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India-Pakistan
Pak may relocate 100,000 army personnel to border
2008-11-29
Pakistan may relocate around 100,000 military personnel from its restive border area with Afghanistan if there is an escalation in tension with India,which has hinted at the involvement of Pakistani elements in the Mumbai carnage, a media report said today.

Private channel Geo News reported that Pakistan's military and intelligence sources told a select group of journalists today that NATO and American command had been told

that Islamabad [Images] would be forced to relocate its military from the borders with Afghanistan if there is escalation in tension with India, where nearly 200 people were killed in the multiple terror attacks on the Indian financial capital.

"These sources have said NATO and the US command have been told that Pakistan would not be able to concentrate on the war on terror and against militants around the Afghanistan border as defending its borders with India was far moreimportant," Geo News quoted senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir as saying.

He also said the sources had briefed the media that the decision not to send the ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha to India was taken after Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee used a very aggressive tone with Pakistani officials on telephone after the Mumbai attacks.

"The decision to not send the ISI DG to India was taken because Mukherjee used strong words with Pakistani officials and warned of consequences," Mir quoted the military sources as saying.
Posted by:john frum

#9  In fact, targeting hotels is a technique I have seen al Qaida affiliated groups use again and again in Indonesia, Jordon, Iraq, and other places.

I am fairly convinced that this operation was planned and trained by al Qaeda.
Posted by: crosspatch   2008-11-29 20:15  

#8  I do not believe this was an ISI sponsored operation though it may have been done with people who have had access to some ISI-sponsored resources in the past. I believe this was an al Qaeda operation using groups active in the Kashmir region.

I further believe that one of the PURPOSES of this operation would be to increase tensions with India and force a relocation of troops out of the tribal regions to the Indian border.

The attack on the Jewish center is one indication. I don't believe an ISI-planned attack would have wasted time/energy/resources on that target. The targeting of US and UK tourists is another indication to me that this was not ISI-planned. ISI would have gone after purely Indian targets and Hindu targets at that, not after foreigners and Jews. Attacking foreigners is an al Qaida trademark.

Posted by: crosspatch   2008-11-29 20:13  

#7  So the Afghan border is now a free firezone for more predators and spec-ops to fill in the vacuum?

Uh, yeah. That'd be my guess. Who's gonna protect bin Laden when they're gone?
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2008-11-29 16:42  

#6  Mission Accomplished.
Posted by: Seafarious   2008-11-29 16:00  

#5  Does that include the Counter Drone Ack Ack Batteries that inspire fear deep into the silicon hearts of every Predator?
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2008-11-29 14:24  

#4  This is exactly out of the 2001 playbook. Terrorist Infantry assault on Indian Parliament, then Islamabad says "Due to increased tensions, we've got to move our troops away from NWFP to the Indian border."
Posted by: Plastic Snoopy   2008-11-29 14:02  

#3  So the Afghan border is now a free firezone for more predators and spec-ops to fill in the vacuum?
Right?
Posted by: 3dc   2008-11-29 13:53  

#2  Was the ISI guy insulted or just fearing becoming a very-deserving POW?

"Pakistan would not be able to concentrate on the war on terror and against militants around the Afghanistan border as defending its borders with India was far more important"
Absurd on many levels. What have the 100,000 military personnel accomplished so far? Who keeps starting and fanning the fires along the Indian border? Pakistan seems determined to get its butt whipped on both sides plus either self-destruct or vaporize in its middle.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-11-29 13:48  

#1  ahhh so the ISI guy is insulted? F*ck him.
Posted by: Frank G   2008-11-29 12:44  

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