It's About Coalitions, Not Purity, Part Thirty-Six
"Initial Military Action In Afghanistan"
Americans and the world mourned the loss of the nearly three thousand people killed by the September 11th attacks, which included many non Americans. As the heat from the burning fires caused by the attacks subsided, the heat of anger in many people rose. The United States and many other nations remained on alert for any possible further attacks, but the knowledge of the location of Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan made a military strike there imminent. American, British, French, Australian, and Canadian forces began assembling for an assault, along with the "Afghan Northern Alliance," a military force of Afghani citizens opposed to the rule of the Taliban and the mainly non Afghani al Qaeda. In early October 2001 U.S. Special forces entered combat in Afghanistan, as large U.S. air strikes pounded key infrastructure and troop positions of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Coalition forces, assisted by the Northern Alliance advanced steadily.
By December al Qaeda and remnants of the Taliban were deployed in a mountainous area, complete with numerous caves, known as Tora Bora. After heavy aerial bombardment and ground fighting, the area was cleared, but Osama bin Laden was nowhere to be found. He had escaped into neighboring Pakistan, along with Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The victors then tried to secure the rest of Afghanistan, as well as provide the country with basic supplies. An international force provided various security and logistics.
Meanwhile at home, Republicans and Democrats generally continued to get along. With the nation firmly behind the military action, Bush found a broad coalition of support, even with many Democrats, but things were about to change, as the President made a crucial decision.
WORD HISTORY:
Kill (#2)-This is a noun first used in Colonial American English during the mid 1600s, pretty much in place names with "kil, kyl, kyll" as part of the name. It was taken from Dutch, as the Dutch were involved in the settlement of parts of the New York/New Jersey area during colonial times. The word's origins are unclear, although "apparently" Germanic; perhaps a twist or variant of another Germanic word. Slang and secondary meanings develop in words, which are then very difficult to track down for the historical record. It "seems" likely to be a North Germanic development (the largest North Germanic languages being Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish), as forms of the word appear in North Germanic areas, including those in northern Germany and Holland, once occupied by North Germanic speakers, as the northern German maritime city of "Kiel" is derived from a North Germanic form "Kyle," with the "y" pronounced like a long "e." It meant "an inlet from the sea, a bay." Dutch seems to have retained the word from North Germanic as "kille," and while keeping the association with water, in Dutch it meant "creek bed." German has "Keil" (pronounced as "kile"), also likely a leftover from North Germanic, and it means "wedge;" the idea being a "wedge (inlet) along the sea coast." In Colonial America it meant "creek." The Dutch and German usages "seem" to have come well AFTER the Germanic tribal elements, concisely rendered as "Anglo-Saxons," left northern Germany for Britain, as Old English "apparently" did not have a form of the word.
Americans and the world mourned the loss of the nearly three thousand people killed by the September 11th attacks, which included many non Americans. As the heat from the burning fires caused by the attacks subsided, the heat of anger in many people rose. The United States and many other nations remained on alert for any possible further attacks, but the knowledge of the location of Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan made a military strike there imminent. American, British, French, Australian, and Canadian forces began assembling for an assault, along with the "Afghan Northern Alliance," a military force of Afghani citizens opposed to the rule of the Taliban and the mainly non Afghani al Qaeda. In early October 2001 U.S. Special forces entered combat in Afghanistan, as large U.S. air strikes pounded key infrastructure and troop positions of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Coalition forces, assisted by the Northern Alliance advanced steadily.
By December al Qaeda and remnants of the Taliban were deployed in a mountainous area, complete with numerous caves, known as Tora Bora. After heavy aerial bombardment and ground fighting, the area was cleared, but Osama bin Laden was nowhere to be found. He had escaped into neighboring Pakistan, along with Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The victors then tried to secure the rest of Afghanistan, as well as provide the country with basic supplies. An international force provided various security and logistics.
Meanwhile at home, Republicans and Democrats generally continued to get along. With the nation firmly behind the military action, Bush found a broad coalition of support, even with many Democrats, but things were about to change, as the President made a crucial decision.
WORD HISTORY:
Kill (#2)-This is a noun first used in Colonial American English during the mid 1600s, pretty much in place names with "kil, kyl, kyll" as part of the name. It was taken from Dutch, as the Dutch were involved in the settlement of parts of the New York/New Jersey area during colonial times. The word's origins are unclear, although "apparently" Germanic; perhaps a twist or variant of another Germanic word. Slang and secondary meanings develop in words, which are then very difficult to track down for the historical record. It "seems" likely to be a North Germanic development (the largest North Germanic languages being Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish), as forms of the word appear in North Germanic areas, including those in northern Germany and Holland, once occupied by North Germanic speakers, as the northern German maritime city of "Kiel" is derived from a North Germanic form "Kyle," with the "y" pronounced like a long "e." It meant "an inlet from the sea, a bay." Dutch seems to have retained the word from North Germanic as "kille," and while keeping the association with water, in Dutch it meant "creek bed." German has "Keil" (pronounced as "kile"), also likely a leftover from North Germanic, and it means "wedge;" the idea being a "wedge (inlet) along the sea coast." In Colonial America it meant "creek." The Dutch and German usages "seem" to have come well AFTER the Germanic tribal elements, concisely rendered as "Anglo-Saxons," left northern Germany for Britain, as Old English "apparently" did not have a form of the word.
Labels: Afghan Northern Alliance, Afghanistan, al Qaeda, Democrats, Dutch, English, etymology, George W. Bush, Germanic languages, Osama bin Laden, Taliban
posted by Randy at 7:45 PM
1 Comments:
I don't fault Bushv for going after Bin Laden and Taliban in Afghanistan, we had to do something, couldn't let this stuff keep going.
Interesting about "kill," in that form, never thought about that, even though as you mention, I've seen it in place names or family names, too, I think.
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