[quote=“TainanCowboy”]If an attack on off-duty troops did occur, I imagine the outrage would flow freely about the “Lack of concern of the US Commanders in allowing US troops back into the area” and the “Obvious hypocrisy and uncaring display of arrogance shown by the US in ‘provoking another attack’ by not keeping US troops on their bases.”
So its a no win situation. Better to err on the side of safety.[/quote]
Sorry but I don’t think this holds water. If this was the reasoning then the order would have been in place before last Thursday. I also don’t think Bush, or any other political appointee had anything to do with it. I suspect that the order was given in the immediate aftermath in a similar way that all of the British public were told to avoid London on Thursday, so as to allow the full picture to emerge and the authorities to do their job as unhindered as possible. If Bush or any other politically savvy person had been involved the order would have been rescinded a lot more quickly. To me this looks like a fuck up by a non-politically savvy military man.
[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”]“In this difficult hour, the people of Great Britain can know the American people stand with you” - George W. Bush. Just that they’ll be standing with us from from a distance
I would feel perfectly safe going to London right now and riding on the tube. [/quote]
"the decision was taken locally in the immediate aftermath of the bombings, when many companies were telling staff to stay out of central London because of the confusion and the need to leave emergency services unhindered."By Kate Holton,Tue Jul 12, 8:11 AM ET, LONDON (Reuters) link
[quote]Is it really so strange that in the few days following an attack on the capital of a host country, the commander of US forces in that country would want to keep his troops ready to react to any further developments?
[/quote]
Our government wouldn’t allow US forces to react to any situations that may occur in Britain and I doubt the USG would authorise such a move.
You are allowed to stay in Britain because we give you nice comfy airbases that are a convenient gateway to Europe; a spin-off from the cold war.
TC has made the most valid point so far and while I agree with his points, it still gives a bad impression to the terrorists.
I thought I would just add my observations to this thread for any of those who are interested.
I just found out that 3 out of 4 of the suspected London bombers came from West Yorkshire and that houses were searched and a controlled explosion carried out literally 500 yards from the house where I used to live in Leeds 6 for 5 years. I moved out last weekend. It has a high Asian and Muslim population with a very beautiful mosque, it just seems…crazy when its so close to home. The whole area was evacuated and the army was called in and everything.
I’m back at my parents house in London right now and started at work in my new job this morning, getting into the office via the tube.
There’s a very odd sense of normality juxtaposed to something horrendous that happened so recently, you can definitely see it on people’s faces, people have a kind of grim determination and a wariness. You look around the carriage and every paper carries horrendous headlines but there’s a cold detachment that only Londoners could convey. On my way in at 7am, a number of stations were shut down due to various threats, another train was evacuated after stopping in a tunnel which left one of my colleagues shaking when she arrived. I actually found out about the initial attack when I was in Budapest on Al-Jazeera when I was in a Turkish restaurant and it didn’t seem real then but I was surprised at the force of my defensive feelings about my capital.
I’d probably like to say that I’m not afraid like all those posters, but its actually terrifying to know that its very real right here and people are trying to cope with it by returning to a kind of mundane attitude, but I think despite that everyone has at least one ‘what if?’ in their thoughts.
[quote=“Dangermouse”]
Our government wouldn’t allow US forces to react to any situations that may occur in Britain and I doubt the USG would authorise such a move.[/quote]
You’re thinking of something different from what I am thinking. US military personnel and the bases where they work would be prime targets for any terrorist attack. And yes, if those bases were attacked, you better believe that the US forces there would “react” in an appropriate manner, as is their right in the agreements that allow them to be there.
Well, somebody’s got to help you keep an eye on the French.
[quote]And yes, if those bases were attacked, you better believe that the US forces there would “react” in an appropriate manner, as is their right in the agreements that allow them to be there.
[/quote]
Naturally. I was thinking that you meant that they would try to reat against the terrorists in a UK based operation or something.
[quote]Well, somebody’s got to help you keep an eye on the French.
[/quote]
We need all the help we can get.
Gloria - Did you live in Bradford where theso called race riots happend a couple of years ago?
What was the feeling in the area before you moved out?
[quote]London bombing explosive traced to Balkan Muslim extremists
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
July 12, 2005 (Serbianna) — A Retired Serbian Colonel, Milovan Azbejkovic, says that the explosive used by Muslim extremists to kill Londoners comes from the Balkans.
Colonel Azbejkovic who was the head of the Serbian Military Technical Institute says that the explosive has features that are identical to the one produced by the a factory in Berane, Montenegro. The explosive was produced as part of the Yugoslav military until 1991 and was supplied to all the former Yugoslav republics, including Bosnia.
Superintendent Christophe Chaboud, the chief of the French anti-terrorist police, who was in London to help Scotland Yard says that “The nature of the explosives appears to be military, which is very worrying.” Similar components from the explosive devices have been found at all four murder sites, leading detectives to believe that each of the 10lb rucksack bombs was the work of one man.
According to the Serbian intelligence sources, Muhamed al Guerbouzi who is also known as Abu Alsa and is being investigated by the British police, lived in a Wahabi community in Bosnia near the village of Gornji Rasljani by a Bosnian town of Brcko. British intelligence believe that the materials used in the London bombing were not home made but sophisticated military explosives, possibly smuggled into Britain from the Balkans. (excert from article) serbianna.com/news/2005/01672.html[/quote]
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