Are the Taliban and al Qaeda finally under serious pressure in their hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border?
Pakistani officials say U.S.-led helicopter-borne troops launched a ground assault on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing 20 people. The raid, in the South Waziristan tribal area, was the first known incursion into Pakistan by U.S.-led troops since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The raid has been condemned by Pakistan as a violation of its sovereignty. But the timing is puzzling.
Under intense U.S. pressure, the Pakistani army had launched major offensives against Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds in Bajaur, another border area, and in Swat in the North-West Frontier Province, although Pakistan has since called a ceasefire for Ramadan. Details of the offensives were sketchy, but their scale was implied by the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting. It began to look as though Pakistan was finally taking determined action to drive out the Taliban and al Qaeda.
According to French journalist Marie-France Calle, writing of a week spent travelling between Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad, “everyone I have spoken to have told me that … the new people in charge have decided to go all the way in the tribal areas. They all said the only solution was to continue military operations until the Taliban and other militants were wiped out”.
So if Pakistan had begun its own campaign — as Washington has long asked it to do — why did the United States take the risk of enraging Islamabad by sending in ground troops? Did the U.S. troops believe they had a major target in their sights, a high-profile al Qaeda leader, and decide it was worth the risk? Or was the attack evidence of mounting pressure from both the United States and Pakistan on the Islamist militants hiding out on the Pakistani-Afghan border? (The reported ground assault was followed up on Thursday by what Pakistan security officials said was a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in North Waziristan.)
It is too early to draw any real conclusions. However, let us just suppose the tide is turning against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan’s border areas and they are being forced out. Where will they go?
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murdering innocents is wrong - no matter what their nationality, religion, or geographical location is.
to murder innocents is a terrorist act - no matter if the perpetrators are from a ‘third world’ country or a rich nation that touts itself as the leader of the free world.
so let’s not try to obfuscate the fundamental issue here: THIS WAS AN ACT OF TERROR AND AN ACT OF WAR.
side issues:
1) with ref to all the ignorant comments about the ground realities of the war against terror in this region, pls note the Pakistan Army has been fighting militants for the past several years in extremely hostile and difficult terrain at a great and mounting cost of life. we don’t need inept clumsy cowboy style american actions that will only shatter support for this war and for the new percvd terrorist-on-the-block i.e. the coalition.
2) the militants are the same mercenaries - arab, uzbek, afghan, pakistani - whom the americans paid to fight the jihad against the soviets during the afghan-ussr war. they have been creating trouble ever since.
3) the fight against militancy in Pakistan will succeed only if the public continues to perceive it is in Pakistan’s self-interest. that’s not going to be possible if foreign cowboys use civilians for target practice.
- Posted by A R NizamiI’m quite sure there was real necessity for the raid and terrorists hiding in tribes, surrounding themselves with innocent people, makes for a nearly impossible scenario for zero loss of innocent life but they still have to be found and destroyed. It’s sad but true. The real vilain here are the terrorists, not the U.S. They’re a cancer to the planet and have to be destroyed–period. The raid accomplished at least one essential thing, if not two. It sent the clear message to Pakistan that doing nothing while hundreds of terrorist training camps flourished in it’s country was unacceptable and that one way or another the camps were going to be dealt with. Amazingly, Pakistan has now decided it’s in it’s own best interest to find and terminate them. It’s about **** time. They should have done it long before now and if they had, there would have been no U.S. raid. A country cannot claim sovereignty and ignore terrorists strongholds in it’s own territory at the same time. If it’s sovereign it has to deal with the terrorists, if it doesn’t it’s sovereignty becomes threatened by those who will. By knowingly allowing them to thrive, they become responsible for there future actions.
- Posted by Ethanraj patel
- Posted by UMPKShut up, India is the big shit hole, where 25% of population comprising of Dalits(low caste hindus) lives in absolute misery. India has poor masses which are unfed, take care of your country. If Pakistan did not go bankrupt after 1998 nuclear explosions, it can always withstand all pressure. India is morally bankrupt nation where christians are being murdered and oppressed in Orissa right now.
