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TechnoratiPakistan Warns US It Will Not Allow Foreign Troops On Its Soil
Army chief's warning follows cross-border incursion by American commandos last week
ISLAMABAD-Gen. Ashfaq Kayani says Pakistan would not allow foreign troops to conduct operations on its soil, after a cross-border incursion by U.S. commandos.
![[Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, seen here in April 2008, Wednesday said the country would defend its sovereignty "at all cost" and not allow any foreign troops to conduct operations on its soil. (AFP/File/Farooq Naeem)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/kayani.jpg "kayani.jpg")
Yesterday's strongly worded statement from Kayani, Pakistan's top military commander, coincided with comments by the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, that a "more comprehensive strategy" was being formed to combat the threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the region.
Kayani, who met Mullen and other U.S. commanders on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean on Aug. 28, delivered a clear message foreign forces would not be tolerated on Pakistani territory, without directly referring to Mullen's comments.
"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all cost and no external force is allowed to conduct operations ... inside Pakistan," a military statement quoted Kayani as saying.
Helicopter-borne U.S. commandos carried out a ground assault in Pakistan's South Waziristan, a sanctuary for Al Qaeda operatives, last week, the first known incursion into Pakistan by U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, killing 20 people, including women and children.
The U.S. action complicated the situation for Pakistan's new civilian president, Asif Ali Zardari, who was sworn in on Tuesday, having forced former army chief Pervez Musharraf to stand down last month after nearly nine years in power.
Zardari, like Musharraf, has vowed to defeat the Taliban and support the West's mission in Afghanistan, but the civilian government has to pay more heed to public opinion than Musharraf had done in a country rife with anti-American sentiment.
"There is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border," the statement said.
Kayani said he apprised U.S. military officials of the "complexity of the issue that requires understanding in depth and more patience for evolving a comprehensive solution" when he met them on the USS Abraham Lincoln last month.
He warned "reckless" actions like the one last week could further fuel militancy in the region.
"Trust-deficit and misunderstandings can lead to more complications and increase the difficulties for all," he said.
"Falling for short-term gains while ignoring our long-term interest is not the right way forward," he said, adding coalition forces should show strategic patience and help Pakistan instead of adopting "a unilateral approach which may be counter-productive."
Pakistan, a staunch ally in the U.S.-led war against terrorism, condemned the U.S. raid and summoned the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad to lodge a protest.
The United States and Afghanistan say Al Qaeda and Taliban militants operate from sanctuaries in northwest Pakistani border areas, using the semi-autonomous tribal lands to orchestrate their insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to plot attacks in the West.
Pilotless U.S. drones have carried out at least three missile assaults in Pakistani tribal regions since Friday. The latest on Monday targeted a house and religious school founded by a Jalaluddin Haqqani, a veteran Taliban commander and friend of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Twenty-three people were killed.
24 Comments so far
Show AllPakistan is in turmoil unprecedented in its history. The country is without one power centre-without any unity of command to undertake any major military operation and not capable to carry out the warning delivered by Pakistan Army Chief to American intru
Obama says he will take fight to Pakistan. Will you vote for him?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101233.html
Kiyani and the ISI won't attempt to irradiate US troops. But they can and will potentiate the Taliban/al-Queda, as they have.
A week or two ago it was a lower offical warning Pakistan would not tolerate US assaults. Now Kiyani; one hardcore dude.
I look for a US helicopter with troops aboard to go down.
Beware of Pakistan. They are tough, disciplined fighters.
How many fronts can the US maintain? We are courting war with Iran, Pakistan, and with Palin's remarks yesterday, Russia.
Clearly, the lunatics are in charge of the asylum, and Davidpeace is quite correct - it seems as though some people, in the highest echelons of power, are trying to bring forward the Apocalypse by a few million years.
Pakistan isn't going to take this forever. Their nuclear armed military will soon be given orders to strike back at America's Storm Troopers - oh, I see they already have their orders.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=69186§ionid=351020401
Where is our community nuclear fallout shelter? Hello? It's 3 AM and the phone is ringing. Hello? George? ? ?
Suspected US missile kills 12 in Pakistan
Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:01:31 GMT - Press TV
At least a dozen people have been reportedly killed and several others injured in a suspected US missile attack on northwestern Pakistan.
The missile landed in a house in a residential area in Tol Khel on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan district, a local official said.
"The pre-dawn strike destroyed the house and 11 or 12 people were killed," official added.
According to the sources, the attack was aimed to target the hideouts of militants in the area.
The victims, however, are reportedly mostly civilians including women and children.
(Heckuva job, George! Heckuva job.)
In June of 1950, "China warned American leaders through neutral diplomats that it would intervene to protect its national security. Truman regarded the warnings as “a bald attempt to blackmail the U.N.” and did not take it seriously." --Wikipedia
If we just keep pushing a poor country long enough, what happens?
