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Google Earth Reveals Secret History of US Base in Pakistan
The US was secretly flying unmanned drones from the Shamsi airbase in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan as early as 2006, according to an image of the base from Google Earth.
The Shamsi airbase in 2006 with three drones apparently visible (The Times)
The image - that is no longer on the site but which was obtained by The
News, Pakistan's English language daily newspaper - shows what appear to
be three Predator drones outside a hangar at the end of the runway. The Times
also obtained a copy of the image, whose co-ordinates confirm that it is the
Shamsi airfield, also known as Bandari, about 200 miles southwest of the
Pakistani city of Quetta.
An investigation by The Times yesterday revealed that the CIA was
secretly using Shamsi to launch the Predator drones that observe and attack
al-Qaeda and Taleban militants around Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
US special forces used the airbase during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001,
but the Pakistani Government said in 2006 that the Americans had left. Both
sides have since denied repeatedly that Washington has used, or is using,
Pakistani bases to launch drones. Pakistan has also demanded that the US
cease drone attacks on its tribal area, which have increased over the last
year, allegedly killing several "high-value" targets as well as many
civilians.
The Google Earth image now suggests that the US began launching Predators from Shamsi - built by Arab sheiks for falconry trips - at least three years ago.
The advantage of Shamsi is that it provides a discreet launchpad within minutes of Quetta - a known Taleban staging post - as well as Taleban infiltration routes into Afghanistan and potential militant targets farther afield.
Google Earth's current image of Shamsi - about 100 miles south of the Afghan border and 100 miles east of the Iranian one - undoubtedly shows the same airstrip as the image from 2006.
There are no visible drones, but it does show that several new buildings and other structures have been erected since 2006, including what appears to be a hangar large enough to fit three drones. Perimeter defences - apparently made from the same blast-proof barriers used at US and Nato bases in Afghanistan - have also been set up around the hangar.
A compound on the other side of the runway appears to have sufficient housing for several dozen people, as well as neatly tended lawns. Three military aviation experts shown the image said that the aircraft appeared to be MQ1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles - the model used by the CIA to observe and strike militants on the Afghan border.
The MQ1 Predator carries two laser-guided Hellfire missiles, and can fly for up to 454 miles, at speed of up to 135mph, and at altitudes of up to 25,000ft, according to the US Air Force website www.af.mil
The News reported that the drones were Global Hawks - which are generally used only for reconnaissance, flying for up to 36 hours, at more than 400mph and an altitude of up to 60,000ft. Damian Kemp, an aviation editor with Jane's Defence Weekly, said that the three drones in the image appeared to have wingspans of 48-50ft.
"The wingspan of an MQ1 Predator A model is 55ft. On this basis it is possible that these are Predator-As," he said. "They are certainly not RQ-4A Global Hawks (which have a wingspan of 116ft 2in)."
Pakistan's only drones are Italian Galileo Falcos, which were delivered in 2007, according to a report in last month's Jane's World Air Forces.
A military spokesman at the US Embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the images - or the revelations in The Times yesterday.
Major-General Athar Abbas, Pakistan's chief military spokesman, was not immediately available for comment. He admitted on Tuesday that US forces were using Shamsi, but only for logistics.
He also said that the Americans were using another air base in the city of Jacobabad for logistics and military operations. Pakistan gave the US permission to use Shamsi, Jacobabad and two other bases - Pasni and Dalbadin - for the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
The image of the US drones at Shamsi highlights the extraordinary power - and potential security risks - of Google Earth.
Several governments have asked it to remove or blur images of sensitive locations such as military bases, nuclear reactors and government buildings. Some have also accused the company of helping terrorists, as in 2007, when its images of British military bases were found in the homes of Iraqi insurgents.
Last year India said that the militants who attacked Mumbai in November had used Google Earth to familiarise themselves with their targets. Google Street View, which offers ground-level, 360-degree views, also ran into controversy last year when the Pentagon asked it to remove some online images of military bases in America.
- Posted in
35 Comments so far
Show AllAnd they still have not found Ben Laden!
If they found Bin Laden, then the party would be over wouldn't it? Time to pack up and come home. How's that going to play out with the MIC shareholders and profiteers?
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"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.", Albert Einstein.
Ed note: white phosphorous, dense metal super weapons, nuclear stick-up, missile defense, bailouts and propaganda!!
