US announces $2bn military aid package for Pakistan

US announces $2bn military aid package for Pakistan

www.bbc.co.uk

The US has announced a $2bn (£1.3bn) package of military and security aid to Pakistan on the final day of the latest Washington-Islamabad strategic talks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the five-year deal, which is subject to Congressional approval.

But the Obama administration will make clear it expects Islamabad to do more in the fight against Islamic militants.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm sorry this sounds more like a bribe than an "AID" package. We bomb the crap out of Taliban positions inside Pakistan becuase they wont do whats needed inside their own borders. Then they turn around and close the border for NATO supplies and now this....

Who here wants to take bets that NATO supplies will start flowing again through Pakistan and that Drone strikes in their country will start to slow down?



www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Related Story. This is what happens when they try to play both sides of the fence...

Pakistan kept in the dark about Afghan peace contacts

(Reuters) - Pakistan is being kept out of efforts by the Afghan government and the United States to end nearly a decade of war with the Taliban, which could be a sign of Washington's mistrust of Islamabad's intentions.

NATO and Afghan officials have confirmed preliminary contacts between President Hamid Karzai's government and the Taliban, whose leadership is based in Pakistan's northwestern frontier province and the Baluchistan capital of Quetta.

reply to post by SLAYER69




all to be paid back in kickbacks....

reply to post by SLAYER69


I couldn't bring myself to read the entire article,
I was afraid I would lose my breakfast!
Great find Slayer,star,flag and

AMAZING, our country is "supposedly" in debt up to the peoples eyeballs
and we're funding Pakistan
What a load of crapola
I am glad I dont have any part of that debt,.. by choice

reply to post by mcrom901


You know what I think they are doing is going to pay off the Pakistanis and then deal with the Taliban after Pakistan tried to play both sides. they'll end up getting burned.

reply to post by SLAYER69

Washington wants security and peace in Afghanistan under its own terms as it eyes a long-term regional presence and only backs talks between Kabul and the Taliban to spread confusion among insurgents, an ex-Taliban diplomat said.

Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, who once served as ambassador for the ousted Taliban government, said comments by NATO and US officials that militants had recently opened contacts with Kabul were merely propaganda to divide Taliban leaders. (Reuters)

www.ynetnews.com...

Psychological warfare + divide and conquer.

Nothing else worked to divide the insurgency, now this latest move.

Or this could be used to start the talks, just hinting through the media to the insurgency that the US is ready to negotiate, or to withdrawal.

The Taliban statement says they “refute these futile claims and baseless propaganda and believes that it is a part and parcel of a regular psychological warfare of the enemy.” President Karzai had confirmed the talks just two days ago.

Karzai’s claims had been quickly repudiated by US envoy Richard Holbrooke, who insisted the media had made up reports of the peace talks entirely. Which adds another layer of confusion, as NATO officials claimed today that they were “aiding” the talks.

www.abovetopsecret.com...



In regards to the OP, Pakistan has been bribed many times over, this is not the first time.

Why is this money being paid ?

Because there is no other viable route to land locked Afghanistan.

But paying the enemy, to use enemy territory in order to defeat the weapon of the enemy??


We all know Pakistan's weapon is the Taliban, so paying Pakistan in order to defeat the Pakistani weapon just doesn't make sense.

What is going on is the question of the century.

reply to post by oozyism



I starred your reply for posting some rather interesting material but...

How is this an example of the "US HINTING" that it wants to withdrawel [as if it's some big secret conspiracy?] Obama stated many times during his election drive and soon after taking office that he planned on getting the US out of Afgahnistan.

So how is this now some big Surprise, Secret or Conspiracy?

reply to post by SLAYER69


Bush set thousands of deadlines for withdrawal in Iraq, and then extended, and then extended, and then extended, and then extended.

Even the latest withdrawal was BS, thousands of US troops are still in Iraq, that is not a withdrawal.

What the Taliban want is clear, that they want all occupying forces out, so if the US seriously wants to get out, it has to say it in a manner which the enemy would believe. Simple announcements to keep the US population happy is not gonna cut it in this case.

