US urging calm over possible Pakistan troop moves

[Guest guest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081227/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_pakistan_troo

ps

US urging calm over possible Pakistan troop moves

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer Lolita C. Baldor,

Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 26, 9:17 pm ET

WASHINGTON – U.S. officials watched with growing concern Friday as

reports suggested Pakistan was massing troops to the India border.

Such a move raises double-barreled worries: A possible confrontation

between two nuclear powers and a shift by the Pakistani military away

from battling the Taliban along its western Afghan edge.

" We hope that both sides will avoid taking steps that will

unnecessarily raise tensions during these already tense times, " said

White House spokesman Gordon droe.

U.S. military leaders have been urging both India and Pakistan to

exercise restraint in the wake of the deadly Mumbai attacks that many

believe originated with Pakistan-based militants.

On Friday, U.S. intelligence and military officials were still trying

to determine if the reported troop movements were true, and, if so,

what Pakistan's intent may be. And they cautioned that the reports

may be exaggerated, aimed more at delivering a message than

dispatching forces.

Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence

matters.

U.S. defense leaders have been worried about a new flare-up between

Pakistan and India ever since the coordinated terror attacks in

India's financial capital of Mumbai last month that killed 164 people.

India has demanded that Pakistan arrest the perpetrators behind the

Mumbai attacks. It says they are members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a

militant group widely believed created by Pakistani intelligence in

the 1980s and used to fight Indian-rule in the disputed Kashmir

region.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in

Pakistan twice this month, and as many as seven times in the past

year. In recent meetings with senior Pakistani leaders he has urged

restraint and encouraged both sides to find ways to work together.

One senior military official said Friday that the U.S. is monitoring

the issue, but still could not confirm assertions from Pakistani

intelligence officials that some 20,000 troops were on the move,

heading to the Indian border.

A key concern for U.S. officials is that some of those troops may

have been stationed along the volatile Afghan border, and were being

diverted to the Indian side.

Defense Secretary Gates and Mullen, who have both been in the

region in recent weeks, have expressed the hope that Pakistan would

stay focused on fighting militants in its mountainous northwestern

Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA.

Insurgents there have proved increasingly troublesome, launching

attacks into Afghanistan, disrupting supply routes for the Afghan,

U.S. and coalition militaries, and providing training and hiding

places for the Taliban, al-Qaida and others. It also has long been

suspected that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has been hiding there.

Senior defense officials said the U.S. is watching the situation very

closely since officials would prefer that the Pakistanis remain

focused on battling insurgents within their own country, including

along the border.

U.S. Military leaders in Afghanistan earlier this month said they had

seen no indications that Pakistan was shifting its focus away from

the Afghan border.

There was also no indication Friday that either Gates or Mullen had

reached out to their counterparts in Pakistan since these latest

reports had surfaced.

droe added that, " We continue to be in close contact with both

countries to urge closer cooperation in investigating the Mumbai

attacks and in fighting terrorism generally. "

___

Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

[Guest guest]

So far the belief is that this is just posturing and will come to nothing. However, with tensions as they are, it wouldn't take much to get a shooting war started.

I have not seen mentioned in the US mass media that in the last week or two, several "Indian nationals" have been arrested in Pakistan in relation to bombings that have occurred in Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks.

There is a lot of instability in the region now. A large part of Pakistan's population is siding with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Pakistan is pulling troops from that very region and sending them to the Indian border. We will surely see more attacks against US and Allied interests in the region. Of course, that would be nothing if another border war brewed up since both countries could go nuclear. If that happens, the death toll will be vast and all the dust and debris blown up into the atmosphere could mess with the climate just like a major volcanic eruption, with the added fun of radiation.

Perhaps this is the major test Biden said the world was going to throw at Obama shortly after he gets in office?

In a message dated 12/27/2008 2:06:36 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

US urging calm over possible Pakistan troop movesOne site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

" Of course, that would be nothing if another border war brewed up

since both countries could go nuclear. If that happens, the death

toll will be vast and all the dust and debris blown up into the

atmosphere could mess with the climate just like a major volcanic

eruption, with the added fun of radiation.

" Perhaps this is the major test Biden said the world was going to

throw at Obama shortly after he gets in office? "

From reading the articles, while it is clear that both India and

Pakistan have legitimate concerns about what the other might be up

to, I think both countries are filled up with a bunch of blowhards

and blithering idiots. If they shot at each other again, as they have

in the past, I think it might be a good thing if something serious

would happen because maybe it would shut both countries up.

Neither have demonstrated the ability to handle nuclear weapons

responsibly. They are behaving worse towards one another than the USA

and the former USSR did years ago.

Administrator