Taliban Influence in Pakistan Spreads

[Toro]

Pakistani Taliban are imposing their rule in a Pakistani mountain valley they took over last week, spreading fear in the area only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, police and residents said on Monday.

Surging militant violence across Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence through the northwest are reviving concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed U.S. ally.

Pakistan is crucial to U.S. efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan but the government has been unable to check militant attacks in its cities let alone stop insurgents crossing into Afghanistan from border strongholds to battle Western forces.

Clashes erupted in Buner district last week after scores of Taliban moved in unopposed from the neighboring Swat valley, where authorities struck a deal with Islamists in February to enforce Islamic law in a bid to end violence.

Buner residents formed a militia, or "lashkar," to resist the militants and 13 people, including eight Taliban, three policemen and two villagers, were killed in clashes.

Authorities say they are negotiating with the militants to persuade them to withdraw but the Taliban have stayed put and appeared determined to take over the valley, police said.

"They are everywhere," Arsala Khan, a deputy superintendent of police, told Reuters by telephone from Buner.

"They are visiting mosques, they are visiting bazaars asking people to help them in enforcing sharia," he said.

...

Pakistani Taliban begin imposing rule in new area | Reuters

 

[RoadVirus]

Time to arm more UAVs

 

[Phate]

Not surprised, I predicted this several months ago. With the increased foreign troop presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban is trying to regroup in South-Eastern Pakistan. And because the Pakistani government can't even control their country, and because the Pakistani economy is in turmoil; Pakistanis are being influenced more by the Taliban who are promising to protect them/avenge them for the Missile strikes ( that do kill civilains ) and fight against the western-influenced government.

 

[Bootneck]

Not surprised, I predicted this several months ago. With the increased foreign troop presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban is trying to regroup in South-Eastern Pakistan. And because the Pakistani government can't even control their country, and because the Pakistani economy is in turmoil; Pakistanis are being influenced more by the Taliban who are promising to protect them/avenge them for the Missile strikes ( that do kill civilains ) and fight against the western-influenced government.

Hey, Phate! You should dump that crystal ball you're using for your predictions. It's giving you false information. The tribal areas that are home to the Taliban and their militant allies is to the north west of Pakistan, not the south east!

 

[Bootneck]

The Pak government has signed deals with militants in the tribal areas on three previous occasions - 2004, 2006 and 2007. All of these deals came to nothing. Neither will this current deal. Five years after Pakistan launched its first military operation against the Taliban in South Waziristan tribal district, the Taliban is gaining strength. So far, military operations, government-sponsored peace deals, and uprisings by Pashtun lashkars or tribal militias have all failed to stop the Taliban onslaught.

The Taliban, of course, have an ultimate objective of toppling the Pakistan government and applying their twisted version of Islam over the whole country. For now, they are content to concentrate on expanding their influence throughout the Pashtun border regions and to the whole of the Northwest Frontier Province. Anyone who stands in their way will be killed. The thousands already killed over the past five years is testament to that.

In the areas where the Taliban are already firmly entrenched they are using their military strength to establish their own courts and prison systems, raise taxes and curtail education. So, a parallel system of government has already been put in place. We are now seeing the beginning of the spread of the Taliban sytem to other areas such as Hangu and Bannu.

This is the beginning of what some see as the wider disintigration of Pakistan. A situation that would threaten the security of its nuclear arsenal, Afghanistan, India, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. How long before the Pak central government will be overrun by militant Islamists? Five Years? Ten Years? Certainly no longer. Meanwhile, the Pak army seems more concerned with India than it does with its own insurgency!

Afghanistan? A picnic compared to what could be coming from Pakistan!

 

[editec]

If we continue supporting goverments that lack the grassroots support in their own nations (and we often do because the governments we support stink at providing for their own people) then we should not be too awfully surprised when the people overturn those government and hate us for having supported them, too.

 

[Phate]

Not surprised, I predicted this several months ago. With the increased foreign troop presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban is trying to regroup in South-Eastern Pakistan. And because the Pakistani government can't even control their country, and because the Pakistani economy is in turmoil; Pakistanis are being influenced more by the Taliban who are promising to protect them/avenge them for the Missile strikes ( that do kill civilains ) and fight against the western-influenced government.

Hey, Phate! You should dump that crystal ball you're using for your predictions. It's giving you false information. The tribal areas that are home to the Taliban and their militant allies is to the north west of Pakistan, not the south east!

My mistake. I meant to say South-west.