[thousands of deadlines] was sarcasm.. but you get what I mean

reply to post by SLAYER69


i suppose its always wackier than anything we can imagine.... how can one check the debited amounts of unchecked 'unpaid' pledges....

i know they don't meet up most of their promises.... who knows

Originally posted by oozyism
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

Bush set thousands of deadlines for withdrawal in Iraq, and then extended, and then extended, and then extended, and then extended.

Even the latest withdrawal was BS, thousands of US troops are still in Iraq, that is not a withdrawal.

Well first off, Obama isnt Bush, Second, US troop levels in Iraq have dropped considerably since the Surge.

What the Taliban want is clear, that they want all occupying forces out, so if the US seriously wants to get out, it has to say it in a manner which the enemy would believe. Simple announcements to keep the US population happy is not gonna cut it in this case.

[thousands of deadlines] was sarcasm.. but you get what I mean

Thanks for your perspective but...

The Taliban will have to learn that they no longer are the sole group of Afgahns/Pakistanis calling the shots in Afghanistan. Even when and if the US/NATO forces leave they will still have to deal with the vast majority of Afgahns who still remember how they ruled with their twisted view of Islam.

Even though we pay for this empire, it surely doesn't benefit us, at least in any major ways. Sure, we pay a little less for gasoline, but that certainly doesn't equal out the costs. At a time when our towns are trying to decide which educational programs we need to cut from our childrens' schools, we are handing billions of dollars over to other countries. This is insane.

Furthermore, wasn't it just the other day that CNN quoted a UN official as saying that the ISI (Pakistan's version of the CIA) is keeping Bin Laden comfortable and hidden within Pakistan and now we are giving the Pakistani government another couple billion dollars that will presumably funneled to the ISI?

Beyond that, we shouldn't be giving any country billions of dollars. Congress should be held accountable for handing out our money, at a time when we don't have any extra to give out.


--airspoon

Awesome.. Isn't that actually more than we were giving them before we learned they (Pakistan) were helping fund the Taliban with the aid money we sent? Well, I guess I mean we the people, the government already knew they just kept it from us. Can we at least send it in loose pennies via airdrop? They should at least work for it.

If we promised the people two billion in humanitarian aid, food, hospitals, and schools. Would they run the Taliban out for us?

Originally posted by airspoon
Even though we pay for this empire, it surely doesn't benefit us, at least in any major ways. Sure, we pay a little less for gasoline, but that certainly doesn't equal out the costs. At a time when our towns are trying to decide which educational programs we need to cut from our childrens' schools, we are handing billions of dollars over to other countries. This is insane.

That all sounds good but I feel you're missing the grander scheme of things. TPTB don't want the oil in the region to simply help the price of gas at the pumps. Most modern economies need oil/fuel. This was a grand strategy to control the Enfluence on who can have access to it and who is selling it. Yes the bottom line of profit is there but in this case it's more about the The New Great Game the Persian gulf is small potatos compared to Central Asia growing importance....

Hence the Focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan and less on Iran. If the US wanted to take Iran out it would have done so years ago when the Iron was hot.

The US/NATO/West simply doesnt want Iran to go Nuclear and have a possible future strangle hold on the strait.

Perhaps a little nugget thrown Pakistan's way in order to pacify them over the $60b Saudi deal.
Notice that even Israel isn't screaming too loud about that either? They got a little something too.

reply to post by SLAYER69


I completely agree we are in a new round of the Great Game.. Tho I'm of the opinion that Pakistan lays at the cross roads in the current power struggle, more so than say, Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan..

reply to post by SLAYER69


and the rockets' red glare,the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof thro' the night how our aide was spent there.

Oh say,does that star-spangled banner yet wave?
o'er the land no longer free and the home of the slave.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


You may be interested in these threads I wrote awhile ago then.

The New Great Game
Battle of the Titans: The New Great Game II
and
Iranian revolt Explained - Wake Up!

Originally posted by airspoon
now we are giving the Pakistani government another couple billion dollars that will presumably funneled to the ISI?

This was my first thought. I can't see the logic behind this, it pretty much has to be a bribe to allow the US to continue operating within Pakistan. It would be good maybe if Pakistan could use the equipment to help squeeze the terrorist and jihadist groups aswell as Taliban within the tribal areas, but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Let's hope that the continued strikes at least manage to offset the funding that the ISI will be able to pass along to those same groups.