Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is asking Pakistan for permission to let U.S. military aircraft fly through its territory if airstrikes are ordered against terrorist targets in neighboring Afghanistan, a senior White House official says. The disclosure came after Secretary of State Colin Powell publicly acknowledged for the first time Thursday that the Afghanistan-based group led by alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden is suspected in this week's attacks against New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The senior official, asking not to be identified, said the administration wants Pakistan to close its 1,560-mile border with Afghanistan, presumably to prevent bin Laden's operatives from leaving Afghan territory. The official also said Pakistan will be pressed to stop giving money to terror groups. In Islamabad, a top Pakistani official said his government has informed the United States that it needs more time to consider the U.S. requests. Pakistan's intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Mehmood Ahmed, who heads talks in Washington, was told that Washington's requests "center around a possible U.S. strike on Afghanistan and how Pakistan would be expected to cooperate," said the Pakistani official, asking not to be identified. He said the United States was discussing a comprehensive strike to wipe out a whole network of terror operating from secret bases in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers promised revenge if the United States launches attacks on the Taliban infrastructure. "If a country or group violates our country, we will not forget our revenge," Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Muttmain said from the militia's headquarters in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.
I find it humerous that the Taliban would seek revenge againist us after it has housed a known terrorist.
I believe the list of possible answers goes like this a. We will cooperate now b. We will cooperate now c. We will cooperate now d. Please destroy us now So Pakistan should start thinking of a new answer pretty quick
And they're likely to blow themselves up using them. Having nuclear weapons doesn't = being immune to an @ss whipping.
Yes, the USA was proof of that this past week... The more I think about this, the more this whole thing sucks. There are no winners. Just a few days ago, I wanted to tear up Saddam, the Taliban, Osama, everything remotely terrorist. Now I can see it's a never-ending cycle that will get worse for the US.
Yeah I know but still it's not like they have us over a barrel or anything b/c of it. They may hold a card in having nukes, but I would assume they still fear us and I would also think they wouldn't exactly bring that up as a way to stop us considering the situation right now and what would happen to them if nuclear weapons were even intimated at being used. And the more I think about it, F*ck nuclear weapons. Why the hell did they have to go and be invented (and don't say well the US made em first because everyone was trying to). Now I've gotta live the rest of my damn life worrying about some idiot using one.
Well let's not blame Pakistan for what is going on. This is what i really hate about some of us. We think we are "all that". Let's give Pakistan time to decide. I mean how would u feel if another country asks us to let them use our air space to fight say canada, how would u feel. Whatever this country is, it will come and go while we will put ourselves in danger of war with canada. It is very complicated and i am sure that Pakistan will make a wise decision after making sure that there civilian life is not in danger.
Hey I'll tell you something, I hear a lot of people say "well the U.S. got bombed this week, that shows they're not unbeatable and they're in trouble", hey I could go to a police station today, go in with a gun take a couple a shots at them. That doesn't mean they're not going to hunt me down like a dog and take me down.
I'd give Pakistan a little - not much - but a little time to decide. They have to figure while we're just asking for airspace, they're looking at the fact that they're right in the thick of things. They've got the terrorists, not in hiding in their borders, but right next door.
OK, but as long as one rogue nation or terrorist group has the potential to take out an entire city with just one bomb or the world has the ability to destroy itself, I still hate them. Oh and I guess Pakistan can have a little time to ensure they are prepared for the follow up, but I'm talking very little. They can either be part of the fight against terrorism or not.
The thing that bothers me is that Afghanistan seems to be in the dark regarding any potential American military strike. Why isn't our government in contact with the Taliban, explaining to them (without giving away too much classified info) what we're thinking of doing? They should be involved in any attempts to take out OBL, even if their role is minimal. Yes they should have turned the guy over earlier, but let's face it, Afghanistan is barely out of the Stone Age. They don't exactly have the technology, organization or manpower to track down a terrorist with a net worth greater than the country's own treasury. Let's get them in on the captire/elimination of OBL, and prevent any needless casualties.
Exactly. Every organization, country, etc... is vulnerable in some way. The thing that makes it strong is the fact that their ability to retaliate might be stronger than yours.
The following articles point out the difficulties that the US faces in this endeavor. <A HREF="http://www.stratfor.com/home/0109132355.htm">Global Intelligence Cooperation Comes With Risks</A> <A HREF="http://www.stratfor.com/home/0109142000.htm">No Easy Battle</A> Mango
Exactly my point of view dr. Even though revenge must be served and this cannot be allowed to go unpunished, i'm afraid that fighting fire with fire will only succeed in creating even more people willing to sacrifice their lives to hit the US. It's a vicious circle. Of course you have to strike back, but you can't scare people who are willing to die with death. It just won't work. Scary times we are living in. And I fear for the poor afghans who just happen to live in there and will end up dying in the middle of this mess.
I agree wholeheartedly. If violence ever solved anything we wouldn't be having these wars that last thousands of years and terrorists that have been around far longer than the US has been around. We can eradicate bin Laden, but there'll be another... So what's the solution? Is there one?