This is interesting. After a similar thread on CD yesterday, I used Google Earth to look at the runway and estimate it's length. The article yesterday said that the runway is "too short for other aircraft, but long enough for Predators". Google Earth shows that the runway is 9,000', long enough for a C-5.
When I looked at GE yesterday, I did not see any aircraft parked on the apron. Further, the current GE image is very different (parked cars, revetments, structures) to that in the image above. So it is curious that Google would have removed the image so quickly.
My stance yesterday was that this story was a BS article from Times Online. Now I am not so sure.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
I do not know whether to laugh or become angry.
Am I the only person who sees the irony in the government/military wanting to hide from surveillance from the people while at the same time demanding from those same people the right to keep them under relentless watch and to track the movements of every citizen 24x7?
Maybe we could get the government to back off on it's programme of watching us if we concede to this only if we are allowed full access to ALL government facilities and records at our own discretion.
I don't know about you folks, but I get kind of tired of being patronized.
One day, we will all be like "number 6" from "The Prisoner".
I am an "armchair general"and whenever I wanted to see anything remotely of interest to the military on google earth it was blurred. So if this spot is NOT blurred-- this makes me wonder if it is being used by the military.....
However, this does not alter the fact that we are using predators and there is of course all those unintended consequences.
I am really hoping that what Obama intends to do is to shore up boots on the ground for the purpose of stopping the bombing from the air if that is at all possible.
Retired marine General Zinni who commanded central command in the Middle East during Clinton advised that a soldier should be partnered up with a NGO and together the soldier should guard the NGO and learn what these folks - the NGO can do to get the country off its feet using economy, diplomacy etc.
Then there is my personal hope so far not shared by many- that buying the poppy crop and making the pain killer morphine available to the third world hospitals were people are dying of cancer without morphine.see sept 10,07 NYtimes.
I am an "armchair general"and whenever I wanted to see anything remotely of interest to the military on google earth it was blurred. So if this spot is NOT blurred-- this makes me wonder if it is being used by the military.....
However, this does not alter the fact that we are using predators and there is of course all those unintended consequences.
I am really hoping that what Obama intends to do is to shore up boots on the ground for the purpose of stopping the bombing from the air if that is at all possible.
Retired marine General Zinni who commanded central command in the Middle East during Clinton advised that a soldier should be partnered up with a NGO and together the soldier should guard the NGO and learn what these folks - the NGO can do to get the country off its feet using economy, diplomacy etc.
Then there is my personal hope so far not shared by many- that buying the poppy crop and making the pain killer morphine available to the third world hospitals were people are dying of cancer without morphine.see sept 10,07 NYtimes.
I have mixed feelings about a base being used in Pakistan. The news media just gave the Taliban a new high value target. However, I support having the US Military able to attack Al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan borders instead of playing the game by their rules and the terrorists having free and easy access into invading Afghanistan but it is against the rules for us to cross the border and remove their safe haven inside of Pakistan.
Especially with the Mumbai attack inside of India, other nations in the world need to give Pakistan an ultimatum to eliminate the terrorist training camps or allow others to take them out of action.
Uh, dude, your "ultimatum" is exactly the reason that got us into Afghanistan 7 years ago, and is still costing us $30B/year. So you want to issue an ultimatum, then what? Terrorists are really scared by ultimatums. The terrorists pick up their camps and move to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. Then what? You want to threaten those countries too?
Cripes, please learn from experience. A military response to terrorism is doomed to failure, always, because you have not addressed the underlying cause that breeds this kind of hatred. The Bush doctrine will have the military looking under tables and chairs for terrorists for ever, while terrorists ply their trade with impunity.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
WTF,
Good insight. An armed drone with automatic software which is utilized in that error-prone mode, virtually guarantees civilian collateral damage or mis-identification of peaceful civilians with armed resistance fighters. The civilian survivors of hellfire missiles will be transformed, without a doubt, into the classic definition of terrorists.
I can only conclude that this is the goal of this operation: to keep breeding fresh terrorists for the MIC to sell aerospace products for a war that will drag out forever.
This profit motivated policy bothers me. Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires. The British and the Russians come to mind. Both were nearly bankrupted trying to subdue the area by force.
The only reason this area was of interest to us in the 1980's when we secretively got involved, was to deny the Russians a warm-water port (ice-free) by which they wanted to flood the world with cheap gas and oil. We were successful in handing the Russians their own personal Vietnam. But now, ironically, since we have returned to the scene of the crime, we risk the same ruinous drain of treasure and blood.
