Who controls the Shamsi airfield?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Friday, May 20, 2011 - 10:37 AM Share

A top Pakistani air force official recently stated that the Shamsi air base, in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, is controlled by the United Arab Emirates, of all people.

It would make a nifty base from which to fly ops against the FATA, maybe Iran, perhaps in the future against the Taliban, and, who knows, perhaps places like Abbotabad. Especially with stealthy drones.

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MARTY MARTEL

8:37 PM ET

May 21, 2011

Gates/Mullen and Thomas Ricks

What does Thomas Ricks have to say about Defense Secretary’s statement ‘about no evidence of Pakistani government or Army knowing about Osama living in Abottabad’?

Never mind that Osama was living in the garrison town with Pakistani Army checkpoints at every corner and Taliban leaders from Afghanistan visited Osama in Abottabad umpteen times bypassing those very check points without ever being caught!

Gates’s statement about no evidence of Pakistani government or Army knowing about it reminds us about Petraeus’ statement that ‘while (would-be Times Square bomber) Faisal was inspired by militants in Pakistan, he did not necessarily have contacts with the militants‘ which turned out to be utterly false because Failsal did have direct contacts with Pakistan-based militants.

Aside from Pakistani Army/government and President George W. Bush, Gates/Mullen is the main reason why U. S. Army is still mired in Afghanistan because of their refusal to carry out drone attacks on Haqqani network in North Waziristan until recently and on Mullah Omar’s QST in Baluchistan.

With Gates/Petraeus/Mullen trio carrying out America’s Afghan policy, U. S. Afghan mission was destined to fail.

995995

3:44 PM ET

May 22, 2011

Wow

It would be surprising if the "UAE" had the capability to operate drones out of a base in a foreign country without contracting the necessary expertise from the private sector. If only there was a company based in the UAE with experience operating drones out of bases in foreign countries in Southwest Asia. Oh wait...