Britain Puts the SAS on Standby for Deployment to Pakistan

[Flying Pig]

According to the Express, the British SAS have been given orders to be prepared to get staff at the British Embassy in Pakistan out of the country within four hours of an order. They are already stationed just across the border in Afghanistan

Here's the link, sorry

Another Sierra Leone brewing, perhaps?

Now obviously everything's classified about this and I've had the sense not to ask about it, so I only know what's on the link and the Express homepage.

Also, has anyone else been a little concerned about how Pakistan seems to be using its own instability as leverage: 'give us aid or our people will turn into terrorists'?

Discuss

 

[Godwynn]

The one thing that puts my mind at ease about Pakistan is that India is next to it.

Also:

Population
- 2010 estimate 170,515,000[1] (6th)
- 1998 census 132,352,279[2]

Sweet Jesus they breed a lot.

 

[Cheetah]

Whoa. Interesting.

But are there any recent developments in Pakistan that made in necessary to put the SAS on standby, or is this just a preparation that has been planned and considered for some time, I wonder?

I'm not sure how much Pakistani leaders are using instability as a strategic leverage, and how much is actually real, pressing concern. Deposed leaders aren't exactly forgiven and forgotten easily, and we do know there are real problems in Pakistan.

And I think everyone is concerned about their nuclear warheads.

 

[GoodGame]

.

Also, has anyone else been a little concerned about how Pakistan seems to be using its own instability as leverage: 'give us aid or our people will turn into terrorists'?

Discuss

I don't think this is a new situation. Hasn't it always been like this while Pakistan has had nukes? Help us out or the the radicals will go nuclar?

 

[SG-17]

If Pakistan starts anything India will probably (and hopefully) see it as an excuse to wipe them out once and for all.

 

[Flying Pig]

Whoa. Interesting.

But are there any recent developments in Pakistan that made in necessary to put the SAS on standby, or is this just a preparation that has been planned and considered for some time, I wonder?

I'm not sure how much Pakistani leaders are using instability as a strategic leverage, and how much is actually real, pressing concern. Deposed leaders aren't exactly forgiven and forgotten easily, and we do know there are real problems in Pakistan.

And I think everyone is concerned about their nuclear warheads.

With the floods, there's a lot of poor, displaced people without homes or livelihoods. In Pakistan they're all going to flock to the enemy and pretty soon there'll be a PROBLEM. Not to mention that the army there are notoriously political and may well intervene just because they can and take power. I don't know how long they've been on standby (well, less than nineteen years I can tell you that) and as I said it's not worth asking. OPSEC and all that, old chap.

 

[Disgustipated]

You brits bring us Bin Ladin yet?

 

[Masada]

Eh, I don't think people are going to start joining AQ by the millions. I suppose there might be some measure of destabilisation of the civilian apparatus of state but I'm confident that the military can step in and crush that if required. Orderly government is underrated.

 

[Cheetah]

Eh, I don't think people are going to start joining AQ by the millions. I suppose there might be some measure of destabilisation of the civilian apparatus of state but I'm confident that the military can step in and crush that if required. Orderly government is underrated.

Not AQ, but the Taliban. And they have a good track record of having an orderly government.

Which, considering the current disorder, may be considered good enough for many to accept the extreme sharia laws that also come with the Taliban.

 

[Lord Baal]

If Pakistan starts anything India will probably (and hopefully) see it as an excuse to wipe them out once and for all.

If India didn't anally rape Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks it's going to take more than massive instability for them to step in. I wish they would, but they seem far too stand-offish.

 

[Masada]

Not AQ, but the Taliban. And they have a good track record of having an orderly government.

Seriously, non-ethnic Pashtuns in the valleys are not about to join the Taliban in the millions. I mean, quite apart from being freaking Sufi's for the most part, they haven't shown any inclination to side with the Taliban and even managed to vote overwhelmingly for a secular nationalist party.

Which, considering the current disorder, may be considered good enough for many to accept the extreme sharia laws that also come with the Taliban.

Er, no. Many of them would likely be dead if they did that. The whole being clean-shaven thing is a dead give-away. Besides, 'the Taliban' by which you mean Islamic charities, really, are not exactly a viable alternative to a functioning government. A semi-useful resource to draw on while starving but they won't have the staying power to handle the massive amounts of reconstruction and rehabilitation that will be required over the next decade.

 

[Luckymoose]

I hope we get a war with Pakistan. We must erase Theocrazies across the globe!

 

[trader/warrior]

If Pakistan starts anything India will probably (and hopefully) see it as an excuse to wipe them out once and for all.

I hope we get a war with Pakistan. We must erase Theocrazies across the globe!

Yes! We cannot stand for this fanaticism! We must wipe them out!!!



Battling fanatical ideology by becoming fanatical about ideology is great. Bomb them enough and they'll eventually come around*...

*Assuming you don't actually want to wipe them out, killing 3x the people killed in WW2.

 

[Aegis]

The one thing that puts my mind at ease about Pakistan is that India is next to it.

Also:


Sweet Jesus they breed a lot.

The US invading Afghanistan probably sent a lot of refugees into Pakistan.

 

[Cheetah]

Seriously, non-ethnic Pashtuns in the valleys are not about to join the Taliban in the millions. I mean, quite apart from being freaking Sufi's for the most part, they haven't shown any inclination to side with the Taliban and even managed to vote overwhelmingly for a secular nationalist party.

Er, no. Many of them would likely be dead if they did that. The whole being clean-shaven thing is a dead give-away. Besides, 'the Taliban' by which you mean Islamic charities, really, are not exactly a viable alternative to a functioning government. A semi-useful resource to draw on while starving but they won't have the staying power to handle the massive amounts of reconstruction and rehabilitation that will be required over the next decade.

Points taken. Still, Taliban does represent a legitimate threat on the fringes of the Pakistani state.

Did the Pakistani army actually manage to fight down the Taliban completely last time, or were they stopped by nature?

The US invading Afghanistan probably sent a lot of refugees into Pakistan.

Nah. Most of them are Pakistanis through and through. The Afghan refugees aren't that many.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I wonder how many times soldiers have been put on alert to be ready to extricate diplomats after natural disasters have put the viability of the local government into question. Thousands?

 

[civ_king]

If UK or US want to invade Pakistan India will gladly help

 

[SG-17]

If UK or US want to invade Pakistan India will gladly help

We would either need to send in Special Forces first to capture their nukes or send in stealth bombers to destroy them before we officially invade, otherwise it would be really, really, bad.

 

[Flying Pig]

We would either need to send in Special Forces first to capture their nukes or send in stealth bombers to destroy them before we officially invade, otherwise it would be really, really, bad.

Considering the fun we had trying to do that sort of thing to Scud back during GRANBY, I'm not volunteering to try it with nukes.

 

[The Imp]

Considering the fun we had trying to do that sort of thing to Scud back during GRANBY, I'm not volunteering to try it with nukes.

I would think that much more in the way of intelligence resources have been devoted by the US and some NATO countries to ascertaining the location of Pakistani nukes. Plus, I am sure that the Indians have devoted much in the way of intelligence to this quandary.

By no means a guarantee, but it certainly increases the chances of actually being able to neutralize these weapons if necessary.