Taliban attacks and destroys convoy of 150 Nato trucks bound for US led troops

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan8-2008dec08,0,2335333.story



Supply trucks hit in brazen attack in Pakistan

Suspected Taliban insurgents attacked two truck stops, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

By Laura King, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

6:32 AM PST, December 7, 2008

In one of the biggest and most brazen attacks of its kind to date, suspected Taliban insurgents with heavy weapons attacked two truck stops in northwest Pakistan early today, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

The predawn attack on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar left the grounds of the truck terminals littered with the burned-out shells of Humvees and other military vehicles. At least one guard was reported killed.


Peshawar abuts Pakistan's barely governed tribal areas, which are rife with violence, but an attack of this scale on the city's doorstep is rare.

[bemildred]

1. Not "is rare", but "was rare". nt

[msongs]

2. why is this stuff going through pakistan in the first place? nt

[bemildred]

3. North lies Russia, who we want to piss off.

South lies Iran, who we want to piss off.
East lies some really, really big mountains.

A limited amount is flown in through airports in one of the "stans" to the north, I forget, but it is not enough.

[glowing]

4. It always does.. did you see the awesome explanation on Rachel's show

with Engel and a map.. Supplies go thru pakistan. Pakistan army normally is on the afghan border and helps protect the supply path from the Taliban up in the mountain areas. Since the attacks in India.. some of the army is moving to that border... freeing up the Taliban to attack the convoys of supplies for the troops who are in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban on the Afghah/ Pakistan border. AND it looks like the little attack worked marvelously for the Taliban to fuck even more with our troops..

[lovuian]

10. if you can't get supplies to your troops then your

not going to win the war

which we are losing

[northernlights]

6. look at a map of the region

Approaching from the Arabian Sea, it shares large border with Pakistan. A 2nd smaller border with Iran.

Inland borders are with the old Soviet Union (old map here, sorry) through a desert, and with China through another desert.

[TayTay]

9. Richard Clark, former NSA, warned of this in an article in the WaPo

posted today. If India and Pakistan move troops to protect their border area, then it means less Pakistani troops in the Afghan border region to fight the insurgents. The Pakistani Taliban is freer to disrupt American supply lines for troops in Afghanistan. This is a major problem, needless to say.

Clark article available http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/05/AR2008120502606.html">here.

[amdezurik]

8. because of all the "special" things Pakistan gives us?

Like the Taliban and the luxury mansion that OBL is hiding in while dumbaya protects him?

[FarCenter]

13. Afghanistan is landlocked

It pretty much goes against the warning to not get into a land war in the Asian continent.

The US is pretty much a naval power. We can fight where we can pull aircraft carriers within a couple hundred miles and where we can land Marines from ships. Afghanistan is feasible only while the Pakistanis provide port facilities and land transportation routes. Even then it is pretty iffy. Cooperation from the Former Soviet Union states has been declining.

See map

[gratuitous]

5. I'm sure they were a legitimate military target

So there's no war crime or crime against humanity here; all perfectly legitimate under the rules of war and engagement. Okay, maybe it's not a nice thing to do, but it's not like we should be upset about this. Blowing unarmed people to kingdom come is just the way of the world, and we shouldn't blame anyone for doing it.

[Mari333]

7. get the US troops OUT of Afghanistan.

or expect more of this.

[Pavulon]

12. Wake UP. We are escalating there

we will lean on Pakistan to kill these people. We will continue to kill them. We will pay them to kill each other, as in Iraq.

This was made clear and is policy of the oncoming administration.

We are pushing dirt now (my old NG unit) to make room for 20 - 30,000 additional troops.

[Mari333]

14. we are creating another IRAQ by escalating

and its the same old shit.
bring them home now.

[Pavulon]

16. Well, that is not the policy

we are going to follow. We are not going to leave a failed state. Iraq was created by commanders not using established CI tactics to remove the support of the people from the insurgent force.

[Mari333]

19. well, as i said about bush and i will say about obama

they can take their warmongering and shove it where the sun doesnt shine.

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. Here is the original thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4603298

[Mari333]

15. 'they just want us out, dead or alive'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4604234

[TexasObserver]

17. What were 150 supply vehicles doing without adequate security?!

This is a major failure of military planning.

Time to make that Pakistan border glow in the dark.

edit: the way President Obama has said he would do, to take out Taliban strongholds along the border, on either side of that border, with conventional weapons.

[Name removed]

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