Disastrous Friendly Fire Event in Pakistan Could Grind the U.S. Afghan Campaign to a Halt

oilprice.com ^ | 01/12/2011 | Dr. John C.K. Daly

[bananaman22]

NATO recently literally shot itself in the foot, imperiling the resupply of International Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan by shooting up two Pakistani border posts in a “hot pursuit’ raid.

Given that roughly 100 fuel tanker trucks along with 200 other trucks loaded with NATO supplies cross into Afghanistan each day from Pakistan, Pakistan’s closure of the border has ominous long-term consequences for the logistical resupply of ISAF forces, even as Pentagon officials downplay the issue and scramble for alternative resupply routes.

Pakistan, long angry about ISAF/NATO cross border raids, has apparently reached the end of its tether. Following the 26 November NATO aerial assault on two border posts in Mohmand Agency in Pakistan’s turbulent NorthWest Frontier Province, Islamabad promptly sealed its border with Afghanistan to NATO supplies after the allied strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

The U.S. military insists a joint patrol with Afghan forces was fired upon first and only responded with return fire and calling in airstrikes on the posts, which a commander mistakenly identified as Taliban training camps, after reportedly checking that there were no Pakistani military forces nearby. Pakistan Major General Ishfaq Nadeem, director general of military operations, rebutted Washington’s assertions one by one, commenting, "The positions of the posts were already conveyed to the ISAF through map references and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts."

So, what does this mean for logistical support of ISAF forces? According to Nesar Ahmad Nasery, the deputy head of Torkham Customs, around 1,000 trucks cross into Afghanistan on a daily basis, nearly 300 of which are NATO contractors carrying NATO supplies in sealed containers. Khyber Transport Association chief Shakir Afridi said that each oil tanker has a capacity of 13,000-15,000 gallons. In October 2010 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said that fossil fuels are the number one import to Afghanistan.

Noting the obvious, as Afghanistan has no indigenous hydrocarbon supplies, every drop must be brought in, with transit greatly increasing Full article at: Disastrous Friendly Fire Event in Pakistan Could Grind the U.S. Afghan Campaign to a Halt

[brent13a]

Reason #6,233 to GTFO of there.

[Usagi_yo]

I think the article is BS because ...

I have doubts and don’t think it wasn’t unintentional friendly fire. I’m leaning to an inside job within Pakistan to up the pressure and embarrass NATO and that it probably involved elements of the Taliban working with Pakistani intelligence or higher elements within the Pakistani army.

This was an extended cross border firefight that involved Pakistani Artillery and I think the NATO forces knew they were firing on Pakistani’s.

[bgill]

I guess Hussein will be adding another 0 to Pockistun’s weekly ransom payoffs.

[JudgemAll]

Pakistan is our enemy, in essence and implicitly. We are incapable of leading with firmness, it’s all limp hand and letting little goat bangers tell us how we should do it.

[Moltke]

NATO recently literally shot itself in the foot

Yet another idiot who doesn't know the meaning of the word "literally".