Iran: A Bridge too Far?

[multi]

What makes you think bombings and missile attacks are going to succeed?

All I can see it succeeding in doing is making another huge foreign policy blunder.
There is much more important operations in Afghanistan needed, before you start doing something stupid like that.You already have some rouge elements in Pakistan attacking border regions,

Pakistani soldiers, 'infiltrated and influenced' by Taliban militants, are joining in attacks on Western coalition forces, a newspaper reported Sunday quoting classified US documents.

The Observer quoted US 'after-action' reports to say Pakistan's Frontier Corps have launched direct attacks on the Afghan army and US-led coalition forces.

The reports, compiled after clashes on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, are regarded as deeply sensitive by the Pentagon, the newspaper said.

It quoted unnamed people familiar with the material as saying there were 'box loads' of such reports at US bases along the length of the Pakistan-Afghan border.

The documents also detail attacks launched so close to Frontier Corps outposts that Pakistani cooperation with the Taliban is assumed.

The Observer quoted NATO spokesman James Appathurai as saying: 'The real concern is that the extremists in Pakistan are getting safe havens to rest, recuperate and retool in Pakistan and come across the border. The concerns have been conveyed to the Pakistan authorities.'

It quoted a source familiar with the situation on the ground as saying, 'The reality is that there are units so opposed to what the coalition is doing and so friendly to the other side that when the opportunity comes up they will fire on Afghan and coalition troops. And this is not random. It can be exceptionally well co-ordinated.'

The paper said members of the Frontier Corps personnel have in the past been implicated in murdering US and Afghan officers. Last year, a Frontier Corps member 'assassinated' Major Larry J. Bauguess during a border mediation meeting.

.. Don't you think it would be huge strategic blunder to attack Iran without waiting until the Afghan situation has been sorted out a little more ?

Also at the moment you run the risk of having China backing Iran because of it's investment there.

[Mazer]

Originally Posted by multi

What makes you think bombings and missile attacks are going to succeed?

I didn't say they would. My point was that invasion won't be tried because there's so much risk involved, though missile attacks may be tried because there's little to no risk.

[multi]

little to no risk to who exactly?
are you just thinking of the US ground forces that have been dying at about 1500 a year for the last five years?

surely you can't be serious , no long term consequences at all ?

[Mazer]

There's no risk to a soldier who pushes a button and launches a missile 500 miles away from his target.

[albed]

Oh ffs it'll be a bombing attack; no missile can carry the big ground penetrators and bunker busters needed, and wtf are ground pounders going to do? Dig into the facilities with shovels? The goal is to destroy nuclear processing facilities; nothing more. Iran will have the next move.

[multi]

what about the people in the area after the facility has been destroyed?
an attack like this could change diplomatic relations in the world for decades if not forever
it really could backfire in so many ways it's not funny, that's if it goes ahead
hopefully common sense will prevail

[Ðiego]

Common sense? You're talking about Christian Fundamentalists attacking Muslim Fundamentalists. Common sense isn't allowed.


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