Posted on 09/05/2021 4:02:51 PM PDT by elpadre
PESHAWAR – Although Pakistan officially acknowledged the landing of military planes carrying hundreds of US troops from Afghanistan at Islamabad airport on August 29, it’s still not clear why many are still lingering in the country and not returning to the US or Qatar airbase.
Gul Bukhari, a British-Pakistani journalist, columnist and rights activist, tweeted on Tuesday, “Question for anyone with some insight into this: With huge bases in Qatar & Bahrain, and thousands of five and seven-star hotels in the UAE, why have US military personnel been flown to Pakistan?”
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has denied that the US will be given access to Pakistan military bases after withdrawing from Afghanistan.
An American military presence would be controversial considering US forces violated Pakistan sovereignty in the mission to assassinate al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was living secretly near a Pakistan military base, in May 2011.
In November that year, a skirmish between US-led NATO and Pakistani forces on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killed 28 Pakistani soldiers and sparked nationwide protests that forced the government to withdraw US access to its Shamsi airbase and suspend NATO supply lines in the country.
With that history in mind, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on August 30 confirmed the arrival of US troops but ruled out that they would remain in the country. In a press event in Islamabad, Ahmad revealed that the American troops who arrived from Afghanistan had been issued transit visas ranging from 21 to 30 days.
On Tuesday, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tried batting on a sticky wicket by tweeting that a total of 10,302 NATO and allied forces landed at Islamabad airport and that 9,032 have already departed.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
“....Musharraf also provided basing rights to the US military at Jacobabad airbase (Sindh), Shamsi airbase (Balochistan), Dalbandin base (Balochistan), Pasni base (Balochistan) and Samungli base (Balochistan).
Shamsi airbase was exclusively used to conduct drone operations in northwest Pakistan and housed several US military personnel. Blackwater employees were also involved in these operations. The CIA and US Air Force jointly developed the airfield, which the US was forced to leave in 2011.
US forces also used PAF base Nur Khan (Sindh), Tarbela Ghazi airbase (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and PAF base Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) for their operations in Afghanistan and the tribal stretch near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
In late May, the Pentagon claimed that Pakistan would allow the US military to use its airspace and have ground access to support its interests in Afghanistan after the US troop’s withdrawal.
David Helvey, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs, said while briefing the US Senate Armed Services Committee that the US would continue to use these facilities in Pakistan to play a critical role in restoring “peace” to Afghanistan......”
We can believe the Pentagon, the administration or Pakistan. Lousy set of choices.
It’s actually pretty easy….. whatever they say, the opposite is true.
Taliban are the tail of the snake. Terrorist-supporting members of the Pak. intelligence complex are the head.
I’d imagine they were trying to avoid entanglements with
Taliban operative.
Get them back home. Problem solved.
Pakistan ia the Taliban’s next move > IMO.
Although Pakistan officially acknowledged the landing of military planes carrying hundreds of US troops from Afghanistan at Islamabad airport on August 29, it’s still not clear why many are still lingering in the country and not returning to the US or Qatar airbase.
The Biden administration doesn't dare bring the troops home.
No longer an impossibility.
Speaking of the ‘WOKE liars at the Pentagon’ do you think there’s still nukes in the ME? Nukes Biden can leave as gifts to Turkey etc..
Recall some years ago George Webb reporting on the Pakistani IT guy in charge of congressional "secure phones" who down loaded all the daily congressional phone date to Pakistan...
Ran a number of fake ID's at the Congressional credit union and took out multiple house loans.
Was eventually charged...but left US with bags of money.
“..The Biden administration doesn’t dare bring the troops home...”
Right! I am sure there are many stories amongst them the Administration doesn’t want heard.
Nothing to see here, move along./ sarc
Imran Awan
The miscreants absconded with their evil gains.
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