U.S. starts to evacuate from Shamsi air base in Pakistan

[unknownprince]

U.S. starts to evacuate from Shamsi air base in Pakistan

English.news.cn 2011-12-04 19:17:49 FeedbackPrintRSS U.S. starts to evacuate from Shamsi air base in Pakistan


ISLAMABAD, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States has started evacuation from an air base in Pakistan on Sunday at the order of the Pakistani government to leave the air base before December 11, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo.
According to the report, the evacuation kicked off Sunday morning when a U.S. plane arrived at the Shamsi air base to take the U.S. personnel back.
They started loading the luggage and equipment when the plane arrived, the reported quoted unidentified sources as saying.
In order to ensure the safe evacuation, security around the air base has been beefed up, said the sources.
The evacuation came eight days after the Pakistani government ordered the U.S. to vacate its air base in the Shamsi area in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province within 15 days following a NATO cross-border air strike at two Pakistani army check posts in Mohmand tribal area near the Afghan border on Nov. 26, which killed 24 Pakistani troops and wounded 13 others.
Shamsi air base is located some 320 km southwest of Balochistan 's capital city Quetta. The U.S. has reportedly been using the air base since 2001 for military operations in Afghanistan and drone strikes in Pakistan's northwest tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, a place that the U.S. side believes to be a haven for militants who often launch cross-border attacks on the NATO troops in Afghanistan.
To order the U.S. to vacate the Shamsi air base is one of the three steps taken by the Pakistani government in retaliation for the Nov. 26 NATO incident, which the Pakistani government described as a blatant violation of its sovereignty.
The other two steps include closure of two border checkpoints for NATO supplies entering Afghanistan from Pakistan and boycott of the Dec. 5 Bonn Conference on Afghan issue.
Following the decision to order the U.S. to vacate the Shamsi air base within 15 days, the UAE foreign minister paid a visit to Pakistan, persuading the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to reconsider the decision or to postpone the vacation deadline until NATO has completed its investigation into the November 26 incident, but the request was turned down by the Pakistani president.
Regarding the boycott of Bonn Conference, the Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has rejected the requests both from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to reconsider the boycott decision. Prior to this, the Pakistani prime minister has also rejected the request by the Afghan President Karzai to reconsider the boycott decision.
The three steps so far taken by the Pakistani government has not brought an even official apology from the U.S. and NATO apart from condolences and promise of investigation into the incident.
More steps could be taken by the Pakistani side as it has threatened to reconsider the overall arrangement with the U.S., NATO, ISAF in the fight against terrorism, said local watchers.

[unknownprince]

While this will lead to the end of the US war and occupation of Afghanistan in addition to the seemingly permanent shut down of Pakistan supply lines to NATO,( and you should realize that Imran Khan's pressure and demand to end Pakistan support for the US war, has a lot to do with this) I dont know how this can be considered a source of pride for Pakistan to force the evacuation of the US base?

Why was it there in the first place?

Again, all this Pakistan support for the US war is in black and white.


It is clear now, that this is a point of no return for US-Pak relations.

Imran Khan has cemented this. This war will be over sooner than expected, especially if Russia moves forward with their threat to cut of the supplies.

[Badlun]

Imran khan, Pakistan, Russia ........no where Taliban who will compel US expulsion!

[unknownprince]

Imran khan, Pakistan, Russia ........no where Taliban who will compel US expulsion!

Its like pieces of a puzzle, dont you agree?

Everything factors. Had the Taliban been on the verge of losing, then Pakistan would have gone ahead with a North Waziristan offensive. Pakistan is not doing it for their own interests, not out of concern for Afghans. They have been supporting this war with supply routes and what not.

Now, why do they call Imran Khan, Talib Khan? Refresh my memory and educate me. The US war and occupation of Afghanistan would not have been possible without Pakistan's support. Imran Khan, without even winning the election has ended it. It is logical to conclude it is final at this stage.

Do you think that Russia and China compelled US to leave Vietnam? Yeah, The Vietnamese resistance was all a farce, never existed, nor did it factor into the US defeat in Vietnam, riggggght?

Instability in Afghanistan due to fighting that is solely due to the US presence has nothing to do with the logical opposition by China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan's to the US, as they say that the continued US presence is the source of instability.

Who is fighting then? Ghosts?

[Talal]

dunno how accurate pressTV is

Pakistan halts fuel export to Afghanistan


Scores of commercial fuel tankers headed for Afghanistan were stopped and sent back from Torkham border crossing at the Pak-Afghan border. This came after officials reportedly issued orders to halt export of commercial fuel to Afghanistan amid the growing price hike in the petroleum products and shortage of fuel in the country.

The measure comes at a time when Pakistan has already stopped trucks and tankers carrying NATO supplies, including fuel supply, through its border crossings after a US-led NATO air strike on a Pakistani military check post in North West Pakistan that killed some 25 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistan has promptly shown its anger over the attack by blocking crucial supply routes for NATO trucks and fuel tankers bound for Afghanistan, and ordering the US to vacate an airbase used for drone operations.

