Pakistan Cuts NATO Supply Lines After Attack
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Pakistan cut supply lines to NATO troops in Afghanistan and ordered a U.S. withdrawal from a drone base after reports that helicopters of the U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan killed at least 24 Pakistani soldiers in an attack on a border post.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani “strongly condemned” the attack and ordered the Foreign Ministry to address the incident “in the strongest terms” with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S., his spokesman said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. The Cabinet’s defense committee held an emergency meeting and ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Shamsi Airbase within 15 days.
Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Kayani said the attack was a “blatant and unacceptable act,” and demanded urgent action against those responsible. NATO and the U.S. said the incident is being investigated.
The U.S. and Pakistani governments have been trying to stabilize their relationship after a year that included Pakistan’s detention of a CIA contract employee for killing two Pakistanis, the U.S. raid that that killed Osama bin Laden in May, and public accusations by top U.S. officials that Pakistan’s army is actively aiding militant groups that the U.S. defines as terrorist.
“This incident puts General Kayani in a very difficult position among his troops,” Talat Masood, a retired army lieutenant general and security analyst in Islamabad, said in an interview. “I don’t think both allies will go to the tipping point, but it makes things even worse at a time when the Obama administration was trying to restore a working relationship with Pakistan after the Osama bin Laden incident.”
Border Posts
In the Nov. 25 attack, NATO helicopters and a fighter aircraft fired at Pakistani border posts on the mountainous frontier between Afghanistan’s Kunar province and the Pakistani district of Mohmand, according to a statement posted on the Pakistani army’s website. The attack is at least the fourth on a Pakistan border facility by NATO forces in 15 months.
Pakistan’s defense committee, in a written statement from Islamabad, said the attacks “constituted breach of sovereignty, were violative of international law and had gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan’s cooperation” with U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
‘Shared Interests’
“Senior U.S. civilian and military officials have been in touch with their Pakistani counterparts from Islamabad, Kabul and Washington to express our condolences, our desire to work together to determine what took place, and our commitment to the U.S.-Pakistan partnership, which advances our shared interests, including fighting terrorism in the region,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in an e-mail yesterday.
NATO oversees the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, in Afghanistan. The incident “has my highest personal attention and my commitment to thoroughly investigate it to determine the facts,” said the ISAF commander, Gen. John R. Allen, in an e-mail. “My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan Security Forces who may have been killed or injured.”
Cameron Munter, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, said “the United States will work closely with Pakistan to investigate this incident,” according to a statement from his embassy.
NATO Investigation
It’s “highly likely” that NATO aircraft conducted a raid, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, citing an interview with spokesman Brigadier-General Carsten Jacobson. NATO is investigating how the incident happened and has sent condolences for it, Jacobson told the BBC.
In September 2010, U.S. forces attacked areas in the border districts of Kurram and North Waziristan, killing what Pakistan said were several of members of its paramilitary Frontier Corps, an army-led force that guards much of the border. Pakistan closed its frontier for 10 days to the NATO-contracted trucks that haul food, uniforms, construction material and other “non- lethal” supplies from its port of Karachi into Afghanistan. Pakistan re-opened the border after a joint investigation with U.S. officials and a NATO apology for the attacks.
Afghan and Pakistani Taliban factions regularly attack U.S. and other NATO forces from their bases in Pakistan and try to slip back across the frontier for protection from NATO retaliation. ISAF has at times asserted a right of “hot pursuit” of Taliban guerrillas into Pakistani territory, while Pakistan has objected, calling such actions a violation of its sovereignty.
The Pakistan-Afghanistan border passes through rugged mountains and desert terrain and is unmarked over most of its more than 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) length. The two countries dispute the border’s location in many areas.
from bloomberg
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We should wait for the investigation 1st before we start with stone throwing. For all we know, the border post might have been playing "let's scare NATO aircraft with warning shots" and got shot for their actions. So, wait, gather intel, consider. Then tear a stripe off the ass of the party which screwed up. :)
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Or a border guard held a wedding on government ammo
Before he had taken one virgin, he traded her in for 60. -
Ouch alise.. just... ouch.. :P
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http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afghan-soldiers-called-deadly-nato-airstrike-133806114.html Now we know.
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Its alright guys, just friendly fire.
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To Hell with NATO.
Tool of the U.S to control europe and enforce U.S hegemony. Top aggressors of the world.
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com
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its nice to know there are countries that dare tell US and nato to get out.
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I am betting on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to disrupt NATO.
I think this bloc has the potential to weaken NATO by expanding their membership to Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation
NATO states
Turkey is part of NATO, but is willing to join SCO.