The power elite in the U.S., of course, doesn't care about blood of our sons (since it's a mercenary army and their sons are not in danger.) But they should care about the fate of the Roman empire that we have become.
We keep torturing and killing innocent villagers and gypsies this cannot end well.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
You have mixed feelings.
Perhaps you need to go back to 9/11/2001. Osama Bin Laden and 19, alleged, terrorists were blamed for the worst murder in the history of the United States.
In New York the murder scene was never sealed off and all material evidence was removed as quickly as possible. (Recently, in Australia, the whole fire area was sealed off for a "Murder Investigation".
Then, you have the demolition of three steel reinforced structures. Yes, demolition with explosives. Since 9/11, Two steel reinforced skyscrapers suffered 24 hour fires with intense heat: one in Madrid and one in China. Neither building came down........In New York: there were eyewitness reports of explosions, reporters were announcing the explosions, and reporters were noting that the buildings were going down, "Just like the demolitions we see all the time."
Al Qaeda means "The Base"......The United States and Saudi Arabia created Al Qaeda. And, the United States is still using Al Qaeda to destabilize Iran. One of the Sub-Groups of Al Qaeda is Jundullah and Jundullah was the recipient of Millions of dollars to destabilize Iran.
The Taliban, Sunnis and allies of Saudi Arabia, were brought to power by the United States, but when The Taliban decided to give the AFGHAN OIL PIPELINE CONTRACT to Bridas Oil of Argentina, the Neo-Conservatives wrote and proposed their "Project For A New American Century" which included the takeovers of Iraq and Afghanistan.
After 9/11, the Taliban offered to turn over Osama Bin Laden to the United States if the United States could prove that he was responsible for the attacks. To this day, the FBI has no evidence of Bin Laden's complicity. Yet, no one has been investigated or punished for the financing of 9/11....Even though money came from DOD to Pakistan's ISI and Mohammed Atta and from Saudi Arabia to some of the terrorists.
No Iraq and Afghanistan are necessary to control the flow of Oil to our 1000 military bases....Personally, I do not approve of killing unarmed innocent civilians on the premise that there might be someone from Al Qaeda or the Taliban in a nearby house.....That is murder ! Collateral damage is an American Capitalist invention to excuse murder.
I was familiar with some of this, though not all... but not too surprised (some of which might be hard to ever discover the truth about). Yes, there are certainly a lot of 'level 2' and 'level 3' subterfuges going on, below the conventional 'level 1' of media reporting/spinning. I think what we should be most concerned about is focussing on the causes to violence, which is, generally speaking, a need to share resources. If we have better global distribution of necessities: food, medicine, infrastructure, fair trade, sanitation, health care, education, etc. - the motives for violence will be reduced greatly. In parallel, of course, we need to demand more transparency and accountability from our government(s). Right now we are all experiencing the results of commercial and military-imperialistic exploitation; directly, or by 'blow-back' (e.g. 911). There is a lot to correct and rein in to have a reasonably peaceful world. I try to keep my eye on the big picture, though there sure are a lot of nasty details, aren't there? At least Pres. Obama has some capacity to respond now; let's hope sanity can begin to emerge in the U.S. again (despite some of his bad idea appointments).
Why do I care again about the machinations of Islamic tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Hint they wouldn't care about us if we didn't care about them. I think it's long past time for an alliance of left wing pacifists and right wing isolationists to dismantle the U.S. empire and focus on building sustainable community and infrastructure at home. What you said above sounds like something out of a British newspaper at the height of their failed empire. Note the emphasis on failed! No proud people likes being controlled by outsiders, think about how YOU would react if your community were part of a global chess game.
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ketcham.php?articleid=9406
The Google Earth image now suggests that the US began launching Predators from Shamsi - built by Arab sheiks for falconry trips - at least three years ago.
**ha
Perfect illustration of the truth behind LaFontaine's poem a Bird Shot by an Arrow.
A bird by well aimed arrow shot,
dying, deplored his cruel lot
and cried, "it doubles every pain,
when from oneself the cause of ruin came.
Ah cruel men, from our wings you drew
the plume that winged the shaft that slew,
but mock us not you heartless race,
you too will sometime take our place,
for half at least of Japhet's brothers,
forge swords and knives to slay the others."
amen
"To be humane is to be cruel, vicious and unrestrained, like humans.
