US given 15 days ultimatum to leave Shamsi Airbase

JazzBlog/APF ^ | November 26th 2011 | jazbablog

[Cardhu]

ISLAMABAD: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) has decided to close NATO/ISAF logistics supply lines with immediate effect also asked US to vacate Shamsi Airbase in 15 days.

The DCC also decided that the Government will revisit and undertake a complete review of all programmes, activities and cooperative arrangements with US/NATO/ISAF, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence.

An emergency meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet was chaired by the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani here this evening at the Prime Minister’s House which was attended by Federal Ministers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Services Chiefs and members of the DCC attended.

The DCC reiterated the resolve of the Pakistani people and Armed Forces to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity at all costs.

The Prime Minister will take the Parliament into confidence on the whole range of measures regarding matters relating to Pakistan’s future cooperation with US/NATO/ISAF, in the near future.

The DCC strongly condemned the attack by NATO/ISAF aircrafts on Pakistani border posts in the Mohmand Agency which has resulted in the loss of precious lives of officers and men of Pakistan Army and injuries to several.

The DCC expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to families of the brave soldiers who fought valiantly and embraced Shahadat, and also prayed for the early recovery of those injured.

The DCC noted that strong protests had been lodged with the United States and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels conveying in the strongest possible terms Pakistan’s condemnation of these attacks which constituted breach of sovereignty, were violative of international law and had gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan’s cooperation with NATO/ISAF against militancy and terror.

The DCC noted that NATO/ISAF attacks were also violative of their mandate which was confined to Afghanistan. Pakistan had clearly conveyed to US/NATO/ISAF its red lines which constituted an integral element of Pakistan’s cooperation that was based on a partnership approach. The attack on Pakistan Army border posts is totally unacceptable and warrants an effective national response, the DCC added ISLAMABAD: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) has decided to close NATO/ISAF logistics supply lines with immediate effect also asked US to vacate Shamsi Airbase in 15 days.

The DCC also decided that the Government will revisit and undertake a complete review of all programmes, activities and cooperative arrangements with US/NATO/ISAF, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence.

An emergency meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet was chaired by the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani here this evening at the Prime Minister’s House which was attended by Federal Ministers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Services Chiefs and members of the DCC attended.

The DCC reiterated the resolve of the Pakistani people and Armed Forces to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity at all costs.

The Prime Minister will take the Parliament into confidence on the whole range of measures regarding matters relating to Pakistan’s future cooperation with US/NATO/ISAF, in the near future.

The DCC strongly condemned the attack by NATO/ISAF aircrafts on Pakistani border posts in the Mohmand Agency which has resulted in the loss of precious lives of officers and men of Pakistan Army and injuries to several.

The DCC expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to families of the brave soldiers who fought valiantly and embraced Shahadat, and also prayed for the early recovery of those injured.

The DCC noted that strong protests had been lodged with the United States and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels conveying in the strongest possible terms Pakistan’s condemnation of these attacks which constituted breach of sovereignty, were violative of international law and had gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan’s cooperation with NATO/ISAF against militancy and terror.

The DCC noted that NATO/ISAF attacks were also violative of their mandate which was confined to Afghanistan. Pakistan had clearly conveyed to US/NATO/ISAF its red lines which constituted an integral element of Pakistan’s cooperation that was based on a partnership approach. The attack on Pakistan Army border posts is totally unacceptable and warrants an effective national response, the DCC added

[TADSLOS]

Smart Power!/s/

[dfwgator]

In short, more bribe money needed.

BINGO!

[Cardhu]

I agree - elsewhere I have seen the same thing but not using the initials.

Shamsi airfield, also called Bandari, is a military base, and a detachment of the Pakistan Air Force in Balochistan, Pakistan, about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Quetta near the town of Washki. In 2009, media reports alleged that the airfield was used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a base for Predator drone attacks on militants in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

[oldbill]

If we had a real president instead of a community organizer, there would already be delivered the comunique that tells the Pakis that all aid is immediately cut off and that broad scope military exchanges will begin with India.

[tcrlaf]

FOX finally breaking in with this news....

[SpringtoLiberty]

Have we already forgotten on this board that the us military murdered 24 of our allies in their sleep last night?

I love the us mil, but you have to accept the truth. We have made disastrous blunder here and there will be hell to pay.

[Cardhu]

That would be rather a foolish thing to do - China is already seeking military bases in Pakistan and will build a naval port there. They could easily make up the pittance that is given to Pakistan.

Believe me, India would not roll over to any demands made by the Americans they are very very touchy they would not be pushed around like Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - While Pakistan wants China to build a naval base at its southwestern seaport of Gwadar in Balochistan province, Beijing is more interested in setting up military bases either in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan or in the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) that border Xinjiang province.

