[antimedia] antimedia: In the category of horribly bad news....

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by antimedia:
In the category of horribly bad news....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1169077396.shtml


   ....is [1]this report from my friend, Steve Schippert, that paints a
   very bleak picture of the potential future of Pakistan.

    Taliban-al-Qaeda Alliance Grows Beyond 200,000 Men With Eyes On Islamabad

     By Steve Schippert
     With the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance fortified, well-established and
     growing in North and South Waziristan, the North West Frontier
     Province and several other Pakistani territories, one of the most
     welcomed possible developments in the ongoing war against the
     terrorist allies would be an actual strike on their positions by
     Pakistan itself. But for reasons that include Musharrafâs weakened
     position among his own military commanders and a hope against hope
     that he can stave off an all out Taliban-al-Qaeda offensive,
     insurgency or coup attempt, this is unlikely to happen, either in
     this instance or in a consistent, assertive Pakistani drive.
     The widely reported news echoing on various newswires Tuesday is
     that Pakistan has done just that: Launched a âprecision airstrikeâ
     on al-Qaeda forces in the village of Zamzola along the Afghanistan
     border in the Taliban and al-Qaeda enclave of South Waziristan.
     Pakistani spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan claims that the
     Pakistani strike was then followed by a helicopter assault in
     âmop-up.â In an area known to be a daytime training area for
     terrorists, as many as twenty have reportedly been killed.

   President Musharraf will soon have to declare his loyalty -- either he
   is against terror or for it. Because he will need plenty of support
   from the rest of the world to stave off a force of that size. His
   vacillating has put him in this position, and soon the chickens will
   come home to roost.

     It is within this context â though not centered on it â that urgent
     consideration of the crisis brewing in Pakistan is critically
     important, as the implications of potential near-term future
     developments can scarcely be overstated.
     While noting that Pakistan is an important ally, US National
     Intelligence Director John Negroponte also said in written
     testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee Friday that al-Qaeda
     is benefiting from âa secure hideout in Pakistan, from which it is
     rebuilding its strength.â Pakistani officials denied this
     vehemently, as foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said, âIn
     breaking the back of al-Qaeda, Pakistan has done more than any
     other country in the world.â
     While the Musharraf government in Pakistan has been and remains a
     critically important ally in this global conflict, it must be
     conceded that nearly all major terrorist attacks since and
     including those on September 11, 2001, have ties that lead directly
     or indirectly back to Pakistani origins. Nor is the Musharraf
     governmentâs recognized status as an American ally in the war
     against such terrorism a qualification to dismiss the fact that
     Pakistan has clearly wavered in the face of a resurgent
     Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance, deeply rooted within the embattled
     nationâs own borders.
     Since Pakistan ceded North Waziristan to the Taliban in September,
     the North and South Waziristan Provinces, the North West Frontier
     Province and surrounding areas have become a virtually unchallenged
     refuge for both al-Qaeda and their Taliban allies. What was billed
     by Pakistan to have been a âpeace accordâ with the terrorists has
     netted a Pakistani military withdrawal of ground forces and a 300%
     increase in cross-border attacks on NATO troops and civilians in
     Afghanistan from the region.

   The Waziristan and Baluchistan areas are wild and mountainous, lawless
   areas where tribal loyalties are what matter most and strangers who
   don't fit in quickly disappear. To conquer those areas would take a
   major military effort and rules of engagement that forgave major
   losses of civilian lives.
   What nations in the world have the stomach for that?

References

   1. http://analysis.threatswatch.org/2007/01/urgency-in-pakistan/