To be inhumane is to be compassionate, restrained, moderate, like non humans."
There is no upside to American military involvement in either Afghanistan or Pakistan.There is a case to be made for clandestine operations and an even stronger case to be made for a US foreign policy overhaul relating to removal of military bases in the Middle East and using the Netanyahu rise to power as an opportunity to loosen the US too tight embrace of the Israeli far right.
I think it would be reasonable - if the U.S. was truly rational - to reduce our military by maybe 1/3 and pull in from most ALL of the 1000+ over-seas bases. The budget could probably be balanced before too long after that, and provide money for needed infrastructure improvements. As it stands now, we continue a huge outlay that the DOD brass historically protects with bullying threats and cries of anguish over 'cuts' in budget that would only be reduction in increases, all the while throwing our tax money at vastly expensive projects that just enrich MIC interests (military industrial complex)and antagonize other countries. This cannot be sustained by any world power indefinitely, and the economy will now show this up more starkly than ever. We should all be vigilant about giving in to fear-mongering, which is so on-going that most have become desensitized to it, pervasive as it is. See www.democracynow.org for better insights to help free yourselves, as well as www.jimhightower.com , http://www.citizen.org/, www.tompaine.com , and other alternative news sources with integrity. For comic relief I recommend: www.markfiore.com , Daily Show & Stephen Cobert (Comedy Central). Others are: Stephen Zunes, Greg Palast, Mark Zepezauer ( http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA%20Hits/CIA_GreatestHits.html - see his 'comic book' also), and many more.
More than 1/3rd ours is like 800 billion a year counting the NSA, homeland security , CIA and the cost of current wars. The next "competitor" China spends 100 billion a year. I'd say if we spent 100 billion a year on a Swiss style militia that would be about right. And yes that could "win" against foreign "enemies" look at how effective local militias were against the U.S. in Iraq.
Such a drone, can this one also fly in the air over the United States.
They Already are. read this CD article from yesterday.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/18-3
Don't worry, what we create today, our 'enemies' will copy tomorrow. So yeah... somewhere down the road we will be facing our own designs of destruction, in the hands of those who aspire to be just like US. The MIC can't stay one step ahead forever... they just wanna stuff their pockets now. Real brainiacs all those rocket scientists.
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"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.", Albert Einstein.
Ed note: white phosphorous, dense metal super weapons, nuclear stick-up, missile defense, bailouts and propaganda!!
A few people here understand, but the ones that need to are still deluding themselves with glances at paintings instead of mirrors to show that they have no clothes. The US spends more on the military than the rest of the world combined. How can this not be anything but the representation of massive paranoia? Reducing the military by 1/3 doesn't go far enough IMHO, 2/3 or maybe 4/5 would be better and pulling all troops from foreign bases and returning them to the US where they can decline massively by attrition. Most militaries in the world are ostensibly set up to take care of foreign threats to a country, yet if one looks around the globe, pretty much the only wars going on between different countries are those the US is in (and recently with Russia and Georgia). Most militaries are being used for what are really civil wars. We, humans, have pretty much gotten past the ideas of conquering other nations and forcing them to be like us, again with the exception of the US. The only ones that “need” the militaries are those that make money off them. Again, that is primarily in the US. There are generally not more than two empires existing at the same time in history, with most of history, when there are empires, being dominated by only one. Empires are only venerated long after they are gone, when the atrocities they committed are conveniently forgotten by most people. There are only a few empires, in the strictest definition, existing today and the US fits that bill. Empires fall. They have to in order for peace to progress and for humanity to make true progress during peace. The US needs to fall and be broken up. Until that happens, there will not be peace in the world and we will continue to feed lasciviously on tidbits like this article. I want world peace, so I want all empires to fall and be done away with. That includes the US.
Well, I am still hoping the U.S. can transform into the original higher vision that it was founded upon, despite the damage done by a few neo-con pseudo-elitist empirialistic-corporacratic hawkish greedheads. A few bad apples (that weasel into power, grab a bunch of money and deceive the masses) can tend to spoil the bushel, but that doesn't mean all is lost. It may take some time, but I have faith in the final outcome. The more we all become aware the sooner changes will occur.
