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Almost every day, casualties are reported among the multinational forces in Iraq. But for the 1300-man strong Dutch troop contingent in the southern province of al-Muthanna, casualties are not an everyday occurrence.
So when a member of the Dutch military police was killed in an ambush last month, the news caused something of a nation-wide shockwave. Parliament was recalled from its summer recess, reinforcements were urgently dispatched to Iraq, and family member of the troops were invited for a special mass meeting with the defence minister and the army command.
 Listen to the full report by Hans de Vreij for Radio Netherlands. (5.23) |
The 29-year-old sergeant of the military police was the second fatality among the Dutch troops in Iraq. Another soldier who was killed last spring had been the first Dutch loss during a mission abroad since 1995, almost ten years ago. This helps to explain why Dutch society has reacted so strongly to the killing. Somehow, the Dutch population and politicians no longer really seem to expect casualties during missions abroad. But the Dutch Armed Forces themselves have a more realistic view of the situation, according to Lieutenant-General Marcel Urlings, commander-in-chief of the Dutch Army:
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"Casualties are of course something you have to take into account whenever a Dutch peacekeeping mission is sent abroad. One should realise that in the fast few years, the Netherlands government has shown the ambition to match their role in the promotion of international peace and stability with their place in the international society. And that responsibility implies taking part in international military missions abroad. Not only the classical peace support operations, but also the higher-risk mission like SFIR [Stabilisation Force Iraq] in Iraq or ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] in Afghanistan. We understand that taking part in such operations does not come without risk. And although we will do everything to reduce those risks, we know that we never be able to nullify it completely. Our government knows that, the Dutch people know that. But most importantly, our soldiers understand this too."
Mass information meeting
In the immediate wake of the killing of the Dutch military police sergeant, the defence ministry organised a mass meeting in the city of Utrecht. It was attended by an estimated 1500 family members who were given the opportunity to ask questions about safety procedures. They were addressed by the minister of defence, the top army command and - through a satellite connection - by the Dutch commander in Iraq itself. In other countries, such meetings (for the home front of soldiers on foreign missions) are unheard of, explains the commander-in-chief.
Srebrenica Syndrome
Ever since the mid-90s, the Netherlands has been haunted by what might be called "The Srebrenica Syndrome". In 1995 Dutch UN troops stood powerless when Serbian forces overran Srebrenica, a Muslim enclave in Bosnia. Thousands of Muslim men were executed in what has been called the biggest massacre in post-war Europe. For years after 'Srebrenica', the Netherlands was reluctant to dispatch peacekeeping troops abroad, but according to General Urlings that trauma has now been overcome.
"I admit that this has been a factor in the past. But since then, almost ten years have passed and in those ten years, major developments took place. We have transformed our army from a Cold-War-style conscript-based army to a very modern expeditionary force manned by professional soldiers. Since then we have taken part in almost every major international peacekeeping operation. The Dutch army has proven to be a very professional ally, ready for whatever task is thrown at them. Srebrenica will always be part of our history and we cannot ignore it but we have learned from it and have come out much stronger."
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"I think the recent past has proven this wrong. We did take part in missions like Kosovo or ISAF, and now we do take part in SFIR in Iraq. High-risk missions we did not turn our backs to. Especially in this last mission in Iraq, we have been tested in this respect. We have shown that when it really matters, we are able to hold our ground. On August 15th, Dutch troops were involved in a fierce firefight and came out strong. But also before that incident, we have shown that we will engage, if necessary. Yes, we do try to pose a friendly face towards the local community. We have learned that it is better to stand amongst the people than to confront them. In theatres our soldiers make it very clear: 'We are your best friend, but we can be your worst enemy.'"
Tags: al muthanna, casualties, Dutch army, iraq, losses, srebrenica, upheaval, urlings