Dutch troops change ‘gay’ name

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has changed the name of its peacekeeping force in Afghanistan after fears of the original name’s connotations.

Dutch troops in the war zone operated under the name, Unicorn, but had their title changed to the Uruzgan Taskforce, to avoid ridicule, the defence ministry claims.

Otte Beeksma, spokesman for the Netherlands defence ministry told the Associated Foreign Press, “It would seem that in Anglo-Saxon culture the mythological figure of the unicorn is associated with homosexuality.

“In Kandahar our men are working alongside Canadian, British and Australian troops.

“They don’t want this connotation and to avoid remarks they have changed the name of their mission.”