Red Cross teaching Taliban first aid....

**Toker** · 05-25-10, 05:02 PM

Red Cross gives first aid lessons to Taliban

Exclusive: Insurgents given training and equipment to help battlefield casualties

The Red Cross in Afghanistan has been teaching the Taliban basic first aid and giving insurgents medical equipment so that fighters wounded during battles with Nato and Afghan government forces can be treated in the field, it was revealed today.

More than 70 members of the "armed opposition" received training in April, the Red Cross said, in a move likely to anger the government of Hamid Karzai, which is losing large numbers of police and soldiers in insurgent attacks.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had introduced the classes because pitched battles, landmines and roadblocks stopped people in the most volatile areas from getting to hospital.

The organisation, which aims to remain neutral in the conflict, has trained more than 100 Afghan soldiers and policemen, as well as a network of taxi drivers who operate an unofficial ambulance service in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Today, a leading figure in Kandahar's local government, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the Taliban did "not deserve to be treated like humans".

He said: "They are like animals, and they treat the people they capture worse than animals. They kidnapped and killed an American lady and then wouldn't even return her body. These people don't deserve this help."

The Afghan ministries of defence and interior said they were unable to comment on what they described as a highly controversial issue.

They may be neutral, but I guarantee they'll see a big drop in donations....

**Toker** · 05-25-10, 05:03 PM

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...st-aid-taliban

**Blakeman** · 05-25-10, 05:13 PM

This isn't anything new, they have been neutral all along. Honestly if you donated to them and didn't know they have done and will do things like this then it is a 'shame on you' situation.

Always know who you are donating to, it is easy to talk you out of money in the guise of 'helping those in need'. Ask questions, otherwise you are just another sucker.

Honestly I don't see a problem with it, they are not giving them ammo, just trying to keep people alive. We do the same thing with our military, we heal the enemy when he is wounded as well as we do our own people.

**TehSpaz** · 05-25-10, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Blakeman

This isn't anything new, they have been neutral all along. Honestly if you donated to them and didn't know they have done and will do things like this then it is a 'shame on you' situation.

Always know who you are donating to, it is easy to talk you out of money in the guise of 'helping those in need'. Ask questions, otherwise you are just another sucker.

Honestly I don't see a problem with it, they are not giving them ammo, just trying to keep people alive. We do the same thing with our military, we heal the enemy when he is wounded as well as we do our own people.

yes, but we take the enemy soldier, heal him up, then put him in a POW camp. He is effectively removed from combat.

The training they're giving puts the enemy soldier back on the battlefield to kill more of our troops.

**Talkos** · 05-25-10, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Blakeman

Honestly I don't see a problem with it, they are not giving them ammo, just trying to keep people alive. We do the same thing with our military, we heal the enemy when he is wounded as well as we do our own people.

Indeed. I'd be surprised if the Red Cross turned anyone away who wanted to learn first aid.

**TehSpaz** · 05-25-10, 05:33 PM

More power to the red cross for remaining neutral, but due to my personal beliefs on the war, I won't be donating direct cash anymore....now blood is different, I'll continue to donate blood because I know that tends to stay at the local level, maybe even national in a major disaster.

**Toker** · 05-25-10, 05:38 PM

Originally Posted by Blakeman

This isn't anything new, they have been neutral all along.

No shit..... Aiding the Taliban in any way is........ just wrong. These people shouldn't even be considered humans.

**shoi** · 05-25-10, 05:45 PM

whether i agree with it or not, i can't say it's much of a surprise (as the others have said)

even in WWII they were neutral... the only reason i could think that they wouldn't be doing this is due to the remoteness of many parts of afghanistan