I am often amazed at the rapidity with which the Arab Work comes up with the “Party Line.” The joint actions taken by the American and Pakistani military forces is clearly a signal to the “terrorist” elements who use these areas to foster their narcotics and weapons distribution networks. It is less a war about “assaults” against Islam as it is a shoddy attempt to cover criminal activities. It is hard to bleat as an innocent about the loss of women and children when the Jihadists have specifically targeted public areas in Israel, Europe, Asian and New York which has caused countless deaths and injury to the civilians who were unfortunately in the target area. Obviously these people are busy trying to propagate the “big Lie.”
Unless the Moderate Muslims gain control of their societies and purge their societies of these criminal elements there will come a day in the very near future where the Middle East and the other Islamic nations will be forced to endure complete isolation, an absence of technological development and assistance during major disasters. There is no far less tolerance for the whinging Muslim who is attempting to play both sides of the street. Whether or not you agree Edward Said was way off the mark.
- Posted by Strategic AnalystAmazingDude
- Posted by PakistaniYou are an AMAZING IDIOT suggesting a nuclear strike by US on Pakistan. Think about it this way, Pakistan has a second strike status capability. Pakistan would still survive a nuclear strike and retaliate with one of its own.
Now again, suppose if Pakistan and US part ways at this point. Pakistani itelligence goes on to smuggle ATGMs(anti-tank guided missiles) and SAM(Surface to Air) short-medium range ANZA MK-1/2/3 missiles to the Taliban just like the CIA supplies to Mujahideen in the mid-80s to defeat the Soviets. The tide could turn against US/NATO forces in Afghanistan as they will loose air superiority. Logistical problems will arise and the skies will not be safe anymore. Many of Pakistan Army and Intelligence officers are Pushtun. They speak the language of Taliban and know the area better than anyone else. Pakistani military is backed by a nuclear detterent and can conduct increasingly offensive operations. This scenario can be a possibility and US knows this. The best option is cooperation. So stop your rhetoric and just realize the fact that you are playing with fire. The stakes are high and everyone needs to take sensible decisions.
I don’t blame if NATO is attacking those criminals who are killing innocent people on both sides of PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN borders,lets not forget that BUSH ADMINISTRATION paid billions of dollars to Pakistanis for fighting against terrorism but corrupt Pakistanis put that money in their bank accounts and never been sincere to kill or arrest taliban or their leaders,so its time for NATO to take action.
- Posted by Mwaqarwell the history is very sad! firstly one has to understand that it was pakistan who acknowledge taliban goverment in afghanistan, secondly they created the mess which the world is now dealing with,lastly its a payback time for pakistan ! its a rotten to core crroks run the country, with no regard to its people! neither their welfare, health or education, its a ownership of few elits, and without US support its would have bankrupt long time back!
- Posted by raj patelit sounds rather nice for them complain about raid in their terrority, what about their forces and bodies hidden agendas in kashmir!
the global community seems to forget what they have been up to for past 15 years !
its payback time from the monster they created, for a nation which is bankrupt without US aid!! tall order to talk about sovierenity!!
It is a appalling that people can make such sick comments here! Women and Children were killed, many of the children were less than 5 yrs old, unfortunately. The United Sates and all those low IQ Americans cant link angry people turning to violence as a final resort for revenge of murdering of their Wives, sons and daughters. 9/11 was an inside job without doubt, it is unfortunate that so many Americans fell for it, if the taliban was capable of carrying out such attacks then the White House would not exist and President Bush would not be alive. If they had the ability to plan and execute an attack of that scale, they would not let a single government building in the US exist after what those cruel Americans did to their children and women!
Now they are coming to Pakistan, the government at the time may support America but the people wont!
- Posted by Faizan ZakirSo America will fail, unless they give up their current strategy, and focus on educating children and encouraging development in Pakistan’s tribal areas. That is the solution.
Confusing and frustrating decision by the US, that is for sure. Why do something like this without consulting Pakistan, despite Pakistan being the most valuable ally in the war on terror? You can pick out the people who don’t know anything about anything when they say Pakistan is harboring this and that. Go read a newspaper, seriously. Pakistan has done more and lost more than the rest of the coalition in Afghanistan combined, and they are being treated like an enemy. It’s almost as if the US doeesn’t WANT to completely defeat terrorism in that region, which may very well be the case.
