Foreign Policy Magazine reports that the Pentagon stopped a $300 million payment to the Pakistan government for it’s participation (or the lack thereof) in the war against terror.
Defense officials and congressional aides have for months said that the new strategy won’t focus solely on Afghanistan, but take a more regional approach. This includes stepping up pressure on Pakistan to dismantle Taliban and Haqqani sanctuaries in western Pakistan, both of which use the mostly ungoverned area to launch attacks into neighboring Afghanistan.
At issue is over $300 million in funding that U.S. officials say will be used to fund other priorities.
“The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network,” Adam Stump, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
Of the $900 million originally marked for Pakistan, $550 has already been disbursed.
The decision stems from the release of a State Department report which claims that Pakistan hasn’t taken “substantial action” against the Haqqani Network of terrorists, or the Taliban. The report also claimed that Pakistan is a safe haven for the terrorists. It also resulted from the new Defense Secretary’s view of the war in Afghanistan as a regional conflict rather than focused solely on Afghanistan.
Pakistan rejected the charges on Thursday. “We have taken indiscriminate and all out action against terrorists,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told reporters.
Well, then let’s see the severed heads, Pakistan.
Pakistan is a gigantic customer service call center with nuclear weapons.
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yep and the clowns aren’t worth a shyt at that either! KEEP ALL OUR MONEY HERE! let those other govts support themselves for a change!!
Geez … finally.
Thats some expensive goat luven.
Does this mean I’ll get more of those nuisance fake phone calls telling me the IRS is coming after me about money that I don’t owe?
You mean the ones that demand you pay your “debt” in Target Gift Cards?
I used to get them every week, still do on occasion. Lately I’ve been told there is an IRS enforcement officer parked outside my house. I said wait while I looked. When I told them there was no suspicious vehicle outside, I was told they were on the way with an arrest warrant. A few months back I told them I was unable to leave the house due to mobility problems but could pay them with a VISA or MC. They liked that idea so I gave them a made up number. Just remember to get the first four numbers right b/c the first four numbers are specific to certain carriers. Another time I asked for the name on the account, as I didn’t believe I owed any money. They couldn’t divulge that info to me for ‘security’ reasons. Jeez, I hate white collar criminals who prey, primarily, on the elderly, poor and unsophisticated. They are pond scum. Every second I can fuck with them is one less second they can prey on hard working, honest citizens. They should call the ‘Reverend’ Al and ask about his back taxes.
Another good one is tell them to come get it, I have a 9mm waiting for them.
Oh, I haven’t gotten those so far (knock on wood), but it’s the spam robocalls about the IRS or the FBI getting a warrant out on me for past due taxes, or some such stuff. If I could record that crap, I would and I’d play it for you.
I don’t even bother with the FCC’s hot line about it any more. The number of origin keeps changing.
I Google any number that comes up on my phone I don’t recognize. Virtually all of them are scams.
It’s gotten to the point where I try to block the number and my phone tells me the blocked list is full.
Ditto. I put them in the ‘scam’ section and it got full, so I deleted it. If I do not recognize your phone number, I won’t answer any more, so all you heavy breathers are wasting your time calling me.
I quit bothering with that. Those numbers change so often that it’s unlikely they’ll call you from the same number twice.
I don’t recognize the number, I reject it.
It not even the real number they have software that spoofs the call back number.
I had my ID stolen 2 years back, and I’ve been getting spam calls ever since. So I play a variety of games with them (depending on how busy I am, and my mood). Sometimes I put on a thick German accent. Sometimes I tell them I’ll pay them their money, but only if they come over to my house and (delete delete delete), which REALLY got them mad for awhile. Other times I’ll just plain tell them to go fuck themselves….with a pineapple, fronds first.
Oh, sure, our entire supply line runs through Pakistan. They’ll love this until the PX at Baghram stops having stocked shelves.
Yeah, expect delays. Getting it all in by air would be like the Berlin Airlift and I doubt the northern route can avoid Russia and was never great to begin with.
Oh wait: Via ship to Georgia (hand wave cross country bit); high speed ferry across Caspian Sea (assumed to be present or pulled out of thin air or USMC or cross English Channel type) to Az’stan via truck or rail to Afghanistan. Simple; a piece of baklava.
(pops smoke)
Camels work, too. Load them at the Tajik/Chinese border, head south til you hit the Paki border.
Nice little Main Supply Route you have there. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.
I can’t help but remember the clear supply route through one of the Taliban’s strongest enemies… Iran.
Is Iran really worse than Pakistan?
It is fair to say that Pakistan is part of the problem in that region. It is probably also fair to state that we might be as well.
Setting the operations inside AFG aside, our approach to Pakistan and the other “stans” has needed some reform for about 25 years now.
First step: release the doctor who helped us kill Osama to us.
Yes.
Yeah bullshit. Kind of like how they “cracked down” on Lashkar-e Taiba (a group responsible for killing a number of U.S troops in Afghanistan and Indian troops in Kashmir) by making sure its leaders don’t leave their comfy homes? Smoke and mirrors, Lahore.