Ouch: US Loses two major supply lines to Afghanistan

Posted onAuthorPatrick4 Comments

This is not good, at all:

The U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban suffered two logistical blows Tuesday as the president of Kyrgyzstan announced that he’d shut a U.S. airbase in his country and insurgents in Pakistan blew up a bridge, disrupting the main U.S. supply route into Afghanistan.

The developments were the latest reminders of the vulnerability of the long and complex transportation system on which the 60,000 U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan depend for fuel, ammunition, construction materials and a great deal more.

The announcement by Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev that he will close the Manas Air Base also gave President Barack Obama a first taste of the challenge he faces from Russia, which is trying to restore its clout in countries that were part of the former Soviet Union.

Bakiyev made his announcement in Moscow, not in his own capital, shortly after the Russian government reportedly agreed to lend Kyrgyzstan $2 billion, write off $180 million in debt and add another $150 million in aid. The timing and place of the announcement indicated the Kremlin’s involvement.

“It’s a direct challenge to the new American administration. Russia is going out of its way to close an American base,” said Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based military analyst.

via McClatchy Washington Bureau — U.S. supply routes to Afghanistan suffer two huge blows.

I tend to agree with Ed Morrissey who writes:

The problem was never in Krygyzstan.  Biden predicted that world leaders would challenge Obama and his inexperience within the first few months of the adminstration, but they’ve already started to line up in the first few days.  Iran launched a satellite on an ICBM to show they could go ballistic once they have nuclear weapons.  North Korea reportedly has set up another ICBM for a test to threaten Seoul.  Now Russia has flipped an ally in the war on terror — and all of this in the first 14 days of Obama’s presidency.

Indeed, I believe this is simply Russia trying to test Obama, to see how he will react. Also, Russia is having problems with it’s people. They are bit angry about the problems with the economy. As I so blogged about yesterday. It could very well be that Putin is attempting to save face with the citizens of Russia by trying to show a little aggression towards Obama and by proxy; America.

4 Replies to “Ouch: US Loses two major supply lines to Afghanistan”

  1. Hi Pat,

    I live in Russia. This is apparently payback for Bush arming Georgia and many Russians believe that the previous administration was somehow involved in allowing Georgians to put terrorist mines on Abkhazian beaches. A number of Russian couples were walking hand in hand on the beach last summer when they were simply blown up. It looked very bad that the US was “advising” Georgia and the mines were clearly laid by Georgians.

    The new US administration has got to let Russia know that the new policy is not to surround and strangle it, but to be friends. This can be done. McCain’s crowd just didn’t have a clue (they wanted war because that is what their policies would have gotten them) and I know a lot of American businessmen refused to vote for McCain precisely for this reason.

    Also, IHMO the way to beat terrorism is to show the Muslims that MALES in the west are not the enemy per se so much as western feminists. Of course, our feminized politicians in the US won’t do that, even behind the scenes. At best, Obama will quietly tell Hillary Clinton to muzzle it regarding spreading feminism world-wide. We will see if Obama and VAWA-Joe (Biden is the most pro-feminist politician in DC) can maintain a manly image with Russian and Muslim men without war. If Biden starts mouthing off too much about “women’s rights” (which means high alimony and child support and background checks for all men), the Muslims will treat him and sister Hillary like they treated Madeleine Notbright…with no respect.

  2. Jim,
    to bring you up to date. terrorism is caused by mossad/mi6/cia/trilat/cfr/illuminati. obama will not be friends with Putin, brezinski will not allow it.

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