Can someone share some insight on Shamsi airbase which is being controlled at the moment by Americans?
I just heard that this is an Airbase located on Pakistan territory but was given to Oman and hence does not fall under Pakistan’s jurisdiction.
If true, what possibilities we might have to free it from US?
Can we simply not tell Oman to go to hell and close it down?
Re: Shamsi Airbase
This was a private air strip built by some unknown party, It is learnt that , Oman.UAE and Saudis built it for their hunting purposes some Zia days . It was almost unknown , Even no immigration for foreigners coming here .
Than 9/11 happened and US started using it .
Wikipedia tells .
Shamsi airfield, also called Bandari, is a military base, and a detachment of the Pakistan Air Force in Balochistan, Pakistan, about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Quetta near the town of Washki. In 2009, media reports alleged that the airfield was used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a base for Predator drone attacks on militants in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The airfield was constructed at an unknown date and used for years by Arab sheiks from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for falconry trips. During the War in Afghanistan, US special forces used the airfield as a base between 2001 and 2006.
On January 9, 2002, a United States Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft crashed on approach to Shamsi. All seven crew members were killed in the crash.
In February 2009, The Times (London) announced that it had obtained Google Earth images from 2006 which showed Predator aircraft parked outside a hangar at the end of the runway. The Times investigation was in response to a statement by US Senator Dianne Feinstein that the CIA was basing its drone aircraft in Pakistan. The U.S. company Blackwater was also reported to have a presence there, hired by the government to arm the drones with missiles.[SUP][1]](Shamsi Airfield - Wikipedia)[/SUP] The Pakistan government has denied that the airfield is being used as a base for US military or covert operations. The New York Times cited a senior Pakistani military official as saying that in 2009 the drone operations were moved across the border to Afghanistan.[SUP][1]](Shamsi Airfield - Wikipedia)[/SUP]
Pakistan Air Chief Rao Qamar Suleman has disclosed that Pakistan’s Shamsi Air Base is under the control of United Arab Emirates, not in the control of Pakistan Air Force while briefing a joint in-camera session of Pakistan parliament on 13 May 2011. In June 2011, Pakistan publicly ordered the US to remove all of its personnel from the airfield.[SUP][2]](Shamsi Airfield - Wikipedia)[/SUP] The United States and Pakistan announced a few days later that drone operations from the airfield had actually ceased in April 2011.[SUP][3]](Shamsi Airfield - Wikipedia)[/SUP]
On, November 26th, 2011 Pakistan ordered the United States to vacate the base within 15 days in retaliation to NATO troops killing 24 Pakistani troops. [SUP][4]](Shamsi Airfield - Wikipedia)[/SUP]
Re: Shamsi Airbase
Can someone share some insight on Shamsi airbase which is being controlled at the moment by Americans?
I just heard that this is an Airbase located on Pakistan territory but was given to Oman and hence does not fall under Pakistan's jurisdiction.
If true, what possibilities we might have to free it from US?
Can we simply not tell Oman to go to hell and close it down?
Shamis also called bandari is mainly constructed by UAE for Arab Sheikhs hunting trips. It's 320 kilometer south of Quetta and being controlled by UAE on what terms, we have no idea GOP never make the terms public. Hopefully this time it will be forced evacuation.
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Technically, Pakistan made the deal with UAE, not the US, unless a new deal was negotiated. It is not like the case of gawadar that Oman owned pre-1947.
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interesting I heard it first time.
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At least we got a full fledge base out of or because of the US presence at Jacobabad. I wonder if anything of value was added to shamsi, as drones really don't need a long concrete runway to fly off from.
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It is not the first time that US is using pakistani airbase, the U2 aircraft that crashed in soviet union(U2 incident) flew from peshawar, US and Pakistan has long history of cooperation, After all this blockade drama, some top US official would come and negotiate the deal with army, people of pakistan and their democracy is powerless against millitary
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US got the boot after the US incident and there was the whole sanction thing that happened in late 1965 when Pakistan was in a war,which is why we probably didn't get F-4s and F-5s unlike, for example, Iran.
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But the point is that USAF personnel were operating even then, to operate air crew one needs entire ground duty staff even. General Chuck Yeager was in pakistan even during 1971 war
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this is bull...
Pakistan govt at 3 different occasions discussed 3 different things about it
1) sometime 2 years ago when first flood had hit Pakistan and Shebaz Airbase (where F16 Block52 are located along with US "technicians") that there is no US presence on Shehbaz Airbase (except technicians) and Shamsi Airbase
2) the base is given to UAE and not USA, there is no USA presence there (sometime when a case in supreme court was filed against drones and cia station chief in Pakistan was named)
3) after Osama-Obama-Drama, defence minister said US is ordered to vacate the Shamsi Base (but USA had rejected)
not only this Shamsi base, we should ask USA to vacate the "base" in mangla, the so called warehouse in Islamabad (the fortified nuclear safe bunker), the cut short the fort-like us consulate in Karachi and US embassy in Islamabad should also be reduced in size.
Re: Shamsi Airbase
But the point is that USAF personnel were operating even then, to operate air crew one needs entire ground duty staff even. General Chuck Yeager was in pakistan even during 1971 war
Pakistan was an ally under CEATO and SENTO. I am sure some soviets also came into india when india signed the friendship and peace treaty with USSR in 1971.
Re: Shamsi Airbase
If the Americans refuse to vacate the base, what can/should Pakistan do?
Re: Shamsi Airbase
A Picture of Shamsi Airbase which was present in google maps/earth, it has been removed now…
Now they have distorted the picture…
Restored attachments:
Re: Shamsi Airbase
If the Americans refuse to vacate the base, what can/should Pakistan do?
siege the base along with us embassy and consulates in different cities
and that is to be done by "public"
Re: Shamsi Airbase
^ For bringing the masses out the political leadership will have to take a stand and galvanize the public, but I dont see that happening as all of our leaders are fearful of American wrath. And the public is caught up in a vicious cycle in trying make their ends meet due to the increase in inflation and low wages.
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^ Imran can do this, he was able to pull a good number of protestors against drones, and after that jalsa in lahore another one 2 days ago, he should be able to at least surround the us consulate in Lahore for weeks
but that is only if he wants, if the news of him being controlled by army/isi, then no chance
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siege the base along with us embassy and consulates in different cities
and that is to be done by "public"
oh by the way can't we use nukes & cruise missiles?
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^ i dont want to kill the civilians you see ( no matter if they are military men in disguise) siege the embassy until they accept their mistakes and start behaving
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Americans start behaving? That's too much to ask for.
Re: Shamsi Airbase