If Turkey joins, it will be an opening for the other eastern european NATO states to join.
If so, U.S cannot totally trust these states already. The NATO bloc will be disrupted.
Turkey wants to join SCO
You can also see China testing the waters in europe by slowing stepping up their military ties with european states.
Turkey-China military exercises
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62337
Joint Belarus-China exercise held near Baranovichi
http://news.belta.by/en/news/society/?id=645274
Turkey, Belarus; next will be Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Slovakia, all those ex warsaw pact communist states.
U.S says they will be moving their resources over to the asia pacific area to target China's growth.
If so, China should move into europe and weaken NATO.
I think not only europe, but latin america as well should be targeted.
Want to come to asia and fuck with China, then China should also fuck back.UNASUR to strengthen ties with ChinaThe Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) said Wednesday it wants to enhance ties with China to help the organization achieve strategic integration projects between its member states. -
Dalfarce, I'm not too sanguine about China too, they have a tendency to treat large chunks of open sea as their property and can get violent about it. NATO? Doesn't disturb us, we don't disturb it. China's more likely to disturb us.
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Originally posted by Underpaid:
China’s more likely to disturb us.
Singapore? We don't have sea borders in south china sea. Anyway Singapore is already in the western camp.
But I take these things from a global view and the global view is that U.S is the top bastard that must be taken down. They wage war after war to further their hegemonic aims. Kill and kill.
Only China working with Russia and others can take it down.
I am for the complete end of U.S hegemony in the world.
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Originally posted by Underpaid:
Dalfarce, I’m not too sanguine about China too, they have a tendency to treat large chunks of open sea as their property and can get violent about it.
NATO? Doesn’t disturb us, we don’t disturb it. China’s more likely to disturb us.
There just cannot go and start bombing people of other country.There should have a treaty in place to mark a start to support letting go arm and develop support for social well beings, among countries. Hopefully it can achieve in 10 years period. May they all rest in peace :D -
This kind of accidents happen all the time in war.
Previously, the one calling for artillery support get the shells falling on them. Happened countless of times in the Vietnam war.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 25:
Singapore? We don't have sea borders in south china sea. Anyway Singapore is already in the western camp.
But I take these things from a global view and the global view is that U.S is the top bastard that must be taken down. They wage war after war to further their hegemonic aims. Kill and kill.
Only China working with Russia and others can take it down.
I am for the complete end of U.S hegemony in the world.
You might be trading one smaller monster for a bigger one. US may attack other countries, but they do not have popular support for it by the people who vote for their leaders, so that functions as a self-limiting check on the military, not to mention that the US already have the "I'm a 600 pound gorilla" mentality pounded out of them in WWII and Vietnam, and economically, so they're less likely to go on little adventures without counting the cost 1st, China still doesn't. As a rising "superpower", they're still feeling for their limits, and the nationalistic pride makes them MORE likely to cause trouble, and unlike the US, their people will be cheering all the way in a war. See the recent Spratley's dispute and the Japanese disputed territories incidents, the Chinese are more prone to using violence on other country's ships, though they were civillian they ATTACKED other people's military. In a war, these people will be goading their government to higher and higher levels of aggression. Yes, the Americans can be stupid, and that makes them dangerous. The Chinese are nationalistic and feel like others owe them a debt as they are less developed. It makes them even more so. See Germany before the 2nd War. Prefering China over the US just because "I feel like it" is suicidal and totally does not take into account the mentality of the country. Quit only looking at history and stop fighting the previous war. Look at NOW and what they are likely to do in the future. -
Originally posted by Underpaid:
You might be trading one smaller monster for a bigger one.For me, U.S is the biggest monster. Their hegemony is dangerous for the world and must be destroyed.
Anyway, it is beyond us also.
All the big powers are working to end U.S hegemony, so the conflicts in the world are getting sharper and sharper.
We will see how the game ends.
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"All the big powers are working to end U.S hegemony" This part is pretty bullshitty. Russia's quiet, British are allied, French have their own problems, India is worried about Pakistan/Iran. Only one I see on the board is China, and they can't do much as most of their reserves are in US bonds, kick the US and they hurt their own savings. "For me, U.S is the biggest monster. Their hegemony is dangerous for the world and must be destroyed." Then you have limited imagination or little referencing skills. China has the potential to be the WWII Germany of this era, and that exercise in German nationalism cost us millions of lives, IIRC 40 million in Russia alone. I repeat. US monster is smaller than China monster. Less soldiers, less rabid.