US Troops Shelling Taliban in Pakistan

It's about time!!!

About 70% to 90% of Pakistan's population believes in the conservative/restrictive form of Islam known as "Salafism" or "Wahabism". This also is the dominant version of Sunni Islam preached by the Mufti and Imams of Saudi Arabia, and which influenced the Afghanistan's Taliban and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

So is there any wonder that the Pakistani military was less than efficient at capturing Usama bin Laden, Ayman al Zawahiri, of Mullah Omar? There was a kinddred value system in common, and any Pakistani soldier who captured UBL, Zawahiri, of Omar would probably have been taken out by his own military comrades, or by his neighbors when he returned home as a "hero". Unfortunately, Cheney's NEOCONs had little appreciation for the hazards of creating imperial hegemony in this region with so many adverse factors on the ground.

No matter what one thinks about Wahabism, or about Madrassahs that teach hate against the West and against the non-Islamic secular world, if 70% to 90% of a 180 million population believes they are right, then an arrogant and militaristic US foreign policy will probably not have a great deal of success at winning the local's hearts and minds. Nor can aircraft bomb the locals into loving the West.

That being stated as backdrop, Waziristan is an even more difficult situation. It has always resented being subjugated to Pakistani rule, and Pakistani leaders have been shy about imposing any controls over this autonomous region. (See: news.bbc.co.uk and www.globalpolicy.org)

So where would UBL and the Taliban seek to take refuge? In the autonomous provinces of Pakistan, namely North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Baluchistan. Any retaliation by NATO of Afghanistan into those autonomous regions of Pakistan would be seen by Pakistanis as an unprovoked attach on their national sovereignty, yet any bases set up by Taliban and Wahabi extremists from around the world would be fairly insulated from the reach of pro-Western Pakistani military and internal police forces. A perfect location for basing destabilization operations.

Correction: Zawahiri OR Mullah Omar? (Those stubby stiff typing fingers!)

Aside from the point that the simple word "OR" is consistently typed as "OF" above, the backdrop situation for protecting the government of Karzai is clear. Karzai's enemies have a relatively safe base for operations across the Pakistan-Afghani border in autonomous regions. The repeated attacks on Afghanistan from Pakistan are acts of war, and yet Karzai cannot declare war on Musharraf's Pakistan. If he did, he would likely cause Civil War to break out in Afghanistan.

It seems that retaliation for Taliban raids into Afghanistan is called for, but military operations tend to be a blunt instrument of foreign policy. What is also needed is a determined diplomatic and information operations offensive calling for Pakistani's to withhold contributions to the extremists in Waziristan. (Yet, getting Pakistani's to condemn the acts of the Waziris may be as hard as it would have been for George Washington and the patriots to have repudiated the activities of Ethan Allen in Vermont, which was a similarly autonomous region. The Green Mountain Boys were neither Americans from any state, nor loyal British subjects from Canada. They were in fact a well-organized rabble from a then autonomous part of the British colonies in North America.)

Intended link from BBC for the above: news.bbc.co.uk

heh
i just thought of this but, some people cite US military actions in Cambodia as contributing to the assenscion of Pol Pot. They claim that thousands of Cambodians died in those bombings, which made public support all that much easier to obtain for the anti-west and conspirital pol-pot.
Interesting that we are now lobbing shells into pakistan, which when unaswered by their pres, will make it easier for radical elements in that counrty to take hold

They've tried blowing up the Pakistani President a number of times - sometimes coming damn close to getting him.

In a alternate reality it would be completely appropriate. The guy ended democracy in the country, overthrowing the duly elected president in a military coup. He's lied ever since about returning the country to its people.

Then the Taliban, supported only by Pakistan at the time, shelter bin Laden.

Bin Laden rejoices in his role in 9/11. Cheney outsources capturing OBL to WHO?

The Afghan and Pakistani armies who immediatley "screw the pooch". If it all weren't so sad it would be laughable.

So, today? The Taliban find refuge, in part, in.....Pakistan!

