Indian BSF chopper crashes in Jharkhand, three killed

Ranchi :  A Border Security Force (BSF) helicopter crashed in a forested area near this Jharkhand capital Wednesday, killing all three people on board, police said. The two pilots, Captain S.P. Singh and Captain A. Thomas, and crew member M. Swain were killed when the helicopter crashed near Kolad village on the Ranchi-Khuti border, about 40 km from here. The helicopter was completely burnt and parts were strewn in an area of more than 200 metres, S.N. Pradhan, inspector general of police (operations), told IANS. According to an eyewitness, there was a terrible sound before the chopper crashed, catching fire and breaking into several parts. The black box has been recovered.

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team will probe the cause of the incident. Though the helicopter, regularly used for anti-Maoist operations, crashed in a Maoist-affected area, Pradhan said there was no possibility of the guerrillas being involved in the incident. The chopper was flying around 2,000 feet above the ground. The crash site indicates that the chopper crashed at high speed. It could have developed a technical snag. According to a government official, a 10-member team of the union rural development ministry was scheduled to visit the Saranda jungle, a Maoist stronghold, in West Singhbhum district. The helicopter took off at 8.40 a.m. for a recce of the area and the central team was supposed to follow.

Pakistan scrambled jet to intercept Indian chopper

Islamabad : Pakistan had scrambled a fighter jet after an Indian helicopter flew into its territory and the chopper was warned that it would be fired at if it attempted to escape, a media report said Monday.

Pakistan Sunday forced the Indian Army helicopter to land for violating its airspace.

Islamabad later permitted the three officers and a junior commissioned officer and the helicopter to return after interrogating them for a couple of hours, military sources told Dawn.

The Cheetah helicopter of India's Army Aviation Corps with four officers on board returned to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir around 6 p.m., ending an inadvertent intrusion that immediately triggered urgent talks between the two foreign and military establishments. For the first time in many years, the two countries did not rachet up an incident like this.

Sources said that a Pakistan Air Force plane was scrambled immediately after spotting the helicopter and simultaneously the Air Defence, through its communication system, warned those on board that they would come under fire if they tried to escape.

The helicopter was deep inside Pakistani territory when it was intercepted and forced to land in the Olding sector near the Line of Control (LoC).

"The helicopter was some 20 kilometres inside Pakistan's territory when it was intercepted and forced to land near Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, at about 1 p.m.," an air force officer was quoted as saying.

During the questioning, the helicopter crew said the chopper strayed due to bad weather and no deliberate attempt had been made to intrude.

The media report pointed out that though Indian aircraft had violated Pakistan's airspace in the past, it was perhaps for the first time that a chopper was forced to land.

The intrusion was the first such incident after the Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's May 2 killing by US Navy Seals who flew into Abbottabad on Stealth choppers.

India had been promptly told about the incident, said sources who added that a probe was underway to see if it was a mistake or a deliberate attempt to test Pakistan's defence capabilities.

An official said the crew were freed within a few hours to give benefit of doubt because Pakistan did not want to vitiate the atmosphere and derail the composite dialogue process.

Pakistan scrambled jet to intercept Indian chopper

Islamabad : Pakistan had scrambled a fighter jet after an Indian helicopter flew into its territory and the chopper was warned that it would be fired at if it attempted to escape, a media report said Monday.

Pakistan Sunday forced the Indian Army helicopter to land for violating its airspace.

Islamabad later permitted the three officers and a junior commissioned officer and the helicopter to return after interrogating them for a couple of hours, military sources told Dawn.

The Cheetah helicopter of India's Army Aviation Corps with four officers on board returned to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir around 6 p.m., ending an inadvertent intrusion that immediately triggered urgent talks between the two foreign and military establishments. For the first time in many years, the two countries did not rachet up an incident like this.

Sources said that a Pakistan Air Force plane was scrambled immediately after spotting the helicopter and simultaneously the Air Defence, through its communication system, warned those on board that they would come under fire if they tried to escape.

The helicopter was deep inside Pakistani territory when it was intercepted and forced to land in the Olding sector near the Line of Control (LoC).

"The helicopter was some 20 kilometres inside Pakistan's territory when it was intercepted and forced to land near Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, at about 1 p.m.," an air force officer was quoted as saying.

During the questioning, the helicopter crew said the chopper strayed due to bad weather and no deliberate attempt had been made to intrude.

