Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein

[Matt Molnar]

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 2, 2007

Filed at 8:43 a.m. ET

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- 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.

According to Swiss daily Blick, the 170 infantry soldiers wandered 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early Thursday before realizing their mistake and turning back.

A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story but 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,'' Daniel Reist told The Associated Press.

Officials in Liechtenstein also played down the incident.

Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition. ''It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something,'' he said.

Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants and is slightly smaller than Washington DC, doesn't have an army.

OMGZWWIIIWTF

[nwafan20]

HAHA!

You know, the Swiss just should have went with it. They could have taken over Liechtenstein with that army of 170 soldiers (with a quick stop for ammunition of course!)

[cancidas]

what happenned to situation awareness? guess they're not there yet.

[Winglets747]

I guess this is what happens when the AP doesn't cover Paris Hilton. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/0 ... index.html

[Mellyrose]

OMGZWWIIIWTF

LOL!

[cancidas]

OMGZWWIIIWTF

LOL!

what's that mean?

[Mellyrose]

It's a joke...."Oh my godz world war 3 what the f*ck"

[Matt Molnar]

I guess this is what happens when the AP doesn't cover Paris Hilton. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/0 ... index.html

I was amused when I found out they were doing this, and more amused when they broke it a week later by reporting on Paris getting pulled over. They say now it was only meant to last a week but who knows. During that week off there was not really any Paris news to report...if she had gotten pulled over two days into the ban I don't think they could have resisted...their clients would have complained. I don't think it's healthy for the news to start declaring on record that certain subjects are off limits, no matter how silly they might be.