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War on terror aid: Pakistan received $33.4bn from US (tribune, Sep 6, 2017)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1498815/war-terror-aid-pakistan-received-33-4bn-us/
“The US has sanctioned $33.4 billion for reimbursements to Pakistan during the past 15 years, 44% of which was on account of services that Islamabad rendered to support Washington’s anti-terror operations in Afghanistan.
This singular act denies Washington any meaningful chance to financially blackmail its non-Nato ally.
By excluding the $14.573 billion cost of logistics and aerial support, the approved civilian and security-related aid to Pakistan from 2002 to 2016 was only $18.8 billion, according to the statistics compiled by US authorities.
The data has been gathered by the departments of State, Defense, Agriculture, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Compared to the actual foreign aid of $18.8 billion to Pakistan, the finance ministry’s statistics showed that Islamabad sustained $123.13 billion losses on account of the war against terrorism since 9/11.
But Washington’s economic leverage over Islamabad has significantly reduced since 2014, as it came down to $1.6 billion per annum against the average of $2.3 billion per annum between 2002 and 2013.
This includes reimbursements from the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) that is technically not aid but service payments for providing logistical and operational support to the US-led military operations in Afghanistan.
By excluding the CSF-related payments to Pakistan, US assistance to Pakistan from 2014 to 2016 was $810 million per annum against the average of $1.4 billion during the 2002-2013 period, according to the statistics.
The flow of funds from the US to Pakistan saw another drastic reduction in 2017. US economic assistance historically remained around 1% of Pakistan’s budget, which can easily be met from other sources.
Security-related assistance
Since 2002, the US has given $7.96 billion in security assistance to Pakistan with an annual average of $530.4 million, which is 23.83% of total US budgetary appropriations for Pakistan.
A major chunk of it – $3.8 billion – has been given under the Foreign Military Financing programme. Another sum of $2.35 billion has been given under the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund and Counterinsurgency Capability Fund.
The third major portion was $911 million, which the US gave under the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement programme.
Against the 12-year average of $576.7 million, the US gave $1.03 billion from 2014 to 2016 with an average of only $345 million under the security-related assistance to Pakistan. Most of this sum came under the foreign military financing programme.
Economic assistance
The US has given $10.85 billion in economic assistance to Pakistan during the past 15 years at an average of $723.5 million per annum.
The 12-year average was $788 million per annum. The economic assistance was about one-third of the total US budgetary appropriations for Pakistan.
Out of $10.85 billion, the US gave $8.5 billion under the Economic Support Fund, followed by $918 million under the International Disaster Assistance Programme and another $623 million in food aid to Pakistan…”
Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia eye joint task force for fighting IS (asiancorrespondent, Sep 6, 2017)
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/09/philippines-indonesia-malaysia-eye-joint-task-force-fighting-islamic-state/#8WOOmERI08YuZheK.97
“THE PHILIPPINES, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to jointly fight the threats of the Islamic State, with Manila willing to open its borders to Indonesian and Malaysian defence forces to prevent the Islamist militants from taking deeper root in the three neighbouring countries…”
Taliban casualties toll rises to 78 amid ongoing operations in Kunduz (khaama, Sep 6, 2017)
http://www.khaama.com/taliban-casualties-toll-rises-to-78-amid-ongoing-operations-in-kunduz-03383
“The casualties toll of the Taliban insurgents has further increased and has reached to at least 78 people amid ongoing operations in northern Kunduz province.
The 10th Pamir Battalion of the Afghan national army in the North said the operations are underway in Chardara district since the last few days.
A statement by the Pamir Battalion said at least 50 insurgents have been killed during the operations so far and at least 28 others have been wounded.
The statement further added that several key local commanders of the group are also among those killed which includes Qari Hayatullah, Qari Mohammad Sajad, Imamuddin, Zulfiqar, Mullah Asadullah, and Qari Abdulhai.
According to the Pamir Battalion of the Afghan armed forces, several weapons, ammunition, explosives, and other military kits and equipment were also seized during the operations.
The equipment and weapons seized during the operations include two Ford Ranger type vehicles, a hatchback vehicle, 3 AK-47 rifles, 68 improvised explosive devices, 10 motorcycles, 3 hand grenades, 3 caches of ammunition, 15 mortar rounds, 4 SPG-9 rockets, 3 boxes of PKM machine gun ammunition, one box of M4 rifle ammunition, 5 suicide bombing vests, 21 military uniforms, and other type of equipment.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.”
European Court Orders EU Countries to Take Migrants
“Politics has raped European law and values.”
by Soeren Kern
September 7, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10956/european-court-migrants
The European Union’s highest court has rejected a complaint by Hungary and Slovakia over the legality of the bloc’s mandatory refugee quota program, which requires EU member states to admit tens of thousands of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the European Commission, the powerful executive arm of the European Union, has the legal right to order EU member states to take in so-called asylum seekers, and, conversely, that EU member states have no legal right to resist those orders.
The September 6 ruling, which has been hailed as a victory for European federalism, highlights the degree to which the European Union has usurped decision-making powers from its 28 member states. The ruling also showcases how the European Union’s organs of jurisprudence have become politicized.
Opponents of the relocation scheme say that decisions about the granting of residence permits should be kept at the national level, and that by unilaterally imposing migrant quotas on EU member states, unelected bureaucrats in Brussels are seeking to force the democratically elected leaders of Europe to submit to their diktat.
This is going to put a cat among the pigeons, the Eastern European nations are going to object and some of the Western ones may.
Why an Obscure Strip of Land in the Himalayas is Important for the Free World
by Lawrence A. Franklin
September 7, 2017 at 4:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10935/china-india-doklam-plateau
A months-long confrontation between China and India over an obscure piece of land — the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas — has serious implications that should not be minimized or ignored.
China’s decision to pick a fight with India near their mutual border with the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan is not just a local issue: the regional altercation could have global repercussions.
The crisis was sparked early in the summer of 2017, when China constructed a road inside Bhutan, an ally of India’s. (Bhutan’s border is internationally recognized, but China rejects its legitimacy, claiming that the area is really part of southern Tibet.) In response, Indian troops entered the disputed territory on June 12 and faced off with Chinese soldiers and road construction crews. No shots were fired, however brawling ensued.
Another reason we have to move on North Korea, if we don’t we give the entire Far East to China, at least until South Korea and Japan with possibly Taiwan building their own nukes to force China to back off. Hitting North Korea is a bad choice but it is orders of magnitude better then the results of the US doing nothing.