The media report pointed out that though Indian aircraft had violated Pakistan's airspace in the past, it was perhaps for the first time that a chopper was forced to land.

The intrusion was the first such incident after the Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's May 2 killing by US Navy Seals who flew into Abbottabad on Stealth choppers.

India had been promptly told about the incident, said sources who added that a probe was underway to see if it was a mistake or a deliberate attempt to test Pakistan's defence capabilities.

An official said the crew were freed within a few hours to give benefit of doubt because Pakistan did not want to vitiate the atmosphere and derail the composite dialogue process.

Dhruv choppers grounded after crash

Ranchi : The Dhruv helicopters, used by para military forces, have been grounded after a Border Security Force (BSF) chopper crashed on the outskirts of Ranchi Wednesday, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Inspector General of Police D.K. Pandey said Thursday. As per my information, the Dhruv choppers have been grounded in the country after a BSF chopper crashed Wednesday, Pandey told IANS.

The Dhruv chopper services will be decided after the DGCA completes its inquiry. A BSF helicopter crashed in a forested area near the Jharkhand capital Wednesday, killing all three people on board: pilot S.P. Singh, co-pilot K.B. Thomas and technician Manoj Swain. A DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) team has started its probe. Civil aviation sources do not rule out the possibility of Maoist involvement in the crash.

Normally the chopper remains in contact with ATC up to 25 nautical miles. The Dhruv chopper lost contact with ATC after 10 nautical miles. Sound was heard in the air after which the chopper crashed, a civil aviation official told IANS. The possibility of Maoist involvement could not be ruled out, he said. If the chopper developed a snag, why did the pilots not inform ATC? The Jharkhand police has, however, ruled out any such possibility. Talking to IANS after the crash, Jharkhand DGP G.S. Rath said: There is no possibility of Maoist involvement in the incident. The DGCA will probe the incident. The chopper was regularly used for anti-Maoist operation. Technical fault seems to be the reason.

Britain and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement

Turkey and Britain signed a military cooperation agreement during a three-day visit by President Abdullah Gül to London, a news report has said.

The report, which appeared in Jane’s Defence Weekly, said details of the agreement were not available but that it followed the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in Ankara by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his British counterpart, David Cameron, in July 2010. The 2010 agreement commits the two countries to strengthen their defense ties through regular talks and cooperation in defense manufacturing.

The latest agreement was signed on Nov. 23 by British Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond and Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar.

“Turkey is an important ally of the UK and as NATO partners we [the UK and Turkey] are bound by a pledge of collective defense. This bilateral treaty will take our defense co-operation to a new level,” the British Ministry of Defense said after the signing of the accord.

Britain has historically been a significant supplier of military material to Turkey, accounting for 8 percent of Ankara’s military imports since 2000. Current British export efforts in relation to Turkey center on the BAE Systems-led Global Combat Ship (GCS) program, with Ankara seen as a potential partner, according to Jane’s Defence, which described Turkey as one of the world’s fastest growing defense markets.

Turkey, Britain sign military cooperation agreement

Turkey and Britain signed a military cooperation agreement during a three-day visit by President Abdullah Gül to London, a news report has said.

The report, which appeared in Jane’s Defence Weekly, said details of the agreement were not available but that it followed the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in Ankara by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his British counterpart, David Cameron, in July 2010. The 2010 agreement commits the two countries to strengthen their defense ties through regular talks and cooperation in defense manufacturing.

The latest agreement was signed on Nov. 23 by British Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond and Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar.

“Turkey is an important ally of the UK and as NATO partners we [the UK and Turkey] are bound by a pledge of collective defense. This bilateral treaty will take our defense co-operation to a new level,” the British Ministry of Defense said after the signing of the accord.

Britain has historically been a significant supplier of military material to Turkey, accounting for 8 percent of Ankara’s military imports since 2000. Current British export efforts in relation to Turkey center on the BAE Systems-led Global Combat Ship (GCS) program, with Ankara seen as a potential partner, according to Jane’s Defence, which described Turkey as one of the world’s fastest growing defense markets.

Turkish FM: Turkey-Israel relations still contingent on Israeli apology

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said that Turkish-Israeli relations will not return to normal until Israel apologizes to Turkey for the violent boarding of aid ship the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

Davutoğlu told reporters on Friday that Israel should apologize, pay compensation to families of the Turkish citizens killed during the boarding of the aid ship and end the embargo on Gaza. Otherwise, the minister stated, relations between Turkey and Israel will not be normalized.

