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| Afghanistan | |
| New Nato supply route to Afghanistan to open in 8 weeks | |
| 2008-12-14 | |
NATO plans to open a new supply route to Afghanistan through Russia and Central Asia in the next eight weeks following a spate of attacks on its main lifeline through Pakistan this year, NATO and Russian sources told The Times on Saturday.
Railway route: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the former Soviet Central Asian states that lie between Russia and Afghanistan, have agreed in principle to the railway route and are working out the small print with NATO, the sources said. The 'Northern Corridor' is expected to be discussed at an informal meeting next week between Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitri Rogozin and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the report said. The breakthrough reflects NATO and US commanders' growing concern about the attacks on their main supply line, which runs from the Pakistani port of Karachi via the Khyber Pass to Kabul and brings in 70 percent of their supplies. The rest is either driven from Karachi via the border town of Chaman to southern Afghanistan, or flown in at enormous expense in transport planes. "We're all increasingly concerned," US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen told reporters on Wednesday. "But in that concern, we've worked pretty hard to develop options." | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #12 GuardDawg! Get on back we youz belong! |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-12-14 17:39 |
| #11 Welcome back, BG! My thanks for your service and a job well done! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2008-12-14 15:16 |
| #10 welcome home BG, stay safe |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-12-14 14:52 |
| #9 Russia has interest in Afghanistan succeding. Were we to draw out, they again would be stuck with a festering wound right on their soft underbelly. I find the NATO accomidations a new step in relations and refreshing. This land locked conflict could do us great harm if we had to rely on pakistan alone. Al-Q has already made it it's number 1 priority to destroy the movement of Logistics through Pakistan. |
| Posted by: newc 2008-12-14 14:32 |
| #8 Yep, gromky, this new logistics route doesn't give me very many warm fuzzies. Now we've added to our dependence on the Paki mess with dependence on the good faith of Putin. Though I'm not sure just how insecure the Paki main route is, adding this northern route will do little to reduce strategic risk. Or so it seems. Of course, given geographic realities, we realists won't whine and point fingers, as alternatives are not visible. Realists are funny that way. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2008-12-14 12:26 |
| #7 It seems that the Russians can step on this air supply any time they want. What are they getting in exchange? |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-12-14 11:05 |
| #6 Welcome home indeed, BG. Look forward to hearing your stories once you're able to tell them. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-12-14 10:52 |
| #5 Our thanks to you and your fellows, Bodyguard. Please let them know that. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about how things are going over there, once you've settled in at home. Welcome home, in advance. :-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-12-14 08:46 |
| #4 Stay safe, buddy. |
| Posted by: Fred 2008-12-14 08:32 |
| #3 Good to hear from ya, Bodyguard! Thanks for the update & good news! |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-12-14 07:58 |
| #2 I'm BAAAACK!! Bodyguard reporting here from Baghram, Afghanistan. We are at the end of our tour here, packing stuff out back to the lower 48 (The reason I'm at BAF with a computer). It's been a great Rotation here, got a lot of positive things accomplished for the GWOT and the Nation of Afghanistan. As per this Pak crap, it's about time we worked a new route. I hope that the PAK headshed can get this situation under control, as this is giving them a serious international black eye with the media. All is well, will report as needed. Fred, I still owe you that piece of marble from OIF 1, is there anything else that might interest you from over here? Towards the Greater Good, I remain Yr. Af. Sr, Bodyguard |
| Posted by: Bodyguard 2008-12-14 02:37 |
| #1 "Two months max." is probably a reference to the transit time. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-12-14 00:10 |