US troops poised to cross Afghan border for raid on bases

[Truth2Tell]

Source: The Times of London

July 16, 2008

Zahid Hussain in Islamabad

US troops in Afghanistan massed close to the border yesterday for a possible attack on al-Qaeda and Taleban bases in the lawless North Waziristan tribal belt in Pakistan.

Reports from the area said that hundreds of Nato troops were airlifted across the mountains from the village of Lowara Mandi, which has been an important base for cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Heavy artillery and armoured vehicles were also being moved into position.

The deployment followed a claim by the Afghan Government on Monday that the Pakistani Army and its spy agency had become “the world's biggest producers of terrorism and extremism”. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry accused Kabul of creating an “artificial crisis to satisfy short-term political expediencies”.

-snip

According to well-placed sources, Admiral Mullen warned Pakistan that the US could take unilateral military action if the cross-border attacks in Afghanistan were not stopped. The US official said that some elements within Pakistani security agencies could be helping the insurgents operate from their bases in the border region.

An influential Pakistani army official said there were strong indications that the US was ready to launch bombing raids against suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban camps inside Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4340239.ece

[EFerrari]

1. We're at war with Pakistan. More Bush keeping us safe.

Karzai has called out Pakistani intelligence and military forces as being behind these attacks. He's probably right, too.

[Truth2Tell]

2. He's probably right

Yes he is. Although it's useful to remember that we created these Frankensteins to begin with, and we continue to feed them.

If we cross the border with ground troops it's a whole new political ballgame in Pakistan and the world.

I wonder if the Regime has decided that since the path to Theran seems to be roadblocked, a Pakistani conflagration is the next best way to ramp up the much-wanted neo-con mega-war?

[EFerrari]

3. I think it's sort of worse than that.

Bush/Cheney are focussed on Iran but the small remainder of our intelligence / defense community that is actually doing their job know what a threat Pakistani intelligence / military is.

No one at Bush/Cheney is really paying attention to this.

We've known for years that Omar is sitting in Karachi and that al Qaida is in the tribal region. And, that they're communicating.

Bush/Cheney aren't on top of this and that's what makes it lethal. While this ramps up, they're still going for oil profits. They don't care.

[Truth2Tell]

4. I tend to think that at least Cheney and Co.

are pretty engaged - evil but smart. Bush is nothing but a medicated drooling figurehead, but I think the neo-cons are neck deep in Pakistan with an agenda that we may not fully understand.

[EFerrari]

5. There's no profit for Cheney in Pakistan.

Isn't that his M.O.?

No mystery. They'll ignore Pakistan in favor of going after Iran. And look out because like everything else they've done, that will be a disaster for us.

[Truth2Tell]

6. They need to get natural gas

from Central Asia to market. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, via Kabul, to Karachi.

It's no accident that Karzai is a former top exec of Unocal.

Edit to add: on top of that they simply need a bigger war somewhere, anywhere. They need to throw the hail-mary for the sake of the economy and the election. If our attention is focused on Iran, it becomes easier to have an "unexpected emergency" in Pakistan.

[EFerrari]

7. That's right. But the Iraqi oil you can get with a straw

and they're working on that.

Iran went to Euros -- they're a target now just as Saddam was.

No doubt they want that natural gas or, control of that market.

Cheney is nothing if not ambitious.

[Truth2Tell]

8. Yep, World Empire. Maybe war in both places. Why not? nt

[Bandit]

9. Pakistan does have the bomb and is allied with most Muslim countries.

It may be getting very close to the time when they strike back at the Great Satan............They see their entire life style being overwhelmed by the Westerners and they are not at all happy about it..

[Pavulon]

10. That would lead to the death of EVERYONE.

Pakistan is in our pocket. They are not going to nuke anyone. Maybe india over a cricket match but not us..

[Truth2Tell]

12. They are only in our pocket

as long as "our guys" stay in charge. That becomes much harder if popular resentment against the US grows as the result of our actions. I think this is why we have not acted directly in the NW region to date. Doing so now could be a huge gamble with Paki stability.

[Pavulon]

13. We should not be operationg Overtly..

in Pakistan. We have a long history love hate relationship with the ISI. So is goes beyond the general.

[Truth2Tell]

14. Agreed, so why does it look like we are about to

operate overtly? Doesn't seem smart? Unless I'm missing something?

[SpiralHawk]

11. "Nothing to worry about. Remember, I'm The Decider. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

[wtmusic]

15. Shhh...don't say anything. The raids are supposed to be a surprise.

9 American soldiers die in an ambush, and we're responding now?

The perps are long gone and it's certainly not to some "base". How stupid can we be?

[Indenturedebtor]

16. Well what I want to know, and I'm sure I'm not alone here, Is how do we blame Israel for this?

Seriously though this seems like a real disaster in the making... why couldn't they work diplomatically with the Pakistani government to crush these camps?

[Middle finga]

17. Americans need to get use to war in the ME because it seems like

we will be at war for a very long time, even under Barack the Afghan War will continue. How do you win these wars, Bombs will not kill Taliban and Al Qaeda ideology. I guess we will be fighting until we go bankrupt or we piss off so many countries that they unite against us.

[applegrove]

18. This is Obama's plan.

[ohio2007]

19. “We need more troops, more helicopters, more satellites, more Predator drones.”

snip

“We need more troops, more helicopters, more satellites, more Predator drones.” He reiterated that the US forces should be ready to cross into Pakistan without permission “to take out high-level terrorist targets like bin Laden if we have them in our sights”
snip
Germany is among the Nato members who are feeling pressure ---- to remove caveats limiting the role of its troops in Afghanistan to non-combat operations.


snip
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4339451.ece