Eight Turkish nationals and one American citizen of Turkish descent were killed in May 2010 when Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, the lead vessel in a six-ship Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The raid subsequently drew widespread condemnation from the international community and sent Turkish-Israeli relations to a historic low. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel, downsizing diplomatic relations to the level of second-secretary. Turkey also cancelled all standing military agreements.

“Israel should decide to be a part of either the problem or the solution,” Davutoğlu told reporters. The minister also spoke out against other aspects of Israeli policy, criticizing Israel to for continuing its settlement policy. The minister concluded by emphasizing that Turkey would react positively if Israel pursued a less hawkish foreign policy.

Turkey to rewrite software source codes of 204 F-16 fighters

The US administration agreed in principle almost two months ago for the transfer of information over software source codes of US Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters to Turkey.

Once the agreement is completed, and if approved by the US Congress, Turkey will have the capability to automatically modify the software source codes of the fighters’ weapons systems with national software source codes, said US sources who asked not to be named.Turkey will become the first nation among 26 to have the F-16s in their inventories and have the ability to receive information on the F-16 fighters’ software source codes — primarily their weapons systems — thereby enabling it to replace them with national software source codes whenever necessary.

Once Turkey and the US complete around 50 pages of technical details over the nature of the US transfer of technology, an agreement should be signed, pending US congressional approval.

The US Congress has long prevented arms transfers to NATO member Turkey, mainly in reaction to its strained ties with Israel.

However, the US administration has as of late sought US congressional authorization for the sale of three AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters to Turkey. This indicates a softening on the part of the congress toward Turkey. Turkey has a long-standing request for Super Cobras. It has a shortage of these helicopters, required in its ongoing fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists, who have increased their violent attacks as of late.

Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the US administration will seek US congressional authorization for another long-standing Turkish request for the sale of four Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and two armed Reaper UAVs.

However, some of the weapons, including Predators that the US reportedly pledged to transfer to Turkey as it withdraws from Iraq in December of this year, are said to not be subject to the approval of the US Congress. These are weapons the US used during its war in Iraq.

Missile defense link

US sources stated that Washington has agreed in principle to transfer the information mainly concerning the weapon systems of the F-16s so that Turkey can integrate by itself the national software source codes because Turkey has pursued a very persistent policy on the matter. However, Turkey’s approval to deploy a radar system of the US-supported NATO Missile Defense System on its soil is understood to have played an important role in Washington’s agreement to in principle transfer the software source codes of mainly the weapons systems of the F-16s to Turkey. Turkey agreed last month to host a powerful US-supplied radar system to act as advanced eyes for a layered shield against ballistic missiles coming from outside Europe.

The AN/TPY-2 surveillance radar in Turkey will boost the shield’s capability against Iran, which Washington alleges is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.“By agreeing to transfer information on F-16 weapon systems so that Turkey could automatically integrate them with national software source codes, the US sought to ease tensions with its NATO ally, which is important in safeguarding US interests in the Middle East. The US also puts strong emphasis on seeing Turkish-Israeli relations normalize,” said the US source.

50 weapons systems on each F-16

Lockheed Martin this year began supplying Turkey with 14 F-16C variants and 16 F-16Ds under a deal signed in May 2007. The total cost of 30 additional F-16s to Turkey is $1.78 billion. Under a separate agreement signed in April 2005 between Turkey and the US, 213 Turkish F-16s are being upgraded at a cost of $1.1 billion at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in Ankara. Turkey will be able to change the software source codes of the weapons systems on a total of 204 F-16s with national software source codes if a final agreement is reached with the US. There are 50 different types of weapons systems on each F-16 that are classified.

Turkey to produce engines for tanks

Tank and warship engines are included in Turkey’s plans to nationalize its arms industry where possible. Planned Altay tanks are likely to test the engines.

Turkey will now manufacture engines for tanks and warships for the first time in the history of the nation’s defense industry, a top procurement official said. Undersecretary for Defense Industries Murad Bayar said the weakest component of the recently flourishing business was arguably engine-manufacturing, which the nation will now work to eliminate.

Bayar said domestically manufactured engines will be used in the serial production phase of Altay, Turkey’s first national main battle tank. Since 2007 Otokar, one of Turkey’s largest armored vehicle makers, has been designing the Altay with industrial support from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem. Under a nearly $500 million contract, four prototypes should be built by 2015, after which serial production is scheduled to begin.

