Finnish Peackeeper Dies in Afghanistan

[The Ripper]

The conflict in Afghanistan has claimed the life of a Finnish peacekeeper for the first time.

The peackeeper died in a bomb attack on Tuesday morning near the town of Aybaki in Samang Province. Peacekeepers were on their way to a shooting range when the blast occurred.



Yle (http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2011/02/finnish_peackeeper_dies_in_afghanistan_2366135.htm l)

Rest in peace. We shall see if people start taking a more vocal stance against Finnish involvement in these "peace-keeping operations" that actually bring war.

[Radojica]

R.I.P.

You should leave that shit hole, nobody should die for someones imperialistic goals.

[lei.talk]

does finland have an all-volunteer military?

is the government of finland democratically elected?

what were the considerations
of the government of finland
that led to military participation in afghanistan?

some explainations were offered?

http://i52.tinypic.com/14e5r9y.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISAF)

[The Ripper]

does finland have an all-volunteer military?

is the government of finland democratically elected?

what were the considerations
of the government of finland
that led to military participation in afghanistan?

some explainations were offered?

http://i52.tinypic.com/14e5r9y.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISAF)

Finland does not have a volunteer military, but these people going on peace-keeping missions are of course volunteers.

Finland's government is not elected, the parties themselves form coalition governments based on their results.

Military participation in Afghanistan is about democracy, women's / human rights, war on terror, we are told.

[The Lawspeaker]

Rest in peace.. My thoughts go out to his family.
I wonder why troops from Europe are still there at all.

[Moonbird]

RIP. And sadly this is the second Finnish soldier who dies out there.

[The Ripper]

RIP. And sadly this is the second Finnish soldier who dies out there.

Second? Who was the first?

[Moonbird]

Second? Who was the first?

One died also in May 2007.


Afganistanissa on kuollut aiemmin yksi suomalainen rauhanturvaaja. Toukokuussa vuonna 2007 suomalainen rauhanturvaaja kuoli ja toinen haavoittui, kun kauko-ohjattu kranaatti räjähti suomalaissotilaiden lähellä.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/2011/02/suomalaissotilas_kuoli_iskussa_afganistanissa_2366 118.html

[The Ripper]

Thanks. I did have a vague recollection of a casualty earlier but since the article in the OP claims this one was the first, I assumed the earlier one to have been a translator or something of the like, not a soldier / peace-keeper.

[Moonbird]

Body of Finnish officer flown to Helsinki-Vantaa from Afghanistan

Friday, 18 February 2011 10:22

A Finnish Air Force aircraft carrying the body of Senior Lieutenant Jukka Kansonen, who died in Afghanistan, touched down at Helsinki-Vantaa airport Thursday evening, with an honour guard receiving the coffin.

Lt Kansonen was killed by a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday. He is the second Finnish soldier to die in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) mission in Afghanistan.

General Ari Puheloinen, the commander of the Defence Forces, and Jyri Häkämies (cons), the defence minister, attended the reception ceremony at Helsinki-Vantaa.

After the ceremony the body was taken to the University of Helsinki's department of forensic medicine where an autopsy is to be carried out on Friday.


http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/domestic-news/general/14324-body-of-finnish-officer-flown-to-helsinki-vantaa-from-afghanistan-.html