Article

2008-09-04 India-Pakistan

Source: U.S. troops launch helicopter assault in Pakistan

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Posted by gorb 2008-09-04 02:44|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 So we were over the border illegally? That makes us illegals in Pakistan?

I guess we were.. umm...

Just doing the work the Pakistani's won't do.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-09-04 04:50|| 2008-09-04 04:50|| Front Page Top

#2 NPR did a story on this last night. Of course it was very slanted with US soldiers taking people out of their houses and shooting them execution-style in the head. Women, children, cows, you name it, the Americans killed it. Then the British reporter went into a bit of background about the US and Pakistani Military Higher-ups meeting on a US "Battleship" to discuss things. Disgusting piece by NPR.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2008-09-04 07:34|| 2008-09-04 07:34|| Front Page Top

#3 "a neutral country has the obligation not to allow its territory to be used by a belligerent. If the neutral country is unwilling or unable to prevent this, the other belligerent has the right to take appropriate action." - Hague Convention of 1907

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-09-04 09:10|| 2008-09-04 09:10|| Front Page Top

#4 Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the raid by special operations forces targeted suspected al Qaeda operatives and signaled a possible intensification of American efforts to disrupt militant safe havens in Pakistan.

The United States says al Qaeda and Taliban safe havens in Pakistan are fueling an increasingly sophisticated and deadly insurgency against U.S., NATO and Afghan forces across the border in eastern Afghanistan.

Wednesday's raid has been described publicly as the first known incursion into Pakistan by U.S.-led troops since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. But Pentagon officials said privately the presence of U.S. troops in Pakistan marked a return to tactics the American military has not used since soon after the Afghanistan invasion.

U.S. concerns about the growing threat of militant attacks from bases inside Pakistan prompted top U.S. military officials including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen to meet secretly with Pakistan's military chief last week aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean. "The safe havens in the border regions provide launching pads for these sorts of attacks, and they need to be shut down," Mullen later told reporters at the Pentagon.

Posted by tu3031 2008-09-04 10:04|| 2008-09-04 10:04|| Front Page Top

#5 So why did you say it?

I think the rest of the article makes it clear, no? 1. To counter the accusations about civilian casualties 2. To add to the pressure on Paki to do more, if they dont want to be embarassed by the US doing this

Its too sensitive for a formal admission we did it, but not too sensitive for a deliberate leak.

Posted by liberalhawk 2008-09-04 10:36|| 2008-09-04 10:36|| Front Page Top

#6 Killing terrorists that other people won't kill.

Posted by DarthVader 2008-09-04 11:29|| 2008-09-04 11:29|| Front Page Top

#7 When in doubt - take 'em out. If they won't give up - light 'em up.

Posted by Legolas 2008-09-04 11:36|| 2008-09-04 11:36|| Front Page Top

#8 So is this what McCain would call the "Gates of Hell"?

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-09-04 12:01|| 2008-09-04 12:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Did Obama order this? And what would NPR say if he did?

Posted by Jack is Back!">Jack is Back! 2008-09-04 13:30|| 2008-09-04 13:30|| Front Page Top

#10 #8 So is this what McCain would call the "Gates of Hell"? Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305

Nah, not even by half. This was just a polite call, to make sure everyone was cognisant of a change in policy. If we were to open the "Gates of Hell", there wouldn't even be grass left in the Tribal areas. The military created a film of an ARCLIGHT strike in Nevada, at a firepower demonstration. I wish there was an uploaded version that I could link to. Half the people in the viewing stand reported temporary hearing loss, and they were 20 miles from the impact area.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-09-04 13:43|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-09-04 13:43|| Front Page Top

#11 Hot double damn, OP.

Keep trying to find that video - you know it's out there someplace. (Or can be put out there by the right people.) :-D

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2008-09-04 13:48|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2008-09-04 13:48|| Front Page Top

#12 "Top U.S. and Pakistani military officials last week met on an aircraft carrier..."

Comment overheard during a tour of the boat to one of the Pakis: " See how many toys we have out here on JUST THIS ONE? And we have 12 more JUST LIKE IT!" How long you wanna protest about a little helicopter excursion, punk?"

Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-09-04 14:04|| 2008-09-04 14:04|| Front Page Top

#13 Actually, the denail/admission thing is pretty common. Oficially, "nope, twasn't us". Unofficially, a message - "Yeah, nice little country you got here, Ahmed....."

Posted by Hupise Wittlesbach4293 2008-09-04 14:48|| 2008-09-04 14:48|| Front Page Top

#14 "Denial", dammit

Posted by Hupise the Fumblefingered 2008-09-04 14:49|| 2008-09-04 14:49|| Front Page Top

#15 Those were not NATO forces crossing the Pak border, they were undocumented workers just trying to earn a living cleaning up the trash that the locals refuse to clean up.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-09-04 15:19|| 2008-09-04 15:19|| Front Page Top

#16 OP: Nah, not even by half. This was just a polite call, to make sure everyone was cognisant of a change in policy.

Damn Old Patriot if only we could do a Half Dozen ARC LIGHT Strikes on NPR & PBS this year using Pure GBU Bull Shit from 30,000 feet we have the War Won in half the time. >:)

Posted by Beavis">Beavis 2008-09-04 15:26|| 2008-09-04 15:26|| Front Page Top

#17 #16

Posted by Red Dawg">Red Dawg 2008-09-04 15:27|| 2008-09-04 15:27|| Front Page Top

#18 Okay, Russia, you can stay in Georgia.

Posted by Regional Peace 2008-09-04 16:12|| 2008-09-04 16:12|| Front Page Top

#19 Hey, someone has to do the God's work!

Posted by JohnQC 2008-09-04 16:36|| 2008-09-04 16:36|| Front Page Top

#20 That compound is only 300 meters away from a Pakistani military post.

Posted by john frum 2008-09-04 17:42|| 2008-09-04 17:42|| Front Page Top

#21 Preparted statement follows:

This is not an invasion of Pakistan ~~Cambodia~~. The areas in which these attacks will be launched are completely occupied and controlled by Taliban ~~North Vietnamese~~ forces. Our purpose is not to occupy the areas. Once enemy forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and once their military supplies are destroyed, we will withdraw.....maybe.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-09-04 18:10|| 2008-09-04 18:10|| Front Page Top

#22 Once enemy forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and once their military supplies are destroyed, we will withdraw.....maybe.

You forgot the last bit, Besoeker:

and once responsible Pakistani authorities have established the rule of law and equal treatment under the law for the entire population, then we will happily withdraw.

Always happy to help, dear. ;-) You see how easy it is, Regional Peace? Since it was Russian troops and Russian weaponry in South Ossetia, and the Georgians were quite willing to treat the South Ossetians as equals under Georgian law, there was no reason for Russia to invade.

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-09-04 18:25|| 2008-09-04 18:25|| Front Page Top

23:57 Broadhead6
23:54 Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields
23:50 ed
23:49 rjschwarz
23:49 rjschwarz
23:47 rjschwarz
23:47 ed
23:46 General Comment
23:46 rjschwarz
23:39 Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields
23:39 JosephMendiola
23:37 Broadhead6
23:34 Barbara Skolaut
23:32 Barbara Skolaut
23:31 Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields
23:31 Redneck Jim
23:29 Redneck Jim
23:27 JosephMendiola
23:27 Redneck Jim
23:26 ed
23:20 Broadhead6
23:16 General Comment
23:12 Barbara Skolaut
23:12 General Comment