U.S. Special Forces Sent to Train Pakistanis

U.S. Special Forces Sent to Train Pakistanis

online.wsj.com

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is sending Special Forces teams into one of Pakistan's most violent regions as part of a push to accelerate the training of the Pakistani military and make it a more effective ally in the fight against insurgents there.

Senior U.S. officials said 25 to 50 Special Forces personnel are deploying to two new training camps in Baluchistan, a Taliban stronghold on the porous Afghan-Pakistani border.

(visit the link for the full news article)

US boots in Pakistan now - The beginning of new troop movements - open a new frontier?

There aint no war - where USA is not involved... I dont surprise Russian presidents words from last week - Greatest threat to peace in the world is USA and NATO.

I agree, and I think china agrees witth me

USA starts to heat situation in Pakistan with missile attacks from the begin of the year, and now these new troops over there, aint no signs from cooling it either.

Bombing, US strike kill dozens in Pakistan

An apparent U.S. missile strike annihilated a Taliban raiding party mustering to cross into Afghanistan, officials said, while Pakistani troops claimed another 47 kills in their bid to retake the Swat Valley.

news.yahoo.com...

- Obama is making his name as new warmongering president...

online.wsj.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 17-5-2009 by JanusFIN]

Janus star!

As much as I want Osama dead and gone, opening a new front in Pakistan is spreading us much too thin.

reply to post by Ace High


Pakistan can turn out a terrible mess - and the other counterpart in there is nothing more than China - and latest statements from China has been very angry... Pakistan is close ally to China - and I think they are not ready to give their most important partner to US custody without a pricetag.

Obama: more dangerous than Bush

uruknet.com...

- Yeah, we knew this long time ago - now we just see here in ATS how right we have been all the time... Sad but true.

Wtf? - Did US soldiers went there without clear invitation?

No counter-insurgency training needed: Kayani

Sunday, May 17, 2009
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said that Pakistani Army does not require any generalised foreign training for countering insurgency, except for very specialised weapons, equipment and high technology.

In a press release issued by ISPR on Saturday, the COAS said, “Pakistan Army has developed a full range of counter insurgency training facilities, tailored to train troops for such operations.”

thenews.jang.com.pk...

This war cannot be won.

It is a mind war...a belief war...and no matter which way you slice it the Taliban will come out the winner in the end, for in many Muslims eyes they are fighting for "Islam” or what they believe to be "Islamic".

The myth or archetype of a David and Goliath showdown is already firmly established in the local culture with hundreds of years of being one of the crossroads of East and West.

The myth was reinforced during the Soviet/Afghan showdown and this myth will not die easy.

I am convinced that many in US leadership see this and yet they are helpless when it comes to stopping them.







[edit on 17-5-2009 by whiteraven]

Originally posted by JanusFIN

U.S. Special Forces Sent to Train Pakistanis

I read the article when it was first published.
Don't know why they bothered to print it.
Its not new, and its not some revelation like they make it out to be.

The U.S. has had troops on the ground "training" in Pakistan for several years.
Example.


As for General Kayani, he chose his words very carefully to help save face for the Army. Read his words again.

Except for very specialised weapons, equipment and high technology.

Remember that The General does not run the Pak government, nor make policy.

Take note that he is a product of U.S. training and has regular meetings with U.S. Defense reps.

He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
and Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii.


Many Pakistan military staff have been trained by the U.S.
This is not new either.

Cambodia Déjà Vu: the Invasion of Pakistan

A younger generation than mine, including senior military officers (not to speak of Barack Obama), may not know exactly why the United States and the South Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia in 1970, and what the result was. The invasion was a failure, and the result a humanitarian catastrophe.

www.truthdig.com...

Yeah it has been headed this way for a awhile I've been posting updates on this development over the past few weeks. This has been in the works ever since Obama took office IMO. Too much at stake to let the Taliban run loose in Pakistan. "NUKES" anyone



Pakistani army closes in on Swat town; bomb kills 11

Pakistani troops advance against Taliban

Pakistan drops hundreds of commandos in Taleban's Swat strongholds

Zardari: U.S. Shares Blame For Taliban Threat

Taliban try to spread fighting in Pakistani tribal belt

I agree with the folks saying we need to make sure the Taliban do not get the nukes. They would use them for sure.

Well I feel we have an obligation to try and help eradicate this "Cancer" We helped create. If that means boots on the ground then so be it.

politics.theatlantic.com

MR. GREGORY: And is it America's war or Pakistan's war?

MR. ZARDARI: It's a war of our existence. We've been fighting this war much before they attacked 9/11. They're kind of a cancer created by both of us, Pakistan and America and the world. We got together, we created this cancer to fight the superpower and then we went away--rather, you went away without finding a cure for it. And now we've both come together to find a cure for it, and we're looking for one.

(visit the link for the full news article)

There are 2 types of enemy you can't defeat, a mass populist uprising (e.g. Vietnam/Cuba/Iran) and a religious war, and this is a religious war.

In a regular conflict the soldier wants his pay, he wants promotion, and he wants to survive.

In a religious war, he wants to martyr himself for the cause, his life means nothing. You can't defeat that.

Muslims want to create a state governed under Sharia law, good luck trying to stop them.

Originally posted by Retseh

In a religious war, he wants to martyr himself for the cause, his life means nothing. You can't defeat that.

Muslims want to create a state governed under Sharia law, good luck trying to stop them.

While I don't necessarily disagree with your post, I don't agree that the "war," can't be won. There is not one monolithic Islamist entity working in concert to bring about this Caliphate they seek. There are various factions and sects who hate one another as much as they hate the West and thus, each conflict must be taken as an independent effort.

Also, let's not forget that those seeking a world of Muslim dominance comprise a small percentage of the world's Muslims.

One thing I know for certain is that, under no circumstances can the US (or the rest of the world) allow Islamic extremists to have access to Nuclear weapons.

reply to post by Retseh



It's a lot more complex than trying to compare it to Vietnam/ Cuba/ Iran

Afghanistan-Opium-Mujahidin-Part 1 of 2


Pakistan No-Go Area As Taliban Take Control


Afghanistan's complex nature of fighting - 24 Feb 09


[edit on 18-5-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69


I think you misunderstood me.

Vietnam/Cuba/Iran were my examples of a populist uprising, I'm categorizing this as a religious uprising which I believe to be equally unstoppable, but a horse of a different color.

Originally posted by Retseh
I'm categorizing this as a religious uprising which I believe to be equally unstoppable, but a horse of a different color.

See that's the problem it isn't a religious uprising.

When the US forces went into Afghanistan the first time we had the support of almost all of the tribal leaders. They didn't care for the "Taliban" either because the vast majority of the Taliban were foreigners to Afghanistan gathered there during their fight against the Soviets they were supplied and supported by the US and her Allies.

After the war the Taliban stayed and took power in Afghanistan. When this war broke out the reason the Taliban were so easily and quickly removed from power was because the US had overwhelming support of these "Real" Afghanistan tribal chiefs.

They were more than willing to help us remove them from power. Most still remember all the help we provided them fighting the Soviets. Now having said that most of the Generals we have sent in simply didn't understand this history and made pretty much everybody there our enemies. Not so much support from these Chieftains anymore.

The Taliban took off into the hills. They have been waging their guerrilla war ever since. Now since most of them were Pakistani they went home as the fighting in Afghanistan heated up. What they really are is a people with out a home.

That's why they are now in the SWAT region of Pakistan. The Pakistanis themselves dont want them there either.

So now here we go again....

So the SP is in Pakistan to train the local army.

Big deal. That is one of the roles the SP has, they go all over the world training foreign soldiers.

Just another day for them.