Stop NATO News: November 27, 2011

27 November 2011 — Stop NATO

  • NATO Forces Attack Pakistani Soil
  • NATO Reveals Troops Were On The Ground In Pakistan
  • Pakistan Orders U.S. To Shut Down Major Air Base
  • NATO Attack: U.S. Given 15 Days To Vacate Pakistani Air Base
  • Pakistani Opposition Leader Strongly Condemns NATO
  • Iran To Target NATO Missile Site In Turkey If Attacked
  • Modern Germany’s Longest War: Troops In Afghanistan Past 2014
  • Number Of Kosovo Serbs Applying For Russian Citizenship Tops 50,000
  • Yemen: U.S. To Supervise GCC-Engineered Regime Change
  • After Yemen: GCC, West Move Against Syria…Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria

NATO Forces Attack Pakistani Soil

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=127248

Pakistan Observer
November 27, 2011

NATO forces attack Pakistan soil
26 Pakistani soldiers including two officers martyred, dozen injured, KP Governor blasts strike
Tariq Saeed

Peshawar: American-led NATO and ISAF forces on Saturday attacked two Pakistan security forces check posts in the Mohmand agency, killing at least 26 Pakistani troops including officers and wounding more than 12 others. Aircraft of NATO and the ISAF forces operating inside troubled Afghanistan under US supervision, came deep into the Salala area of Tehsil Baizai some 25 kilometers west of Ghalanai, the headquarters of the Mohmand agency, Saturday early morning. The two security check posts were destroyed completely.

While the American embassy as well as NATO and ISAF spokesmen said they were investigating the matter, the government of Pakistan and high command of the Pakistan Army have taken strong exception to this naked aggression on the part of US-led forces.

Reports say a few helicopters of NATO and ISAF forces Saturday morning crossed into Mohmand agency from Afghanistan and struck two Pakistani security posts in the Salala area in Tehsil Baizai in the Mohmand agency. The check posts of the security forces were set up to stop cross-border violation and infiltration of terrorists from Afghanistan into the Pakistani area.

The posts were located on difficult hilly terrain but the Army troops rushed to the site of the attack and carried out rescue operations.

It would be pertinent to mention that this was not the first incident of its kind, as the NATO and the ISAF off and on resort to border violations and have killed scores of innocent Pakistanis including men in a uniform in a number of attacks, particularly in the Waziristan agencies, in the past.

Governor of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) Masood Kausar condemned the incident in strong words. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad and in a statement issued in Peshawar the KP governor said it was an open violation of the border which is a very serious issue.

He said that the attack took place in FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and it has hurt the sentiments of the entire nation. He called for a reaction against this act so that such incidents should not happen in future. ‘It’s an act against the sovereignty and territorial security of the country’. The governor said the incident was being viewed very seriously and such unprovoked attacks would not be tolerated anymore. ‘The matter is being taken up at the highest level and will be probed’, the governor added.

In the meanwhile the political administration of the Khyber Agency has halted supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan on the federation’s order.

Hundreds of containers and oil tankers were seen parked at a check post in Tehsil Jamrod where supplies were stopped after the orders. Likewise, NATO supplies to Afghanistan en-route through Chaman, Balochistan have been halted till further orders.

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NATO Reveals Troops Were On The Ground In Pakistan

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=10562&Cat=13

News International
November 27, 2011

ISAF reveals coalition troops were in Mohmand

ISLAMABAD: An ISAF spokesman made the startling revelation on Saturday that the Mohmand attack by Nato-Isaf helicopters was in response to a call by ‘ISAF ground forces’ in the area who called for help when they were attacked.

‘It was an operation of the Afghan national security forces and coalition forces close to the border in eastern Kunar very early in the day in the darkness. In the situation that developed on the ground, close air support was called by the ground force and it is highly likely that this air support that was then brought forward caused the incident,’ spokesman Carlston Jacob told the Geo TV anchor Sana Bucha from Kabul.

Spokesman Jacob made the disclosure while refusing to give details of the incident.

