Monday, June 28, 2010

Obama vs Pakistan

The New York Times: Reports that the Obama Administration from President Obama down to the Director of the CIA have their doubts about the idea being pushed by Pakistan for a deal between Afghanistan and Insurgent Commanders. How can Obama look his and they are HIS soldiers in the face if he is sending them out to be killed if he allows Pakistan to undercut the NATO mission in Afghanistan. What is the point of losing brave Armed Forces Personnel from the US and UK if Kabul will pull the rug from under NATO forces in Afghanistan. In essence if the Obama is to win this war he has to find the right words to say that the 2011 withdraw date is off the table, otherwise Kabul will move on with the idea that the US is out and it needs to save its own skin after 2011.

The Pakistan Poker with Terror

Guardian: Reports that ISI the Intelligence network of Pakistan is trying to set up a deal between President Karzai of Afghanistan and an Insurgent Commander in Afghanistan . This is the present problem with the NATO strategy in Afghanistan, what is the point of killing the Taliban / Al Qaeda if the Government your trying to build up is talking to the opposition, is the UK throwing away the lives of it its Armed Forces Personnel. If Karzai can not be trusted then a 1963 August green light is needed from the White House. Any strategy will fail if you have the Taliban / Al Qaeda on the one hand and in the other hand a Kabul Government that is afraid that the US will leave in 2011 and is starting backchannel talks with the opposition. President Obama did not help his Administration with the statement that the US would start to withdraw in 2011, this has set off alarm in Kabul thus the idea to have talks with the insurgent commanders on the ground. The exit route out of Afghanistan will be bloody folks and at the end of the day it would not surprised this blog to see a less anti Western Taliban in charge in Kabul.

Nuclear North Korea

Telegraph: Reports that North Korea is to increase in nuclear capacity, it has gone from basic development of nuclear bombs to a hydrogen bomb. This is all spin from North Korea folks, does no matter how much bombs they make, they cant use them, any nuclear attack on South Korea or Japan would lead the USA to wipe out North Korea. Also China does not want a nuclear war on in its doorstep, thus it can be expected that China is placing pressure on North Korea to keep the spin to spin, think Blair and Obama but doing nothing, North Korea wants attention, it has thrown a major league fit, give Obama his due he will not play the North Korean game, let them stew in their own mess.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that a British Soldier was killed on Sunday in Afghanistan, the Soldier was from the " 101 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)...attached to the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, part of the Counter Improvised Explosive Device Task Force ". Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 309 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total it has lost 271 in combat operations and 38 due to illness, accidents or other incidents.

Afghanistan Front News

MOD: Has announced the name of the Soldier that died on Saturday of his wounds that he suffered in Afghanistan, the Soldier was “ Bombardier Stephen Gilbert from 4th Regiment Royal Artillery ”. Our thoughts are with the family of Bombardier Gilbert.