Norway Sending Elite Telemark 'Punisher' Battalion to Stop ISIS

Brad Fox | March 8, 2015
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Involved in fighting the Taliban since 2003, the Telemark Battalion from Norway is no stranger to fighting terrorism. The Telemark troops are known to use the skull insignia from the Marvel character "The Punisher,"  an antihero who slaughters criminals and seeks to bring those who do wrong to a painful death. They were known to spray-paint the punisher symbol on houses and property belonging to suspected Taliban members. 

American hero Chris Kyle also shared the use of the Punisher Insignia with the message,

"Despite what your momma told you...violence does solve problems." 

Norway is going to send several dozen Telemark troops to Northern Iraq in order to train Kurdish forces and aid in fighting ISIS. Their mission is expected to begin in April. 

Major Rune Wenneberg (in a green beret pictured below) fires up his troops with the rallying cry, "To Valhalla,"  translating to "Hall of the Slain," a place where warriors go when they die according to Norse Mythology. 

In this footage, Wenneberg reportedly cries: "You are the predator. Taliban is the prey. To Valhalla!" as his troops punch their weapons in the air in support. 

 

American Charles Stanley, helped provide logistics for units from the Norwegian battalion while they were undergoing cold weather training in preparation for their missions in Bosnia in the late 1990's. Stanley was a former sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division and says the Telamark "would be a fierce asset to Kurdish Peshmerga troops in their efforts to combat murderous extremists," according to the DailyMail

Stanley said:

 'ISIS should fear them for sure.'

'My take on them is that they were a very aggressive and rugged team of warriors.'

'They had the attitude of whatever comes our way we will demolish it, be that from eating chow to driving their mechanized vehicles.'

'There was no half way with them - it was all or nothing in everything they did. I have a long history with airborne paratroopers and they are some of the toughest soldiers in the army, on and off duty . . . 

'ISIS is a force of uncontrolled chaos and they have no discipline or defined battlefield strategy other than overcome by force.'

'This well-trained and disciplined unit of Norwegian soldiers would be able to make very short work of any ISIS soldiers they encountered.'

'I would say compared to other country's soldiers they were among some of the most competitive and competent warriors that I have ever worked with.'

 

The Telemark Battalion are a modern mechanized infantry unit who share their name with the famous World War II saboteurs who are credited with stopping the Nazis near advancement in making a nuclear bomb. In 1943 they destroyed a heavy water production facility at the Norsk Hydroelectric plant in Telemark, Norway. 

Sitting between an icy-rock-edged encampment, with machine gun turrets and guard towers, the German facility was no match for a six man Norwegian  paratroop squad who detonated 1000 pounds of heavy water and cross-country skied a reported 250 miles into Sweden. 

Their chosen Insignia is the Viking Longboat. 

The world will get to look forward to more brave exploits from this Norwegian Battalion with Viking blood in their veins. 

H/T DailyMail

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