"The image of the US drones at Shamsi highlights the extraordinary power - and potential security risks - of Google Earth. "
Well that is one way of looking at it, but it also points out how the US is jeopardizing the security of the world with its unrelenting covert aggression against those that it deems as its enemies, military, "insurgent" or civilian.
It is my hope that China will pull the money plug on the US and its imperialistic ambitions worldwide. Perhaps then, the US will look for other more peaceful ways to resolve conflict, rather than fuelling it.
Another way of looking at it is that google earth can function as the peoples spy agency v.s. the big brother of empire.
And indeed, I have used GE for much of my research.
Alas, I fear the writing is on the wall and we may see a clampdown on access to remote imaging data.
Sigh.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
Indeed looking at the fertile strip along the Litani river in Lebanon gives clues as to why Israel attacks Lebanon again and again fortunately for the Lebanese with futile results.
BTW heads up GE 5 installs obnoxious update softawre that runs in the backgrond all the time at least on a mac. I'd recommend staying with he 4 series.
Thanks for the tip hootowl....I use GE on a Mac.
GE does not update all that often, so why is the updater embedded and runs continuously? Curious, no?
I remember reading an Israeli policy document from the 70s, stating that the Litani was a strategic goal.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
Past time to change the mindset that got us into war.
The problem with drones is that for all it knows a wedding party is identical to a gathering of insurgents. Boom! There goes the "collateral damage" of dead wedding guests, including the bride and groom...
And the survivors and their loved ones will no doubt lend a sympathetic ear (and more) to insurgency "recruiters."
I have a question for ThomasJefferson: you base your conclusion of Soviet involvement in Afghanistan on them wanting to have access to a warm-water port to export cheap oil and gas. What "warm water port?" Afhanistan is landlocked.
The closest _ocean_ port lies to the south via Pakistan.
Chersonsky on the other hand adds a plausible theory for the invasion of Afghanistan. Hell hath no fury like an oil corporation scorned, especially an American multinational one.
And WTF, you are right on. Terror as a tactic, is a _response_ to a force/might problem _caused_ by a more powerful enemy. Once the powerful enemy, as _cause of the problem_ goes away, the terror _tactic_ disappears. When was the last time London was struck by IRA bombs? This is Sociology/ROTC 101.
And commentarian, I also miss yellowtimes.org. That was a dynamic, eye-opening site.
Socrates2,
Fair enough question. Once you take over Afghanistan and it's troublesome outlaw poppywarlords, the thinking went, it would not difficult to negotiate by hook or crook a leased pipeline project to the sea (or face the wrath of the Red Army.) Today there exists a pipeline trans versing that very route: bringing gas products from the oil and gas rich Caspian Sea region through Afghanistan that terminates in the Indian Ocean. It was built by Haliburton and Bechtel, this decade, and it is constantly under attack. That's what the Afgan war is really all about. It has nothing to do with Bin Laden hiding out in Tora Bora. In the 80's, it was the goal of the USSR to put this pipeline in and not to accept U.S. dollars for that oil, potentially crippling the influence of the "petro-dollar" in favor of the Ruble.
That is my understanding of the events having been part of them. If someone has different knowledge, please feel free to offer other theories.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
tj; if i may add, the powers that be want a state of baluchistan, that they can control for access to the ocean and shipping lanes. holbrooke will lead the charge for the balkanization of the region. it is the same as iraq, iraq was not about the poil. it was about the control of the flow of oil. big difference. no one ever got that part. sadam said he was going to the euro for his oil, well we all know what happened next. zbig and albright are obamas advisers and were during the campaign. this should come as no surprise.
Exactly Realityzone.
You get it.
But since several mid-east countries and Latin countries are threatening to switch to the euro, things are getting desperate for the oil mafia.
In the old days if you did that, you could could expect an aircraft carrier to anchor off shore with ill intent. But Venezuela, Bahrain and others are all making moves away from the dollar.
I don't have a strong background in macroeconomics. Will this trend kill the dollar? Maybe that's why washington is printing chitloads of it and giving it away to their buddies in wallstreet banks and boardrooms.... they know it's going to crash anyway..
What do you guys think?
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
Obama has an escalation in Afganistan proceeding and now fulfilling his promise at covert military action in Pakistan. Change we can believe in!
elohim; change we can believe in.--chump change---
Pan
It`s a fake photo by Liberals.
snydly
And, once again for the record, just WHY IS IT that we're over there???