The next time the US thinks of violating Pakistan's sovereignty, just remember, Pakistan has nukes. They would be more than justified using them on the US!
that atom bum is gonna blow us all to hail
Again -
US troops are in Afghanistan for two reasons.
1. The UN approved NATO support for the Afghan government.
NATO troops are involved in this (some US troops) and are, generally, in quieter areas (although the Canadians might disagree).
2. The War on Everything (WOE) AKA GWOT.
This US effort focuses on eastern Afghanistan, and evidently, parts of Pakistan.
This war originally started from Public Law 107-40, which the reptilian-brained US Congress passed to take revenge against the attackers of 9/11 and their backers and supporters. This war has morphed into the unconstitutional but Bush-announced 'Global War on Terrorizing Everybody for Republican political gain'.
BTW, how goes the war against the 9/11 attackers? Has anybody mentioned it lately? Of course not. Mentioning it might lead to acknowledging that it's been over for years (or haven't we gotten them all, yet?). And that would mean that Bush does not have Constitutional power to wage war.
So the short answer is that this action involves US forces in the unconstitutional everlasting war on invisible enemies to keep the sheeple scared.
It seems that some people, many of them now in the highest levels of power, are intent on making these the "Last Days." It's those that we need to get rid of. I would like to think that most Americans, and certainly most of the World, are capable of rational and critical thought. Somehow, we allowed the extremists into power, those people for whom power over as many people as possible is the only goal worth attaining. We are all at fault for this, even if we didn't vote for the butt-wipes. We haven't put the fear of the populace into our representatives and now they sit entrenched, aided and abetted by their friends in the corporate media. That's why they can tell us, despite our yelling for it, that impeachment is off the table. The revolution can't come soon enough.
&YYY&
The Vampire States owns Afghanistan and Pakistan as their private bombing ranges. They happen to be in the middle of all the other bits of territory that the VS wants power over. So there is no agreement and never will be on operations in these countries. The VS never need to ask, if the answer will be not the one they want. The Pakistani Government are the worst sort of craven cowards, taking money from the VS, and stand by and watch their brother and sister peoples blown to bits by the bullying power from another continent. So of course the Pakistan government throws up a bit of public bluster. It helps the next round of money handouts.
Don't panic, Obama says, Bill Clinton will take over his campaign..
The introducer of Nafta and the destruction of our industrial base will
lead us into the hands of the Right-wing-nuts again..
New war is here Pakistan
Next in line Iran
Thank you Mr Bush and GWOT. That is your gift to the world
Under what authority does Bush send troops? Is he reaching back to the Oct. 2002 capitulation from Congress? Will Congress object or are they too busy protecting Vermont rivers today? Will Obama and/or McCain have something intelligent to say about this? Does anyone give a flying fig? If someone does care, what difference could he/she make?
As Nader says, the People have very little power left.....
Absolutely spot on comment. And the snow dog is fast approaching with all the justifications and twisted imperialist rationales.
Pakistan + Jihadists + nukes + neocon attacks = mushroom clouds over Manhattan and Tel Aviv = The Rapture?
NATO will collapse before it takes part in O'Bama's aggression on Pakistan. Let the war begin, if only the innocents could be saved. We need the extreme right Demoks/Repuks and their Likud masters to destroy themselves, politically, sooner rather than later. They are already "in their last throes, if you will".
"but the civilian government has to pay more heed to public opinion than Musharraf had done in a country rife with anti-American sentiment"
Reuters portrays anti-American sentiment as a plague that must be mitigated when actually its an extremely healthy assertion of national sovereignty and human dignity.
Coming soon, warfare between Pakistani government and NATO forces.
Wars between powers with nuclear weapons are extremely rare. That said, that makes it more dangerous if what you say comes to pass, which seems reasonable. I mean, if the Pakistani government makes statements as they did in this article and the US (not "NATO") keeps attacking, what choice do they have? It is between being dupes or slaves or puppets of the US or having some sovereignty to protect their people. It is a very dangerous situation. Imagine that Pakistan shoots down three US helicopters and two drones. Then what? The US takes out Pakistani air bases? Then what? Pakistan can destroy all US forces in Afghanistan in one hour with their nukes. The US can obliterate all of Pakistan. One side needs to back down, for the logic of escalation will lead to . . . nuclear war.
Oh that's really brave, sending pilotless drones to drop missiles on women and children. That's like playing video games at a safe distance. That must really impress people and win friends and allies. bin Laden is dead, so the war profiteers can't use that excuse any more.
Why is it that EVERYTHING the NeoCons touch turns into a bag of poop?? WHY??
Poop does as poop is!