Pakistan closes airspace

PakNews ^ | 4OCT2001 | news service

[PokeyJoe]

2001-10-04 16:14:49

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday immediately closed its airspace except one approach. Incoming flights from abroad are being diverted to the route from Karachi to Islamabad via Nawabshah, Rahimyar Khan and Lahore.

Any other plane which reaches Pakistan’s airspace has been ordered to shot down

[PokeyJoe]

Could it be?

[SkiBum]

What does this mean? Is Pakistan refusing to allow overflights by U.S. military aircraft? Is this a piece of disinformation? Who made the announcement?

[Zeroisanumber]

No, it means that something big is moving through their airspace and they don't want interference from non-allied countries. I would guess that it's some kind of big coalition military transport, barring that it's an attempt to move civillian planes out of the way of incomming warplanes and criuse missles. Without more information it's impossible to be sure.

[Elenya]

I am holding my breath. Could it be, finally?

GandtheD

[Zeroisanumber]

I hope not, it's a bit too soon to try anything cute. Another month or two of recon and prep time would be better. Besides which, I doubt that Bush would authorize attacks while his Sec Def was trying to drum up support in the Middle East.

[Prodigal Son]

Maybe something to do with PM Blair being there? Sec'y Rumsfeld says we won't airdrop food until there is no anti aircraft threat. CNN is implying this might mean we're about to take out there anti air. Russians just threw pontoon bridges over "Pyandzh river and established positions inside Afghanistan". Maybe we are about to see it.

[dalebert]

I just hope the know where Bin Laden is . I would hate for this to turn out like the hunt for Chandra.

[Vetvoice]

Nah, you can stop holding your breath. The Islamic holy period of Ramallah begins on November 17th. There will not be a bullet fired or a bomb dropped for thirty days after that date. There's no use in starting something now that we can't possibly finish by November 17th.