Posted on 05/02/2010 8:49:39 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The U.S. government believes a North Korean torpedo attack was the most likely cause of the March 26 sinking of a South Korean warship, a foreign diplomatic source in Seoul said Sunday, citing solid "circumstantial evidence."
The remarks come as South Koreans increasingly believe the communist North was responsible for the sinking that left 46 sailors dead.
A joint investigation team involving U.S. and other foreign experts has tentatively concluded that the mysterious sinking was due to a "close-range" explosion under the 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan while it was on patrol in waters off the disputed western sea border with North Korea.
After examining the wreckage of the ship salvaged last month, investigators indicated the ship was damaged by an explosive air bubble shockwave caused by a torpedo or a mine. But they have so far taken care not to directly accuse the North.
"Almost all circumstantial evidence points to a torpedo attack though there is still ambiguity that should be dealt with," the source said on condition of anonymity. "The question is who is it, but there are few candidates."
If there is a "strong pointer" toward 99 percent certain, the remaining 1 percent of doubt will not so be meaningful, the diplomat said, apparently rebutting the possibility of other causes such as a reef or metal fatigue.
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp will soon get a briefing on the interim results of the ongoing probe from a team of U.S. experts taking part in the investigation, said the source.
As for the possibility of referring the Cheonan issue to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), the diplomat said China and Russia, North Korea's traditional allies that serve as permanent members of the council and have veto power, have to play a role.
(Excerpt) Read more at koreatimes.co.kr ...
They are probing. They intend on attack and seems to me they are testing to see what will happen if they push.
I give it two years at most.
The whole world already came to this conclusion. Now will anything be done about it?
This article you posted the other day does a good job of explaining the possible cause of the sinking as North Korean suicide attack squads.
NK has semi-submersible vessels that can carry two bombers and either two torpedoes or two floating mines.
Very enlightening article...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2504861/posts
:)
If Ronald Reagan were still in office, the base where these mini-subs, and every other NoKo base that housed any kind of submarine, would be large smoking holes in the ground, because it is clear that the NoKos cannot be trusted with those kinds of weapons and devices, and President Reagan knew how to petty dictators like Kim.
Could be the ChiComs? Maybe they got that oil rig too.
Be patient, South Korean is in the process of reassembling the torpedo, just to make sure who it belonged to...
Did you see this link? Scroll down a bit when you look at it.
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1367.htm
BM
I highly doubt that President Reagan would have done that. Unlike Gaddafi (or whatever this week's spelling of his name is), lil'Kim has several thousand artillery pieces (some claim as much as 10,000) targeted at South Korea, in particular at Seoul. That is Kim's big stick ...not his 6-8 nuclear weapons, but the fact that in minutes he could raze Seoul without much that can be done to prevent it. Such a saturation attack could not be intercepted, and the artillery (both tube types and missiles) are dispersed across mountain ranges and impossible to get all at once unless the use of tactical nuclear weapons (and a good number of them) is authorized. I doubt Reagan would authorize that so close to China.
Anyways, what I believe President Reagan would do (that Obama would never do) is to authorize stepped up covert operations ....maybe you'd see some North Korean ships also hit 'old mines from the Korean war' or encounter 'such sad mechanical mishaps that caused them to sink.' The interesting thing about those mishaps is that they would, by pure coincidence ofcourse, always occur whenever N.Korea did something off. It can be so sad if a fuel oil depot, for instance, was to spontaneously combust ....
However, direct attacks on NoKo bases etc etc etc ....not unless Star Wars could also target thousands of shells and missiles streaming towards Seoul. The moment someone comes up with an answer for that (that can a. work and b. doesn't make things much worse, like a tac-nuke strike on NoKo would ....actually the country that would be protesting the most would be Taiwan, wondering what China's response towards IT might be) ....the moment someone comes up with an answer for those 10,000 arty pieces is the day Kim becomes the gelded b@stich he is! While he has his 6 nukes, and several tons of chemical (and most probably bio weapons), the use of those would totally destroy his regime. However the arty remains a credible threat.
It would seem a sub attack is in order.
According to OPLAN-5027,the plan previously supposed a possible invasion by North Korea. However, the plan adopted the strategies of “pre-emptive attacks.” If “conclusive evidence” suggesting North Korea’s war preparation is detected, the plan allows for a pre-emptive attack of the ROK and the U.S. alliance. The US and ROK can consider this sub attack a “pre-emptive” attack by North Korea.
The “magic negro” ain’t gonna do squat.
More likely the NORKs. An EU Times report on the Obama-ordered US news blackout of the oil rig attack was posted a couple of days ago.
“the plan allows for a pre-emptive attack of the ROK and the U.S. alliance”
I wouldn’t trust obamination’s “assurances” further than I could throw him.
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