Taliban: Dutch Defense Chief's Son Killed Over Anti-Islam Film
Taliban said they knew the whereabouts of Lt. Dennis van Uhm.
April 21, 2008— -- The Taliban declared the death of the Dutch defense chief's son revenge for the release of an anti-Islam film by a member of Dutch parliament.
The roadside bomb Friday that killed the 23-year-old son of the Dutch defense chief, Lt. Dennis van Uhm, also killed one other Dutch soldier. The Taliban said the explosion was revenge for the film "Fitna," released last month by the head of Netherlands' anti-immigration party, Geert Wilders.
"This great battle is one of many in revenge as promised by the Shura command council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan…," said Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yusuf. Yusuf said the Taliban knew the whereabouts of the Dutch defense chief's son, and that the attack was intended to target Dutch soldiers.
News reports say the explosion, seven miles from the Dutch military base in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan, killed two Dutch soldiers, including van Uhm, and injured two others.
Wilders' film entitled "Fitna," which translates to "Discord" in Arabic, suggests the Quran promotes violence and acts of terrorism. The 10-minute film shows various verses of the Quran followed by a montage of violent photos and video ranging from the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center to photos of the Shiite ritual of self-flagellation.