The mock-up of Altay, projected to have a 120 mm gun, was introduced to the public in May at the 10th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul. “We are in touch with a number of companies that design engines but do not manufacture them,” Bayar said. “We hope to build the engines for the Altay in the serial production stage in the first batch of 250 tanks that will be manufactured domestically after 2015,” he said. “We need to obtain this engine-making capability.” Eventually Turkey plans to build up to 1,000 Altays.

Bayar said another option was to develop the tank’s engine jointly with South Korea.

“Then we need to make engines for our naval platforms, which have a good chance to be exported,” he said. Turkey has begun to produce up to 12 national corvettes, the smallest of major warships, in a program called Milgem that is worth up to $3 billion. The first corvette was delivered to the Navy this fall and a second was put to sea for tests.

Turkey has sold several of the smaller boats to countries in the Middle East and Asia. The country plans to make its own national frigate by 2020 with domestically manufactured engines. Frigates are the largest warships in the Turkish Navy.

“Ultimately, we need to make engines and related transmission systems for other land and naval platforms,” Bayar said. “Producing engines and power systems is not the most difficult thing to do in the defense industry,” said an Ankara-based defense analyst. “But to make sense, you have to make sure that manufacturing engines is economically feasible. Compared to Turkey’s capabilities in several other sectors in defense industry, Turkey already lags behind in the producing its own engines.”

Turkey is not yet looking at large-scale plans to manufacture its own aircraft engines. Its main engine maker Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) co-produces engines for aircraft under license of large foreign companies

Britain Denies Troop Cut Claims in Leaked Memo

LONDON - Britain's Ministry of Defence on Nov. 12 denied claims in a leaked memo that up to 16,500 service members - thousands more than originally proposed - faced the axe of budget cuts.

The internal memo seen by The Daily Telegraph also reportedly showed that 2,500 wounded troops, including 350 who have lost limbs, would not be spared in an ongoing string of defense cuts. The MoD dismissed the memo as the "factually incorrect" work of a junior officer and said there were no plans to change the level of cuts to the armed forces set out this year.

It also insisted there had been no change in the way it handled injured personnel, saying they were protected from the cuts until they "reached a point in their recovery where leaving the armed forces is the right decision."

The memo emerged as Defence Minister Philip Hammond flew back from his first visit to troops in Afghanistan and amid preparations for annual national ceremony in honor of the war dead on Nov. 13.

An MoD spokesman said: "The information in this leaked army memo from a junior officer is incorrect. Beyond those already announced, there are no further army reductions planned. There is absolutely no plan to change our treatment of service personnel who are wounded, injured or sick.

"Personnel injured on operations will not be included in the redundancy process while they are undergoing medical treatment. No one will leave the armed forces until they have reached a point in their recovery that is right for them."

Following a defense review last year by the Conservative-led coalition government, the British Army has been told to cut its numbers by almost a fifth to 82,000 by 2020.

In July, Army chiefs warned that an extra 5,000 soldiers faced the axe by 2015, on top of the 7,000 redundancies announced for the first phase, which has already started. The classified document quoted by The Telegraph, sent to commanders in Afghanistan, states that wounded soldiers who have been "temporarily downgraded will not be exempt" and could be dismissed in the next round of job cuts early next year.

Jim Murphy, defense spokesman for the opposition Labour party, warned that an accelerated redundancy program could have "dangerous" consequences and that axing injured troops would be "the cruelest cut of all."

In the past month, six British soldiers have undergone double amputations as a result of injuries caused by the roadside bombs used by the Taliban, which have accounted for many of the 385 British deaths in Afghanistan since 2001.

An officer serving with a unit in which a soldier suffered a triple amputation this month told The Telegraph the memo had badly damaged morale. "We now know that not only will we be left with a life-changing injury serving our country over here but we will more than likely be kicked out of the army," he said.

U.S. Says It Will Not Alter Missile Shield Plan

WASHINGTON - The United States will not alter its plans to deploy a NATO missile defense system in Eastern Europe, U.S. officials said Nov. 23, adding the shield was not aimed at Russia.

"The United States has been open and transparent with Russia on our plans for missile defense in Europe, which reflect a growing threat to our allies from Iran that we are committed to deterring," insisted National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor. 