[Cardhu]

Pakistan tells NATO to leave air base.

The Pakistani government responded to the incident by asking the US to vacate Shamsi air base within 15 days [EPA]

The Pakistani government has given the US fifteen days to vacate an airfield in Balochistan province after an alleged cross-border attack which killed at least 24 Pakistani soldiers.

The attack on a military checkpoint in northwest Pakistan also wounded at least a dozen soldiers. A spokesman for the NATO-led alliance in Afghanistan confirmed on Saturday that it was "highly likely" the alliance's aircraft killed Pakistani soldiers.

"Such cross-border attacks cannot be tolerated any more. The government will take up this matter at the highest level and it will be investigated"

- Masoud Kasur, governor of Khyber

"Close air support was called in, in the development of the tactical situation, and it is what highly likely caused the Pakistan casualties," General Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told the Reuters news agency.

The incident prompted Pakistan to summon the US ambassador in Islamabad, lodge a protest with NATO, and shut a vital supply route for NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government also gave the US fifteen days to vacate Shamsi air base. Pakistan made a similar demand earlier this year, following the raid which killed Osama bin Laden.

The decision came after Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistani prime minister, called an emergency meeting of his military chiefs. The foreign ministry also summoned Cameron Munter, the US ambassador in Islamabad, to "lodge a strong protest" against the attack.

"The foreign secretary conveyed to the US ambassador that the unprovoked attack by NATO/ISAF aircrafts on border posts in which 24 Pakistani troops lost their lives and another 13 were injured had deeply incensed the government and the people of Pakistan," the ministry said in a statement.

Munter issued a brief statement on the incident, saying that he "regret[s] the loss of life of any Pakistani servicemen" and promising to work with Pakistan to investigate.

A Pakistani government official said the dead from Friday night's attack in the Mohmand tribal area included two officers.

Taliban fighters

The checkpoint that was attacked had been recently set up in the Mohmand tribal area by the Pakistan army to stop Taliban fighters holed up in Afghanistan from crossing the border and staging attacks, said two government administrators in Mohmand, Maqsood Hasan and Hamid Khan.

NATO supply trucks and fuel tankers bound for Afghanistan were stopped at Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar hours after the raid, officials said.

"We have stopped NATO supplies after receiving orders from the federal government," said Mutahir Hussain, a senior administration official in Khyber. "Supply trucks are being sent back to Peshawar."

Pakistan is a vital land route for 49 per cent of NATO's supplies to its troops in Afghanistan, a NATO spokesman said.

The incident occurred a day after US General John Allen met Pakistani Army Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to discuss border control and enhanced co-operation.

Worsening relations

Friday's attack is expected to further worsen US-Pakistan relations, already at one of their lowest points in history, following a tumultuous year that saw the bin Laden raid, the jailing of a CIA contractor and US accusations that Pakistan backed an attack on the US Embassy in Kabul. An

increase in US drone strikes on armed groups in the last few years has also irritated Islamabad, which says the campaign kills more Pakistani civilians in the border area than fighters.

Washington disputes that, but declines to discuss the drone campaign in detail.

"This is an attack on Pakistan's territorial sovereignty," said Masoud Kasur, the governor of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

"Such cross-border attacks cannot be tolerated any more. The government will take up this matter at the highest level and it will be investigated."

Source:

Al Jazeera and agencies

[Popman]

Imagine how pissed we would be if Mexico accidentally killed 2 dozen border patrol agents in their fight against the drug cartels ?

Well then again Holder might be one happy camper

[familyop]

Should have built stronger military relations with India much earlier. There’s no time to lose now. It was stupid to try to continue being friendly with Pakistan (a nation that hates us). And Europe...let Europe take care of Europe on economic issues. We have too much work to do for ourselves to be playing Lawrence of Arabia with herds of foreign jerks who also unconditionally dislike us.

[muawiyah]

It’s still an “alleged” attack. No pictures.

[muawiyah]

It’s still “alleged”. There are no pictures. No evidence of any kind.

[muawiyah]

Friday ~ prayers ~ alleged attack by JETS and HELICOPTERS?

No wonder this is still an "alleged" attack.

[Rappini]

Pakistanis cant take a joke.

[SpringtoLiberty]

Nato commanders have already taken responsibilty and appoligized. It happened. We’re boned.

[muawiyah]

You need a URL for something like that.

[SpringtoLiberty]

For what? Like a url to prove what I posted?

If so I think I read it in this thread or the HEADLINE story on drudge.

[Delta Dawn]

Or one really good vacation for Moochelle.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cardhu.

[muawiyah]

The headline story on Drudgereport says “may” ~ and “if” ~ this is still an “alleged” event. So, if someone has apologized for actually killing somebody we still need a URL where that is stated and not may, if and alleged.