If his statement is correct it means that US/NATO ground forces were already in the area and when they were trapped or confronted they called for air support which came and killed Pakistan Army troops and officers.

He repeatedly said that he was waiting for the result of investigations and once the full picture was available he would comment.

He also declined to give a time line for concluding the investigation and said it will take its time. ‘We have to go through the process and have to talk with Pakistani side and find out what led to the incident,’ he said.

He said he regretted the loss of life but did not offer any apologies until the probe was completed.

====

Pakistan Orders U.S. To Shut Down Major Air Base

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57331576/pakistan-orders-u.s-to-shut-major-down-air-base/

CBS News
November 26, 2011

Pakistan orders U.S. to shut major down air base
By Whit Johnson

America’s already troubled relationship with Pakistan is under new strain on Saturday. Pakistan is accusing NATO helicopters of killing at least 25 Pakistani soldiers in an attack on army outposts along the border with Afghanistan. In response, Pakistan has ordered the U.S. to shut down a major air base. CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson is in Washington Saturday with more.

…NATO aircraft hit two Pakistani outposts.

‘Close air support was called in, in the development of the tactical situation, and it is what highly likely caused the Pakistan casualties,’ said ISAF spokesman Gen. Carsten Jacobson, who immediately promised an investigation.

‘We don’t know numbers,’ he said, ‘we don’t know the magnitude of the incident…’

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Gilani condemned what he called an attack on the nation’s sovereignty. In the first ultimatum of its kind, his government gave the United States 15 days to vacate Shamsi air base, the unofficial hub for U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan.

The country also sealed off crucial overland supply routes, which in recent months accounted for 30 percent of all cargo bound for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

‘It is like putting a finger at the jugular vein of a human being, literally in terms of the war machine,’ according to Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic studies at American University. He said the killing of Pakistani soldiers risks angering the nation as much as the bin Laden raid – a surprise attack on Pakistani soil.

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NATO Attack: U.S. Given 15 Days To Vacate Pakistani Air Base

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20111126/169061394.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 26, 2011

Pakistan orders US to close Shamsi airbase

MOSCOW: Pakistani authorities on Saturday gave the United States 15 days to leave the Shamsi airbase, and closed NATO supply lines into Afghanistan in response to a deadly NATO air strike, the DawnNews TV channel reported.

The Federal Cabinet’s Defense Committee said no compromise would be made on the country’s sovereignty and security.

‘The people and the army will ensure Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity at any cost,’ it said.

It said the attacks were completely unacceptable.

Earlier in the day several NATO helicopters had reportedly violated Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan and attacked a checkpoint in the Mohmand tribal area in northwest Pakistan. At least 25 soldiers were killed and 14 injured.

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Pakistani Opposition Leader Strongly Condemns NATO

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/26-Nov-2011/Imran-condemns-Nato-attack-on-Pakistani-checkpost

The Nation
November 27, 2011

Imran condemns Nato attack on Pakistani checkpost

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has strongly condemned the Nato airstrike on a military checkpost in Mohmand Agency and said that the attack was not carried out by Pakistan’s enemies instead it was launched by its ally.

He was addressing a public gathering in Shujabad. Khan said that the so-called war against terror was launched by a man who was greedy for dollars.

He added that the war unleashed suicide blasts and act of terrorism in Pakistan. ‘I have warned seven years ago that the war on terror does not belong to Pakistan,’ he said and added there was no military solution to the militancy. ‘Now the time has come for government to withdraw from the war,’ the cricketer-turned politician said.

====

Iran To Target NATO Missile Site In Turkey If Attacked

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007274969

Fars News Agency
November 26, 2011

IRGC Commander: Iran to Target NATO Missile Shield if Attacked

TEHRAN: Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh underlined Iran’s crushing response to any enemy aggression, and warned that Tehran will target the NATO missile shield in Turkey in case it comes under attack.