He added: "In multiple channels, we have explained to Russian officials that the missile defense systems planned for deployment in Europe do not and cannot threaten Russia's strategic deterrent." He was speaking after Russia warned it could deploy missiles on the EU's borders to strike against the planned missile defense facilities. 

President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow was prepared to deploy short range Iskander Missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave that borders EU members Poland and Lithuania. Romania and Poland have agreed to host part of a revamped U.S. missile shield which Washington said is aimed solely at "rogue" states like Iran but Moscow believes would also target its own capability.

NATO member Turkey has also decided to host an early warning radar at a military facility near Malatya in the southeast. Vietor said the implementation of the missile system in eastern Europe "is going well and we see no basis for threats to withdraw from it."

"We continue to believe that cooperation with Russia on missile defense can enhance the security of the United States, our allies in Europe, and Russia, and we will continue to work with Russia to define the parameters of possible cooperation," he said. "However, in pursuing this cooperation, we will not in any way limit or change our deployment plans in Europe."

A Pentagon spokesman also stressed Nov. 23 that the system was not aimed at Russia, but sought to deter any ballistic missile threat from Iran. "It's worth reiterating that the European missile defense system that we've been working very hard on with our allies and with Russia over the last few years is not aimed at Russia," said spokesman, Navy Capt. John Kirby. "It's designed to help deter and defeat the ballistic missile threat to Europe and to our allies from Iran."

German Navy Christens New High-Tech Submarines

BONN - The German Navy on Nov. 15 christened its most modern submarine at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) shipyard in Kiel. The vessel includes improved communication, sensor and combat systems.

The U35 is an updated version of the Navy's four 212A-class submarines, which were put into service between 2005 and 2007. After having bought the four boats, the German military in 2006 placed an order with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems subsidiary HDW for two additional vessels. While staying with the basic design, the U35 and U36 will benefit from recent experiences with the first batch of subs.

With an air-independent propulsion system that combines hydrogen fuel cells and diesel engines, they can remain submerged for weeks. At about 56 meters, both boats are about 1.2 meters longer than the earlier version. The two submarines have a displacement of about 1,450 tons and are operated by a crew of 27 sailors. The two new submarines feature a communications system suitable for network-centric warfare, as well as an integrated German sonar, command and weapon control system. The Callisto B submarine communication system, with its towable transmitter buoy, allows each boat to communicate while remaining deeply submerged.

The flank antenna array will be substituted with a superficial lateral antenna. One periscope will be replaced by the Carl Zeiss Optronics OMS 100 Optronic non-hull penetrating mast system. It can be remotely controlled via a multifunctional combat system console. The mast system offers various automatic functions such as sector scan or quick look-round. The sensor unit consists of a third-generation thermal camera and a high-definition TV camera, and it can be refitted with a laser rangefinder.

The improved boats also feature a special diver lock-out system integrated into the sail to deploy special forces. U35 is expected to be officially put into service in the summer of 2013. Until then, systems checks and sea trials will be conducted. U 36 is scheduled to be put into service in the winter of 2013.

Germany Backs Taliban Talks in Afghanistan

BERLIN - Germany's foreign and defense ministers called for the Taliban to be included in Afghanistan peace talks, ahead of a major international conference for the war-ravaged country next month.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Nov 27, 2011 that negotiations with the Islamist militant group was the only realistic option for lasting peace.

"Reconciliation does not happen among friends but rather between erstwhile opponents," Westerwelle was quoted as saying. "That is what we need to work on instead of speculation about who might not be ready to reconcile."

Germany has the third largest contingent of foreign troops in Afghanistan but had long rejected proposals to include the Taliban in peace negotiations. Westerwelle, who will host ministers from more than 100 countries in the western city of Bonn on Dec. 5 to discuss the future of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO troops in 2014, said there was no guarantee of success. "But all agree that it must be tried," he said. The West "cannot simply say, 'You are evil, we won't negotiate with you,'" added de Maiziere.

"We cannot exclude everyone from the inner-Afghan reconciliation process who once had a sword in his hand," he said. Only when "a sufficient number of important groups" take part will the peace process have a chance of working.

Westerwelle said the war in Afghanistan could not be won militarily. "After 10 years it is obvious that in Afghanistan, there can only be apolitical solution, not a military one," he said. Taliban fighters frequently attack convoys supplying NATO troops in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, as part of a 10-year insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul government since U.S. troops toppled their regime in 2001.

