a South Korean woman.
Two French soldiers and four kidnappers were killed. Two kidnappers escaped."
I mean no disrespect but Otto Warmbier is in the same category. I certainly don’t wish the guy dead or injured but WTF??? Why the hell would you want to go to North Korea (outside of being a State Department employee or such)? And then try to steal a Nork political poster…this ain’t Berkley dude. You’re not in Kansas anymore Dorothy.
I get to some extent saying that if people didn’t travel to these places, then this wouldn’t happen, but that’s a pretty dense blanket dismissal. You don’t have to go too far for this kind of shit to happen, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd world. If you think seeing other places/cultures isn’t worth the risk, that’s fine, but I’m glad we have a president who really does seem to care about getting Americans back. I wouldn’t expect anything less of our brothers in France, either. Godspeed to them.
That doesn’t exactly sound safe, but more like she had a rapport with the drivers who apparently paid more attention to things going on.
Impoverished doesn’t mean everyone there is bad, but it often does mean upper echelon corruption along more peons saying to hell with civil behavior than would normally happen sans the former.
My thoughts exactly. I only wish they raped ass without any personal losses.
Yes it sucks when some dippity dipshit goes wandering in dangerous places and gets snatched, but if done successfully, an absolutely brutal - no consideration for anyone involved with terrorists - prisoner snatch can pay dividends for a long time.
Sadly it doesn’t always go that way because there are too many considerations for people we shouldn’t care about. Burkina Faso shouldn’t even be permitted to exist except as the target of training exercises for various SF groups to dispose of in large numbers.
I have lived in some fun places BUT I was single and no kids etc… anyone who is married has kids and is traveling outside of work knowing what’s up is insane
educated ready to walk away places sometimes are OK like some who have vacation places in other countries I see no issues but often those are safe now places and again reckon most would not go back if it was going insane or if things are getting hot stay away
some places are just insane to start with and are a no go for living
I remember a hippie chick who joined the Peace Corps and got sent to Africa. When she came back her hair was like crew cut short, she dropped N bombs like it was cool, smoked three packs a day, and just reminded me of a Nam vet with shell shock.
I can’t speak to all French military, but the ones I’ve been around, FFL and 1st RPIMa, we’re locked tight and excellent. And their rations were yummy.
Other than providing good filming locations and story lines for Strike Back episodes, I fail to see why anyone would want to go to 99.9% of the places in Africa.
