Britannia Radio

Russian units raid Georgian airfields for use in Israeli strike against Iran – report DEBKAfile Special Report September 5, 2008, 12:58 PM (GMT+02:00) Israeli long-range unmanned aerial vehicle The Russian raid was disclosed by UPI chief editor Arnaud de Borchgrave, who is also on the Washington Times staff, and picked up by the Iranian Fars news agency. The Russian raid of two Georgian airfields, which Tbilisi had allowed Israel to use for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, followed the Georgian offensive against South Ossetia on Aug. 7. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that flying from S. Georgia over the Caspian Sea to Iran would sharply trim the distance to be spanned by Israeli fighter-bombers, reducing flying time to 3.5 hours.  More...

Pakistan “suspends” main fuel supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan DEBKAfile Special Report September 6, 2008, 12:39 PM (GMT+02:00) DEBKAfilereports that the blocking of the main Torkham fuel route toNATO forces fighting in Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 6, was a warning fromIslamabad that no more US ground incursions would be tolerated. The vital fuel route was shut two days after a US helicopter-borne commando attack on Taliban-al Qaeda sanctuaries left 20 dead at a village, one mile inside northwest Pakistani territory. Facing an enraged public, thePakistan government’s used the escalating terrorist attacks in the Khyber tribal region as a pretext for “temporarily suspending” traffic. Washington is counting on Asif Ali Zardari stepping into the impasse after his election as Pakistan president Saturday.  More...