This month, Afghan elders backed talks with Taliban who renounce violence, despite the assassination in September of peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani which officials blame on insurgents. De Maiziere said Berlin would keep troops in Afghanistan after the NATO pullout at the end of 2014, to focus on the training of local forces.

Iran will target NATO's missile shield if threatened

TEHRAN - Iran will target NATO's missile shield in neighboring Turkey if it is threatened by military action, the commander of the aerospace division of the Revolutionary Guards said Nov 26, 2011.

"We are prepared to first target the NATO defense missile shield in Turkey if we are threatened. And then we'll move on to other targets," Amir-Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency. Although Iranian officials have said several times they could retaliate with ballistic missiles against Israel if attacked, Hajizadeh's remark was the first time the Revolutionary Guards spoke of targeting Turkey.

Speculation has intensified in Israel that it was preparing air strikes on Iran to hit nuclear facilities following a Nov. 8 report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog strongly suggesting Tehran was researching atomic weapons.

Hajizadeh, whose unit is in charge of Revolutionary Guards' missile systems, told a crowd of Basij militia members in the western city of Khorramabad that Iran's stance now was to "threaten in the face of threats," in line with a decree this month by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Turkey last year agreed to host an early warning radar system in its southeast as part of NATO's shield which the United States says is aimed at thwarting missile threats from the Middle East, particularly Iran.

Hajizadeh said Nov. 21 that the Revolutionary Guards' "greatest wish" was for Israel to attack Iran, so they could retaliate and relegate the Jewish state to "the dustbin of history."

US given 15-days to close Shamsi Airbase in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) in its emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday evening reiterated the resolve of the Pakistani people and Armed Forces to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity at all costs.

The meeting held here at the Prime Minister House was attended by federal ministers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), Services Chiefs and members of the DCC.

In accordance with the resolution of the Joint Session of the Parliament of May 14, 2011, the DCC decided to close with immediate effect the NATO/ISAF logistics supply lines. The DCC also decided to ask the United States (US) to vacate the Shamsi Airbase within 15 days.

The DCC decided that the government will revisit and undertake a complete review of all programmes, activities and cooperative arrangements with US/NATO/ISAF, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence, according to a statement issued from the Prime Minister House after the DCC meeting.

The meeting strongly condemned the attack by NATO/ISAF aircraft on Pakistani border posts in the Mohmand Agency which has resulted in the loss of precious lives of officers and men of Pakistan Army and injuries to several.

The DCC expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of brave soldiers who fought valiantly and embraced Shahadat, and also prayed for the early recovery of injured.

The prime minister will take the Parliament into confidence on the whole range of measures regarding matters relating to Pakistan’s future cooperation with US/NATO/ISAF, in the near future.

The DCC noted that strong protests had been lodged with the United States and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels conveying in the strongest possible terms Pakistan’s condemnation of these attacks, which constituted breach of sovereignty, were violative of international law and had gravely dented the fundamental basis of Pakistan’s cooperation with NATO/ISAF against militancy and terror.

The DCC also noted that NATO/ISAF attacks were also violative of their mandate, which was confined to Afghanistan. Pakistan had clearly conveyed to US/NATO/ISAF its red lines which constituted an integral element of Pakistan’s cooperation that was based on a partnership approach.

The attack on Pakistan Army border posts is totally unacceptable and warrants an effective national response, the DCC added.

Pakistan Stops NATO Supplies

PESHAWAR: The political administration of Khyber Agency has halted supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan after the federation’s order, Geo News reported Saturday.

According to the agency’s political administration, the government ordered to stop supplies to NATO after a Pakistani check post was attacked early Saturday morning, killing at least 20 security men including two officers.

Hundreds of containers and oil tankers are now standing at a check post in Tehsil Jamrood where the supplies were stopped after the orders.

Pak-Saudi Joint Military Excercise "Al Samsaam-IV"

A three weeks long joint exercise (AL-SAMSAAM-IV-2011) between Pakistan Army and Royal Saudi Land Forces, concluded successfully today near Jhelum. It is worth mentioning here that the joint exercise aimed at familiarization and sharing of information through an inclusive training programme in real time. This also included collective training at unit and brigade level to observe drills and procedures in low intensity conflict operations.

It may be recalled that Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy close brotherly relations since their inception. This relationship has matured and strengthened further over the years and has long history of deep rooted cooperation. Such Joint Military Exercises between armies of two brotherly countries aim to enhance existing bilateral relations and to benefit from each other’s experience.