Analysts say as fury spreads across the country over the NATO attack with Pakistanis demanding an end to US ties, the government is now determined to review its cooperation with the US-led coalition.
In what seems to be a major policy shift about the country's support for the allied forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan has also boycotted an international Conference on the future of Afghanistan. This has given an impression that Islamabad is likely to reduce cooperation on its neighboring country as the Afghan endgame draws near.

With Pakistan expanding the scope of protests against the US-led NATO forces to ensure its sovereignty and security, observers say NATO troops will go through very hard times in the year ahead in Afghanistan if their crucial supply line though Pakistan remained cut off permanently.

[Karachi]

what they should have done almost 10 years ago, now finally they are doing, what a decade this has been because of stupid policies.

[KhyberKhan]

This base was vaccated apparently years ago and leased to the UAE according to interior minister Rehman Lying Malik.

All the while, the murtad na-pak establishment had let the US run its drone programme from there, even when they were exposed.

bunch of lying swines.

[KhyberKhan]

and for the record, i dont care about 24 na-pak murtads who got toasted acting as american slaves in their outpost and being little guard dogs who were killed by not-so friendly fire, but i do care for the thousand of innocent people killed in drones attacks and their families that will not see any compensation whatsoever.

[R3SISTANC3]

This is just a drama to appease the country and demand something in return as always. War between US and Pakistan will never happen. If they were going to fight the Americans they would have right after Sep.11 instead of cowering like dogs and turning on their own brethren next door. What makes people think that all of the sudden they'll grow balls to face the American military machine and the international sanctions and aid blockade? Not to mention the fear that in such a war India will join and they'll get a pounding from left, right, above and below.

All Pakistan is doing is buying time because eventually the American citizens at home will get fed-up with these wars, and it seems that way already. Just watch the show, Hillary will make a visit, Zardari will do a mujrah, kiss kiss makeup, show continues.

[Soldat_Amir]

Exactly it wont be long before the Taliban pick up trucks will cross the border and Pakistan will state it has no role in it. AS IF!

America bombed the Taliban, rid Afghanistan of this vermin, now they crossed into Pakistan, its time the Americans took Pakistan on, and bombed Pakistan of militant hideouts.

Pakistan is playing a drama.

Just as Haji Namdir(former talib commander) once stated Pakistan shoots at empty buildings, and then shows the Americans of their recent gunbattle with Militants.

Pakistan is the root problem of the stability of the region and needs to be confronted.

[unknownprince]

This is just a drama to appease the country and demand something in return as always. War between US and Pakistan will never happen. If they were going to fight the Americans they would have right after Sep.11 instead of cowering like dogs and turning on their own brethren next door. What makes people think that all of the sudden they'll grow balls to face the American military machine and the international sanctions and aid blockade? Not to mention the fear that in such a war India will join and they'll get a pounding from left, right, above and below.

All Pakistan is doing is buying time because eventually the American citizens at home will get fed-up with these wars, and it seems that way already. Just watch the show, Hillary will make a visit, Zardari will do a mujrah, kiss kiss makeup, show continues.

Most of what you said is true about Pakistan being cowards, but now Zardari/Gilani are pretty much lame ducks. They do what they are told to do. Imran Khan may have enforced the permanent end of Pakistan support for the US war and occupation of Afghanistan with his recent demands. He is the most popular politician in Pakistan according to Pew polls. His demands have increased the stakes of the next election. His demands resonate with what people want.

Its over.


Imran Khan aka Talib Khan has been opposed to the US war and occupation of Afghanistan for the last 7 years, especially Pakistans support for the US war. He is not acting, and no one controls him

[Talal]

:D

[Karachi]

Most of what you said is true about Pakistan being cowards, but now Zardari/Gilani are pretty much lame ducks. They do what they are told to do. Imran Khan may have enforced the permanent end of Pakistan support for the US war and occupation of Afghanistan with his recent demands. He is the most popular politician in Pakistan according to Pew polls. His demands have increased the stakes of the next election. His demands resonate with what people want.

Its over.


Imran Khan aka Talib Khan has been opposed to the US war and occupation of Afghanistan for the last 7 years, especially Pakistans support for the US war. He is not acting, and no one controls him

Imran Khan has good intentions and I will probably support him, however do you think he can change what ISI is doing and has done in the past?

[Talal]

Imran Khan has good intentions and I will probably support him, however do you think he can change what ISI is doing and has done in the past?

I doubt it, dude even the US president doesn't decide the state foreign policy..its mostly what CIA wants

[al-arab]

The puppet Pakistani government should have done that years ago.

But the damage has already happened. They betrayed their Muslims brother's in Afghanistan just to be americas puppets. Now they are facing problems because of their cathastrophic decisions.

May this be a warning for every Muslim government regardless of race not to be puppets of the invadors.