Swiss invade Liechtenstein by mistake
What began as a routine training exercise almost
ended in an embarrassing diplomatic incident after a company of Swiss soldiers
got lost at night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein.
What began as a routine training exercise almost ended in an
embarrassing diplomatic incident after a company of Swiss soldiers got lost at
night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein. The 170 infantry soldiers from
the neutral country wandered more than a mile across an unmarked border into the
tiny principality early Thursday before realizing their mistake and turning
back.
A spokesman for the Swiss army said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion. “We’ve spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it’s not a problem.”
Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants, does not have an army.
If it was American soldiers crossing into Mexico, they probably would have been shot by ex-Mexican officers, trained at Fort Bragg, now working as assassins for drug gangs.
If it was Mexican solders crossing into the U.S., they probably would have been offered jobs soliciting votes for the Democratic Party — or working for Republican contractors building homes for Halliburton executives.
A spokesman for the Swiss army said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion. “We’ve spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it’s not a problem.”
Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants, does not have an army.
If it was American soldiers crossing into Mexico, they probably would have been shot by ex-Mexican officers, trained at Fort Bragg, now working as assassins for drug gangs.
If it was Mexican solders crossing into the U.S., they probably would have been offered jobs soliciting votes for the Democratic Party — or working for Republican contractors building homes for Halliburton executives.
Posted: Sun - March 4, 2007 at 07:45 AM