Posted on 01/21/2006 6:06:50 AM PST by NCjim
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's president told a senior U.S. official on Saturday that the airstrike on a Pakistani village last week cannot be repeated, a foreign ministry official said.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf also assured U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns Pakistan would not waver in its support for Washington's war on terrorism, the foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
The comments were the first publicized reaction by Musharraf to the Jan. 13 attack on the village of Damadola that apparently targeted but missed Ayman al-Zawahi, al-Qaida's No. 2.
Musharraf met Burns at his office in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near the capital Islamabad.
The strike last week on three homes in the Bajur tribal region village is believed to have killed at least four of al-Zawahri's close associates and at least 13 civilians, including women and children. The village is close to the border with Afghanistan.
The official said Musharraf told Burns: "What happened in Bajur must not be repeated."
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
This can be found at Bill Roggio's site......Threatswatch.org........"An unnamed villager in Damadola states Pakistani intelligence was on the scene in Damadola almost immediately, Soon after the air strike, several Pakistani security agents based in Khar, Bajaur Agencys regional headquarters, disguised themselves as visitors and visited the site to collect evidence about the presence of No 2 Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zahawri.
Those Pak security agents weren't there without the full knowledge of their bosses! Those at the upper levels of the Pak govt. knew exactly what was going on, they just have a delicate issue with some of their citizens, so comments about Airstrikes within their country have to be made for PR reasons.....I'm not sure I trust these guys in the long run, but they knew all about this strike, and before it ever happened.
Bad idea. Notifying the Pakistan gov't is the same as notifying the targets of the upcoming attack. It's war, people die in a war. If Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India had not allowed the towelheads to run rampant for so long we wouldn't be there now. They'll just have to put up with us a bit longer.
"Next time, they should used something with a footprint measured in megatons.
"
What a crock! We're not going to nuke anyone, and calls for us to do it are reckless and stupid.
I'll bet you're right. Those calling for the destruction of Pakistan are working against our efforts. We're not nuking anyone.
"When the SHTF one can only hope our "friends" the Packrats will get ther fair share of mushrooms."
More nonsense from someone who is not even aware of what's going on over there. Let's leave the soldiering to the soldiers in place, shall we? We're not going to nuke anyone!
Whatever it is, NYT reader, you are not part of it.
So no need to check with you arm chair generals on the state of affairs.
I agree with your comments as well.
SHTF = When the Mid-East nuclear community decides to launch nuclear missiles.
Can you hear me now?
"SHTF = When the Mid-East nuclear community decides to launch nuclear missiles."
And just when do you expect that to happen? Pakistan has nuclear arms. So does Israel. I doubt that either of them is planning to launch any of them.
Iran does not have them at this point, I'm pretty certain. Israel, with the backing of the US, can easily wipe out Iran's nuclear nonsense with conventional weapons, and probably will at some point.
Iran's blustering is just that.
I hear you, but you're not making sense.
The airstrike and the (somewhat) negative reaction from the Pak street should give a strong incentive for Pakistan to just get out there and grab Bin Laden and Zawahri up themselves. They run the country. What's the problem.
Simple solution to everyone's problems.
What countries say in private and what they say for public consumption are often two different things.
April 19, 2008, at 10:14 EST
What an assinine question. But, hey as long as you are certain that Iran doesn't have nukes and just blustering, I'll sleep better.
BTW ... thanks for the tip on the Packrats having nukes. I had no idea. I understand they have good relations with India also.
"What countries say in private and what they say for public consumption are often two different things."
Of course. The language of diplomacy is a language of half-truths. What amazes me is how many folks here seem to not understand that at all.
The Pakis were aware of this raid beforehand, I'm quite certain. They're protesting it publicly. It's called appeasing the locals.
For pete's sake! Those who are constantly calling for some sort of nuclear attack on the middle east are not helping one bit. We're obviously not going to nuke Mecca (something I've read as a suggestion here so many times). We're not going to nuke Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, or any of those countries. They're trading partners, for the love of Mike!
Pakistan has been helping us in this war on terror. A lot of that help is not public information. We have experts making decisions. Amateurs need not apply.
Whistling past the graveyard are we. Iran is a huge threat that can't be ignored.
"It's my opinion that we need to consult with Pakistan before conducting this type of raid there."
Yea, that sounds like a good idea....notify Al Qaeda that we are coming knocking...brilliant, simply brilliant...
Half-truths and also flat out lies.
"In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies."..........Winston Churchill
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