Sep 22 2008
Pakistani Troops Fire on U.S. Helicopter
Over the weekend a U.S. military helicopter crossed the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan apparently looking for Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters. They were 1 mile into Pakistan, when they began to take on small-arms fire from people on the ground. It wasn’t Taliban or Al-Qaeda fighters who attacked U.S. troops, it was our so called stanuch ”ally” on the War on Terror. Uniformed Pakistani military soldiers and Pashtun tribesmen attacked U.S forces but the U.S. military did not fire back. They returned to Afghanistan without incidence.
What the hell is going on! I thought allies were supposed to be on the same side! This could be considered an act of war right? How will this change a already tense relationship between Washington and Pakistan? I think that this incidence shows that the United States does not have a real ally in the War on Terror except for maybe the U.K.
I think it is time fort the United States to cut ties with Pakistan or at least curtail our aid to their country. They have proved time and again that they are fighting this battle half-heartedly. They fight when it is convenient for them, or they need to show that our aid is having some sort of effect in fighting terrorism in the tribal regions. They want the tribal areas to remain under Taliban influence for their own political gain. As long as there are Taliban in the tribal reigon the Pakistani government gets to enjoy unfettered access to billions of U.S. aid with little to no oversight on how its is spent. What are they spending American taxpayers money on? Tea parties? Cricket games? Sudoku? Yahtzee? Who knows but it sure isn’t helping the U.S states stablize Afghanistan. I say leave them to their own destiny and don’t come crying to the United States when you have the Taliban and Al-Qaeda knocking at your door. The truck bomb that tore through a Marriott hotel in Islamabad should serve as a reminder to them that Islamic extremists do not care what religion or sect you are, everybody is the enemy to them.
- Pakistan warns US general against missile strikes
- Pakistan Needs To Make Up Their Mind
- Breaking News 5 Pakistani police Officers Killed Sri Lankan Cricketers Injured near Gaddafi Stadium Lahore as Terrorists Open Fire
- Women make up war-related fatalities, too
- Paint, Glaze, and Fire…a great way to spend an afternoon
To quote Bill Maher, “They don’t hate us for our freedom, they hate us for our air strikes.”
We have been operating in Pakistan without the full consent of the government and military for a few weeks now. They have been a tenuous ally at best, and this isn’t making things better. I don’t know the answer, but I do know it’s never a good idea to piss of a nuclear state.
The problem, rather, the root of the problem, is that we’re fighting a war of ideologies and forced occupations. That creates what amounts to a never-ending war. You may have times of relative peace, as with Israel/Palestine or Ireland/Northern Ireland, but the ideology behind the anger gets passed down through generations.
But yes, Pakistan is using us for our money. And playing a very dangerous game. India is another nuclear state, and they don’t have the best relationship historically with Pakistan. We spend billions more in and with India than Pakistan, and should they decide to strike closer, that would force us to intervene on behalf of India, which would ignite Arab resentment throughout the region, as well as possibly unify Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, aw hell, you get the picture. Sorry for the ramble.