Convoy attacks trigger race to open new Afghan supply lines

[Bozita]

Source: Guardian, UK

Convoy attacks trigger race to open new Afghan supply lines
• Race to open new Afghan supply lines
• Nato seeks northern route as resurgent Taliban exposes 'achilles heel'

Richard Norton-Taylor, Julian Borger and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
The Guardian, Tuesday December 9 2008
Article history

Nato countries are scrambling for alternative routes as far afield as Belarus and Ukraine to supply their forces in Afghanistan, which are increasingly vulnerable to a resurgent Taliban, the Guardian has learned.

Four serious attacks on US and Nato supplies in Pakistan during the past month, including two in the past three days, have added to the sense of urgency to conclude pacts with former Soviet republics bordering Afghanistan to the north.

Nato is negotiating with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to allow supplies for Nato forces, including fuel, to cross borders into Afghanistan from the north. The deal, which officials said was close to being agreed, follows an agreement with Moscow this year allowing Nato supplies to be transported by rail or road through Russia.

The deal could allow more fuel for Nato forces to be transported from refineries in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Most of the 75m gallons of fuel estimated to be used by Nato forces annually in Afghanistan comes from refineries in Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/09/afghanistan-nato-supply-routes

[IndianaGreen]

1. BBC reported Monday morning that Taleban control 70% of Afghanistan

American troops being rushed to Afghanistan will be deployed around Kabul. Genghis Khan was the only foreigner to conquer Afghanistan. He slaughtered everyone in sight.

[Orrin_73]

6. actually Genghis Khan did not conquer

Afghanistan, only some parts.

[happyslug]

8. Alexander the Great Also took Afghanistan, then declared Victory and left.

Alexander wanted Afghanistan as a route to the Indus Valley (Present day Pakistan), so he followed the route first used by Cyrus the Great over 100 years before, up to about what is now Kabul, then through the Khyber pass into the Indus valley (Yes you can say Cyrus the Great also took Afghanistan). The key is both leaders did NOT stay in Afghanistan longer then needed to get their Army to the headwaters of the Indus, both then abandoned Afghanistan to the Natives (Through Alexander seems to have armed the Ancestors of today's Pusthans, who then took that training to take over Persia after his death, founding the Parthian Empire of about 200 BC to About 250 AD when it was overthrown by a Native Iranian Empire).

The Key to controlling Afghanistan is not to, controls the way in and out, but leave the natives control the actual ground. You can move your army through the Country any time you want to get to where you actually want to fight, but otherwise leave the Natives fight among themselves over the land itself, you keep control of what goes in and what comes out and thus what goes through Afghanistan.

[JohnyCanuck]

2. This aspect seems strange in light of current events:

The deal, which officials said was close to being agreed, follows an agreement with Moscow this year allowing Nato supplies to be transported by rail or road through Russia.

I mean what with the ongoing PR war with Russia over the US arming Georgia and assisting Georgia in fomenting revolution and armed conflict on Russia's border, Russian anger over the US setting up radar stations and anti-missile defenses on Russia's border which Russians believe could be used against them to facilitate a US first strike on Russia, and then US politicians and media heaping calumny on the heads of Russian politicians for abandoning "democracy" and turning Russia towards dictatorship, one would think the Russkies would now be inclined to tell Nato to stick it where the sun don't shine when it came to shipping their supplies across Russian territory.

[bemildred]

3. Russia is going to welcome the extra money and leverage.

But you are right, we have a confused policy WRT Russia, trying to have it both ways.

[TheLastMohican]

5. It is more than confused

It is total fubar.
NATO and US need Russia in many things including Iran nuclear program and transportation of war material to Afghanistan.
Acting like a spoiled brat didn't win us points with russians, no sir.
Moreover, the other NATO members like Germany are constantly supplying their forces in Afganistan through Russia and are looking at our stupid actions with disbelief and anger.

[bemildred]

7. Well, I was trying to be diplomatic.

The entire sequence of events, strategically speaking, was forseen and forseeable, has already happened many times. The British found out all about the Khyber Pass long ago:

When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human as you are -- you treat her as sich,
An' she'll fight for the young British soldier.
Fight, fight, fight for the soldier . . .

When shakin' their bustles like ladies so fine,
The guns o' the enemy wheel into line,
Shoot low at the limbers an' don't mind the shine,
For noise never startles the soldier.
Start-, start-, startles the soldier . . .

If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white,
Remember it's ruin to run from a fight:
So take open order, lie down, and sit tight,
And wait for supports like a soldier.
Wait, wait, wait like a soldier . . .

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen!

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2711/

[jaybeat]

4. Oh. And Pakistan gets a pass?

200+ "heavily armed" Taliban fighters can converge on a location inside the CITY of Peshwar and nobody NOTICES???!!!

And we're just supposed to figure this is NORMAL, that there's no WAY the Pakistani "security" forces would be able to KNOW ABOUT or STOP a MILITARY operation inside one of their own CITIES????!!!

More likely, their friends in the ISI told them who, what, where and when, and made sure nobody got in their way.

Give me an F'ing break...

[happyslug]

9. So after the Mumbai attack, Pakistan concern was India not the Taliban

And that might have been the plan all along, i.e. force Pakistan to shift its army from guarding the Roads into Afghanistan and into a position to oppose an possible Indian attack. Remember bin Laden and the Taliban have a long history of looking at the over all WORLD picture, and plan accordingly. Thus Pakistan may have had nothing to do with Mumbai, except that it would have to react to what ever India does in reaction, and that means preparing to fight each other. This frees the passes for large attacks by the Taliban.