Pak-Saudi Joint Military Excercises" Al Samsaam-IV"

A three weeks long joint exercise (AL-SAMSAAM-IV-2011) between Pakistan Army and Royal Saudi Land Forces, concluded successfully today near Jhelum. It is worth mentioning here that the joint exercise aimed at familiarization and sharing of information through an inclusive training programme in real time. This also included collective training at unit and brigade level to observe drills and procedures in low intensity conflict operations.

It may be recalled that Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy close brotherly relations since their inception. This relationship has matured and strengthened further over the years and has long history of deep rooted cooperation. Such Joint Military Exercises between armies of two brotherly countries aim to enhance existing bilateral relations and to benefit from each other’s experience.

Pakistan Troop Deaths "Tragic, Unintended": NATO Chief

BRUSSELS: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Sunday he had written to Pakistan premier Yousuf Raza Gilani to express regret over the "tragic, unintended" deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in an airstrike.

"I have written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan to make it clear that the deaths of Pakistani personnel are as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel," he said in a statement. "This was a tragic unintended incident."

Pak-China Joint Military Exercise 'Friendship-IV'

LAHORE: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Thursday said that military cooperation between Pakistan and China was not aimed against any country, DawnNews reported.

While watch over the military exercises between Pakistan and China, General Kayani said Pakistan and China had no differences over matters of security.

He further said that Pakistan and China’s army relations were not based on aggression against a particular country. Not only do the countries have strong diplomatic ties but relations at the people-to-people level are also sound, Kayani said.

Brave Pakistan ARMY Officer Col. Tahir Interview - Must Watch

Pakistan Army Wins Gold Medal In International Exercise Cambrian Patrol 2010.

British Dead And Wounded in Afghanistan

Member of Royal Marines 4 Troop, Bravo Company, 40 Commando at Sangin in preparation for the handover to the Americans at the end of Op Herrick. Photograph: LA(PHOT) Si Ethell/PA

The total number of British troop deaths in Afghanistan now stands at 383, nearing the 400 mark.
According to the latest figures from DASA, 30 UK service personnel have suffered amputations in 2011 so far.



2009 was previously the bloodiest year for British troops in Afghanistan. 2010 nearly caught up. But this year, with the deployment of US troops to Helmand, things have quietened down.



The number of British deaths in Afghanistan is now much higher than Iraq and even the Falklands conflict. These are the numbers of British fatalities for Afghanistan - and Iraq, too - updated as they change.



Introduction to Pakistan Army

The story of the advancement of Pakistan Army is the tale of the birth of Pakistan, since its inception from the freckled nucleus of a regal legacy to its present status of an avant-garde and combat-tested field Army; it is an epoch of development which leaves behind its trials and tribulations, calamities and conflicts, as it struggled, with scarcity of possessions to embark on its shaping years. This is, conceivably, the enormous paradigm amongst few armies in history to have faced a war right at its setting up and, in the subsequent years, besides guarding the geographical precincts, it is always prepared to protect the ideological boundaries of the country.

Nations can dream of their socio-economic progress and development only when they are sure that their guardians are strong enough to ensure protection and peace. In case of Pakistan, a strong defence was all the more a stark reality to face the encounters and hostilities with unflinching courage. Our chivalrous soldiers of brave Armed Forces, apart from defending the country’s borders, always remained in the forefront of national development. Whether floods, earth-quakes and other natural calamites, maintain law and order or the UN peace efforts, the performance of our officers and men, always earned national and international acclaim from their friends and foes alike.

Army is an iridescent view, a vast canvas of vivid colours, pulsating with powerful currents of life. It has a flow and a body of its own whose velocity is sustained by noblest of traditions applied in very exacting manner. While it aims at destroying the aggressor, it requires its members to possess mettle of highest quality with sound character, most pure. The soldiers have invincible belief in the concept of Ghazi or Shaheed and it provides them great motivating force with specific element of self negation in the way of Almighty Allah, make them special breed of men.


It is the only profession in the world taken-up by the ablest bodies who vow to lay down their life willingly, in the way of Almighty Allah. It has a rhythm of its own perfected over hundreds of years of war fare, reflecting the very shades of Islamic accomplishments, soaked in local traditional history and continuity. Selfless bravery sacrifice and monumental endurance of adversity are the pillars of this splendid institution.

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