 

[strollingbones]

bootneck...one question mate...is it worth it? this limited war or should we just be done with it...slaughtering them down to the last goat herder and move on?

and remember...all questions may be ask but not all will be answered..

 

[Bootneck]

bootneck...one question mate...is it worth it? this limited war or should we just be done with it...slaughtering them down to the last goat herder and move on?

and remember...all questions may be ask but not all will be answered..

I dunno Bones and as a serving member of HM armed forces, I'm not sure that providing opinions on the matter on a public forum wouldn't be in conravention of MoD regulations.

All I will say is that we should stay in Afghanistan until the ANA is capable of taking on the role of internal security and that job's not done yet.

As for Pakistan, the ramifications of what is going on in that country are bloody frightening.

 

[Bootneck]

And now, Hangu in the Pak tribal region is feeling the brunt of the Taliban insurgency. Twenty seven dead and sixty five injured.

A suicide car bomber who attacked an army convoy at a checkpoint in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 27 people.

The blast happened near another emerging stronghold of Taliban militants and within striking distance of the Afghan border.

A deputy of Pakistan's top Taliban leader took responsibility for the bombing near the town of Hangu.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the assault as a "cowardly act of terrorism" and said the pro-Western government would use an "iron hand" against terrorists and extremists.

The explosion on Saturday damaged about a dozen army trucks and jeeps as well as a police station at the checkpoint, said Farid Khan, a senior police official in Hangu.

At least 25 members of the security forces and two civilians died, Khan said from a hospital near the scene.

Another 62 security personnel and three civilians were wounded, including the local police chief, according to other officials.

Ananova - Suicide blast kills 27 in Pakistan

 

[Bootneck]

If we continue supporting goverments that lack the grassroots support in their own nations (and we often do because the governments we support stink at providing for their own people) then we should not be too awfully surprised when the people overturn those government and hate us for having supported them, too.

But the Pak government does have the grass roots support. They were elected by the people! The Taliban cannot be construed, by any stretch of the imagination as the 'grass roots'.

 

[RoadVirus]

This is the beginning of what some see as the wider disintigration of Pakistan. A situation that would threaten the security of its nuclear arsenal, Afghanistan, India, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. How long before the Pak central government will be overrun by militant Islamists? Five Years? Ten Years? Certainly no longer. Meanwhile, the Pak army seems more concerned with India than it does with its own insurgency!

This should be interesting. Hopefully, though, someone will come along and exterminate these dirtbags.

 

[PoliticalChic]

If we continue supporting goverments that lack the grassroots support in their own nations (and we often do because the governments we support stink at providing for their own people) then we should not be too awfully surprised when the people overturn those government and hate us for having supported them, too.

But the Pak government does have the grass roots support. They were elected by the people! The Taliban cannot be construed, by any stretch of the imagination as the 'grass roots'.

It's good to have info from some of the boots on the ground.

But there are several of the Pak jihadists that have local support, albeit imposed, like the TTP and the Fedayeen al-Islam, composed of leaders from the tribal areas.

But a more ominous development is the Indian elections, and if Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gets enough support, they may not show the restraint of the current government if there is another militant attack from Pakistan jihadists.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

If I were a Pakistani...

... I'd be scared as fuck!

 

[Bootneck]

But there are several of the Pak jihadists that have local support, albeit imposed, like the TTP and the Fedayeen al-Islam, composed of leaders from the tribal areas.

But a more ominous development is the Indian elections, and if Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gets enough support, they may not show the restraint of the current government if there is another militant attack from Pakistan jihadists.

In my view, it isn't a case of if there is another militant attack on India. It's a question of when. The various militant groups in Pak want to see the shaky peace agreement between the two nations destabilised. It suits their objectives. Regardless of which party gains power in India, I believe another attack will provoke some sort of action from India. That would result in Pak troops being diverted to the border, leaving the militants to start kicking in the back door.

 

[Bootneck]

If I were a Pakistani...

... I'd be scared as fuck!

If Pak goes off, the implications will have international ramifications. There's more than just Pakistanis who should have course to be worried.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

If I were a Pakistani...

... I'd be scared as fuck!

If Pak goes off, the implications will have international ramifications. There's more than just Pakistanis who should have course to be worried.

Absolutely true, let me change that around:

"I'm scared as fuck!"

 

[Bootneck]

If I were a Pakistani...

... I'd be scared as fuck!

If Pak goes off, the implications will have international ramifications. There's more than just Pakistanis who should have course to be worried.

Absolutely true, let me change that around:

"I'm scared as fuck!"

You ain't alone mate!