This is only a taste of the things that are this corner of humanity. Chaos and utter double dealing at every turn, and a thousand factions all working with, and against one another.

And "democracy" is going to flourish there? America can't even buddy up with a democratic leader over there!

Bomb those mother fuckers!

Keeping the Vietnam analogy, Pakistan is Laos, a minor side project.
Iran is Cambodia. If we bomb there, I think millions will be dead by the time it's all over.

Keeping the Vietnam analogy, Pakistan is Laos, a minor side project.
Iran is Cambodia. If we bomb there, I think millions will be dead by the time it's all over.

And Iran. in that case, just might send about a million boots after our 150,000 !

Maybe Bush should use his head one time.

Lets get this crystal clear. Chimpy is afraid of radicals taking over Pakistan, can't stop that. If he tries to secure Pakistan areas adjacent to Afganistan, the back lash would be horrible. Also, Chimpy is afraid of Iran. he can only stop Iran's actions by major bombing possibly nukes. Chimpy ain't going to nuke anyone - he's a pansy in a chimp suit.

Remember, when Chimp says all options are on the table - most are going to stay on the table. He's going to leave this Mission Accomplished mess for the next President.

BBC reported long ago that US troops have permission to fire *into* Pakistan. Pakistan often provides targeting info.

Why are they mentioning it now as if it is something new?

news.bbc.co.uk

from 2004
------------------------------
------
However, if US forces spot an insurgent force in Pakistan within artillery range, it can be attacked with Pakistani permission.

"If we see a force over there we will contact [the Pakistani liaison officers]. They are pretty rapid. Sometimes they say to us, 'go ahead we have no issues with you firing'."

The Americans have found that there is less sensitivity to cross-border artillery than there is to aircraft straying into Pakistani airspace.

Yomelib -- Actually, Iran would mobilize a lot more than 1 million uniformed soldiers. The nation has a population of 66 million people. That's 220% of Iraq's population. There is no way that the Iranians would greet invaders with flowers and chocolates.

Could you imagine if the US were invaded by a foreign military force from halfway around the world? No citizen would be apathetic, and none would sit back and wait for the invaders to rule the country, particularly if the invaders' calling card was a protracted episode of "shock and awe" non-stop bombing of this country's infrastructure. Every able-bodied individual would team up with his or her friends to drive the invaders out and to exact revenge. Now just imagine the fury of a population that was 80% homogenous and that considered the invasion an insult to one's religion, and a grab for one's nation's natural resources. There would be no mercy for the invaders.

So what do Cheney's intelligence analysts see that the average person cannot deduce?

Cheney on intelligence:

www.allhatnocattle.net

"What is also needed is a determined diplomatic and information operations offensive calling for Pakistani's to withhold contributions to the extremists in Waziristan"

Well, Bush gave them a pass on selling nuke technology to everyone with the money, a billion bucks in walking around money, F-16s and let them continue supporting islamacist terrorist attacks against India, using al queda to train them. That should smarten them right up!

"If it all weren't so sad it would be laughable."

No shit? I'll have to study up on my antonyms.

The History of Oil: video.google.com

"To bring democracy to the middle east"... not to mention death, mayhem and destruction.

I am still searching for the wonderful news out of north korea this morning....

history has been the rights friend again as the 6 party talks have succeeded.....even though the left said that it NEVER WOULD WORK......
and bush was responsible for arming north korea.....I am not SEARCHING for the articles and the celebrations and words of praise now that he has DISARMED NORTH KOREA>......

I have a feeling that I had better keep searching somewhere else............

and on this topic.....all the taliban has to do is act like they are standing around in the open at a funeral and we will let them go......dont you know that the liberal PC way to fight these days.....

"I am still searching for the wonderful news out of north korea this morning...."

Really? I hope you're not laboring under the misimpression that the North Koreans have agreed to ditch any nukes they might have lying about. Because they haven't. Even the Japanese and Chinese are thinking this makes the US look weak. It's so Clintonian, BL2, that I'm not surprised the irony gets lost in the ether.