‘We have prepared ourselves, if any threat is staged against Iran, we will target NATO’s missile shield in Turkey and will then attack other targets,’ General Hajizadeh said addressing a congregation of 10,000 Basij (volunteer forces) members in the Western town of Khorramabad on Saturday.

He further described deployment of the NATO missile defense system in Turkey as a deceitful move, saying that the NATO is misusing Turkey to save the Zionist regime.

‘We are sure that the missile system is deployed by the US for the sake of the Zionist regime, but to deceive the world people, specially the Turkish people, they allege that the system belongs to the NATO,’ the general stated.

‘Turkey is a member and cover for the NATO. Today NATO has become a cover for the US (moves) while the US itself has turned into a cover for the Zionist regime.

‘Yet, the Turkish people are aware (of everything) and we are sure that Turkey’s Muslims will stop this plot by themselves,’ he added.

‘We are sure that the Muslim people of Turkey will promptly cut these systems into pieces under threatening conditions,’ he added.

Many analysts believe that the NATO’s anti-missile system to be deployed in Turkey will be aimed at Iran.

Iranian officials have called on Turkey to reverse its decision for hosting the missile shield and withdraw from the plan. Tehran officials have repeatedly cautioned Ankara that the system is meant to create a shield for Israel and is thus seen as a threat to Iran.

====

Modern Germany’s Longest War: Troops In Afghanistan Past 2014

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hp-aBfffkjv3fh8rrQNffk64qAzw?docId=CNG.d2cb7fcead198fb5fcf3ea88ef8ea035.6c1

Agence France-Presse
November 26, 2011

German troops to stay in Afghanistan after NATO goes

-The decade-long war was the first major deployment of German troops abroad since the Second World War and has not been welcomed by a majority of public opinion.

BERLIN: Germany will keep troops in Afghanistan after NATO forces leave the country at the end of 2014, German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the Bild am Sonntag paper in an interview to be published Sunday.

Troops remaining would concentrate on the training of Afghan forces, the minister said.

They ‘would be sufficiently armed so as to be able to defend themselves’ but ‘it won’t be about having troops for combat,’ said De Maiziere.

Berlin currently has 5,350 soldiers in Afghanistan, a number which will reduce to 4,900 as Germany starts withdrawing its forces ahead of NATO’s 2014 deadline for the transferral of security control to Afghan forces.

After the US and Britain, German soldiers are the third largest NATO troop contingent in Afghanistan.

The decade-long war was the first major deployment of German troops abroad since the Second World War and has not been welcomed by a majority of public opinion.

====

Number Of Kosovo Serbs Applying For Russian Citizenship Tops 50,000

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111127/169067155.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 27, 2011

Number of Kosovo Serbs seeking Russian citizenship tops 50,000

MOSCOW: Over 50,000 Kosovo Serbs have applied for Russian citizenship, Serbia’s B92 television reported citing Zlatibor Djordjevic, a spokesman for the Old Serbia movement.

The number of applications sent to the Russian Embassy in Belgrade has more than doubled since the beginning of November as more and more Kosovo Serbs become disillusioned with Belgrade’s ability to defend the ethnic minority.

‘We are not satisfied with the progress in talks in Brussels [between Belgrade and Pristina], which, if they conclude with the same outcome as in the beginning, will mean the end of Kosovo Serbs,’ Djordjevic said on Saturday.

Djordjevic said that Kosovo authorities applied pressure on elderly Serbs and Serbs living in poverty to swap their Serbian citizenship for the Kosovo one by promising them pensions and other social benefits.

He also stressed that most of Kosovo Serbs seeking Russian citizenship were not planning to relocate to Russia, but simply wanted political protection from Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia intended to defend the rights of Serbs wherever they live, taking into account all options derived from international and Russian law.

He did not say, though, how Moscow was planning to respond specifically to Kosovo Serbs’ applications for Russian citizenship.

Kosovo, a landlocked region with a population of mainly ethnic Albanians, declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. Up to 10 percent of Kosovo two-million-people population are ethnic Serbs.

Both Serbia and Russia have refused to recognize Kosovo’s independence.

