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All Your Base Belong To Us
Some of the more ominous speculation inside the Beltway concerns the Bush administration's policies towards Iran, including the possibility of an attack. Bolstering Iran's paranoia about being surrounded is the fact that U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan are building a 741-acre military base near the country's western border with Iran. The base is being built in the Holang desert area in Ghorian district Herat province a scant 28 miles from the Iranian frontier. The Combined Forces' Command in Kabul and the Afghan government insist that the base is being built for the Afghan National Army. A press official for the Combined Forces' Command commented, "The U.S. government is building a military base in Ghorian in order to provide transportation facilities for the Afghan National Army." | "Nothing to see here, move along." |
The U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team in Herat maintained that the base would be used for training Afghan National Army soldiers. Iran's consul in Herat Mohammad Ali Najafi said only, "We will express our view after contacting relevant authorities inside my country, who will assess this issue." | Translation: "This is above my pay grade." |
Some Afghan military officials are more candid about the implications of the base; ANA General Nader Azemi said, "Creation of a base in a place completely dominating Iranian airspace could provoke an argument from Iran." | Gee, he sez it like "completely dominating Iranian airspace" is a bad thing. |
Posted by: Steve 2004-11-30 |