- Posted by SikandarPakistan is the terrorist capital of the world, no ifs and buts about that but.. what can be done? i think a nuclear strike by US in that region will and should cripple taliban for good.
- Posted by AmazingDudeWomen and children are killed because taliban and al qeda are using them as human shields or they are sheltering taliban an al queda. But, what does a Pakistani man care about them dying anyway? You people shoot and bury young women alive because they want to choose whom they marry. Oh, wait! I bet you only care about the young children who were boys who died, and you only care about the women because they aren’t there to take care of the boys who are alive.
- Posted by R Websterby the way they were not innocent women and children.. get your facts straight..
- Posted by Joe DPakistan needs to clean their back yard.. the US and any country has to right to engage cowards who attack in afgan and run across the border. In the rest of the world the country that allows the attackers to use their border usually stands up and runs military operations to help.. if not then we must go after them including the country that allows this to happen..
if not, then its time to wipe these people off the earth and get rid of extreme religious groups everywhere. if you cant get along with the rest of the world and different religions then go away
- Posted by Joe D20 dead is 20 dead. The U.S. is reckless raiding anywhere when innocent people are around. Who is paying for this? 1) American taxpayers, most of whom are regular people just like the 20 killed, and very unfortunately of course, 2) those who are killed. Hmm. When will we (U.S.) ever learn….? Didn’t Martin Luther King. Jr. accomplish his vision with non-violence?
- Posted by good dayPakistani- Did you forget about 9/11? If your harboring terrorist then you must be against us! Either fight with us to remove terrorism or get the F out of the way!
There will always be innocent casualty’s during a war or battle but, I know for a fact that the USA does not attack innocent women and children. TERRORIST ATTACK THE INNOCENT!! They only know how to fight like cowards and live in caves.
If you want us out of your country then STOP HARBORING TERRORIST!
- Posted by James IV[...] Are the Taliban under pressure in Pakistan? Comments (4) Posted by: Myra MacDonald Tags: Uncategorized [...]
- Posted by Defencedebates’s Weblogyour report - and many others in the western media - do not mention that the 21st century technology of the US was employed against unarmed men, women, and children in a remote village.
2 foreign helicopters landed, 2 staying airborne, as big, brave, foreign soldiers entered several homes and killed 20 defenseless people, including 10 women and children. mission accomplished, they flew off in there nice shiny choppers.
any way you look at it, THIS IS AN ACT OF TERRORISM AND AN ACT OF WAR.
sheer arrogance and stupidity will not win the US any friends and will alienate any support it has for the ‘war on terror’ by making it impossible to differentiate between the so-called ‘good guys’ and the ‘terrorists’.
- Posted by A. R. Nizami[...] Are the Taliban under pressure in Pakistan? [...]
- Posted by US carrys out attack inside Pakistan | T.G.O.HRarely will the actual target be identified. It simply makes sense to get as much from detainees before you tell their comrades that they (and their information) have been compromised. On the other hand, Pakistan wants to be a free and stable Islamic democracy. So they bad mouth the U.S. actions in public, but privately encourage pressure on the Taliban. When the two front war squeezes the terrorist out into the open, this war will quickly change to a small hit and run affair which may go on for years. But the area governments can handle that level of war without upsetting their larger neighbors Iran and India. The next play for the terrorist is clearly Kashmir where major players have a stake. I fear the recent unrest there is just a start.
- Posted by James ParkerIf the United States thinks it is smart enough to carry on reckless cross-border assaults into Pakistani territory, well then Pakistani intelligence ISI should start providing Stinger type ANZA-MK1 & ANZA-MK2 anti-aircraft/helicopter missiles to the Taliban. The US/NATO force should be deprived of the air superiority to stop them from attacking Pakistan. A couple of successful hits downing chinooks, Blackhawks will open the eyes of Americans. Pakistan’s soverignity has to be preserved at every cost, even at the expense of American objectives in Afghanistan. Long Live Pakistan!
- Posted by Pakistani