====

Yemen: U.S. To Supervise GCC-Engineered Regime Change

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/27/c_131271781.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 27, 2011

U.S. says to oversee implementation of power transfer deal in Yemen

SANAA: The United States said Saturday that it will directly oversee the implementation of a Gulf-brokered deal for the power transfer in Yemen, the Yemeni official news agency Saba reported.

‘The Unites States will directly and closely oversee the implementation of the UN-backed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative and its executive mechanism that agreed upon by the entire international community,’ the assistant to the U.S. president for counterterrorism, John Brennan, told Yemeni Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in a phone conversation on Saturday evening.

The conversation was reported by Saba immediately following the declaration of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s return from Riyadh three days after he signed the GCC deal.

‘Brennan conveyed warm congratulations from U.S. President Barack Obama to Hadi on the signing of the GCC deal and the break of Yemeni political standoff, reaffirming that the United States will work along with its allies in Europe and the world to directly help Yemen…,’ Saba said.

Saleh’s return also came almost simultaneously with the issuance of a republican decree by Hadi, in which he declared Feb. 21, 2012 as the date for the early presidential elections in line with the GCC initiative.

Government officials said that according to the GCC deal Saleh will retain the title of honorary president until a new leader is elected.

One of the official told Xinhua that ‘Saleh will take part in overseeing the implementation of the power-transfer deal.’

====

After Yemen: GCC, West Move Against Syria…Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/27/c_131272382.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 27, 2011

Power-transfer deal inked for Yemen, sanctions loom over Syria

-It was reported that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his country and some other Arab neighbors of Syria had reservations about the sanctions.

SANNA/DAMASCUS: Yemen regained sorts of stability Saturday after President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a Gulf-brokered deal to transfer power, while the Syrian government was under mounting pressure as the Arab League (AL) proposed economic sanctions.

Saleh arrived in Sanaa Saturday evening after a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, where he signed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative to transfer power, the official state news agency Saba reported.

Saleh’s return was announced hours after Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree, declaring Feb. 21, 2012 as the date for the early presidential elections in line with the GCC initiative.

‘Based on the UN-backed Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism, which both were signed in Riyadh on Nov. 23, we call for early presidential elections to be held on Feb. 21 next year to elect a new president for the country,’ a decree issued by Hadi said.

Following Saleh’s return, Saba immediately reported that the United States said after talking with Hadi that it will directly oversee the implementation of the Gulf-brokered deal for the power transfer in Yemen.

‘The United States will directly and closely oversee the implementation of the UN-backed Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its executive mechanism…,’ chief counterterrorism adviser to the U.S. president John Brennan told Hadi.

‘Brennan conveyed warm congratulations from U.S. President Barack Obama to Hadi on the signing of the GCC deal and the break of the Yemeni political standoff, reaffirming that the United States will work along with its allies in Europe and the world to directly help Yemen to end its political, security and economic crises, as well as in combating terrorism,’ Saba said.

In Syria, the unrest was still simmering as the AL proposed economic sanctions against the country Saturday at a meeting of finance ministers in Cairo.

The proposals included freezing the Syrian government’s funds, halting commercial business with the Syrian government except for strategic commodities that affect people’s livelihood, and suspending flights to Syria, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The proposed sanctions also included the suspension of financial exchanges with the Syrian government.

The package of sanctions will be submitted to a meeting of foreign ministers Sunday for approval.

The recommended sanctions came after Syria failed to sign an AL observe mission agreement within the deadline set by the League.

The Syrian government had pledged to withdraw its troops from cities and allow monitors in…

On the eve of the AL meeting, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem urged the AL to show its rejection of foreign intervention, urging the organization to announce a clear-cut stand to show this.

Syria’s official news agency Sana said the message sent by al-Moallem dealt with some important points that had remained unanswered over the protocol and some decisions issued by the AL ministerial meetings, such as Thursday’s decision to give Syria a deadline to sign the protocol.

It was reported that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his country and some other Arab neighbors of Syria had reservations about the sanctions.

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