Pakistan Commits Acts of War Against America to Appease Taliban
This from Riaz Khan, under the as-usual unperceptive AP's headline "Islamic law to be imposed in parts of Pakistan" (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan).
The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country's interior.
Now, let's take this apart.
The Pakistani government is now openly agreeing to not attack the Taliban, which is engaging in active warfare against America, Afghanistan and NATO, while continuing to prohibit said Powers from attacking the Taliban bases in Pakistan. This is a serious act of war. If Pakistan really wanted to avoid combat with the Taliban, while avoiding the commission of an act of war against America, Pakistan should have withdrawn her own forces from the Northwest and given permission for America and her allies to go in there to ferret out the Taliban.
What Pakistan has done is, effectively, to agree to use Pakistani national power, implicitly including nuclear weapons, to secure a sanctuary for the Terrorists to operate against the forces of Civilization worldwide. The quid pro quo is that the Terrorists will stop attacking the Pakistanis at home.
This means, of course, that Pakistan fears the Terrorists more than they fear America. Hmm, now why might that be? Has something changed over the last month or so that could produce such a shift in calculation? I wonder what ...
The cease-fire, in Pakistan's Swat Valley hundreds of miles from the missile strike in Kurram, will likely concern the United States, which has warned Pakistan that such peace agreements allow al-Qaida and Taliban militants operating near the Afghan border time to rearm and regroup.
This is an extremely mild way of putting it. In fact, were we being led by President McCain, rather than President Obama, I would say for sure that this had put us on course for war with Pakistan. Given Obama's coddling of the Terrorists, including his recent abolition of sanctions against Syria and moves to abolish sanctions against Iran, I'm not so sure that Obama won't just grin and bear this.
Note, by the way, that if he does this, he'll be violating yet another campaign promise. You may recall that he pledged to focus on Afghanistan and get tougher on Pakistan to expel the Terrorists from their Northwest Province. In other words, he specifically stated that he would lean on Pakistan if they did exactly what they are now doing.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister for the North West Frontier Province, said authorities would impose Islamic law in Malakand region, which includes the Swat Valley.
Now, keep in mind that Pakistan is already governed by "Islamic law," including the criminilization of heresy and apostasy, and the prosecution of rape victims as adulterers and fornicators, and "Islamic practice," including the routine sheltering of lynch mobs and the rape of women held in police custody. What Amir Haider Khan is promising is to impose the Taliban's version of Islamic law, which includes the abolition of women's education and jobs. And this will be done with the authority and force of the Pakistani government.
The Swat Taliban said Sunday they would observe a 10-day cease-fire in support of the peace process. They welcomed Monday's announcement, which did not mention any need for the militants to give up arms.
In other words, the Taliban only promises 10 days of peace, and they will keep their weapons. They're getting everything, and giving up nothing. And the price Pakistan is paying is that it would now be permissible under Just War for America to attack Pakistan.
The only conceivable reasons for Pakistan to do this are (1) a sneaking sympathy for the Taliban goals, and (2) a complete conviction of Obama's cowardice.
The U.S. has stepped up missile strikes in the border region since August, killing some suspected top militants. Pakistan routinely protest the strikes, saying it undercuts its fight against terror.
What "fight against terror?" Or, rather, what "fight against terror" now? With this agreement, the Pakistanis have pretty much surrendered.
Regaining the Swat Valley from militants is a major test for the Pakistani government.
A "test" which it has now resoundingly failed.
Unlike the semiautonomous tribal regions where al-Qaida and Taliban have long thrived, the former tourist haven is supposed to be under full government control and lies less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the provincial capital, Islamabad.
How long will it be now before the Terrorists openly take control of all Pakistan?
And, will President Obama do anything to prevent this victory?
The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country's interior.
Now, let's take this apart.
The Pakistani government is now openly agreeing to not attack the Taliban, which is engaging in active warfare against America, Afghanistan and NATO, while continuing to prohibit said Powers from attacking the Taliban bases in Pakistan. This is a serious act of war. If Pakistan really wanted to avoid combat with the Taliban, while avoiding the commission of an act of war against America, Pakistan should have withdrawn her own forces from the Northwest and given permission for America and her allies to go in there to ferret out the Taliban.
What Pakistan has done is, effectively, to agree to use Pakistani national power, implicitly including nuclear weapons, to secure a sanctuary for the Terrorists to operate against the forces of Civilization worldwide. The quid pro quo is that the Terrorists will stop attacking the Pakistanis at home.
This means, of course, that Pakistan fears the Terrorists more than they fear America. Hmm, now why might that be? Has something changed over the last month or so that could produce such a shift in calculation? I wonder what ...
The cease-fire, in Pakistan's Swat Valley hundreds of miles from the missile strike in Kurram, will likely concern the United States, which has warned Pakistan that such peace agreements allow al-Qaida and Taliban militants operating near the Afghan border time to rearm and regroup.
This is an extremely mild way of putting it. In fact, were we being led by President McCain, rather than President Obama, I would say for sure that this had put us on course for war with Pakistan. Given Obama's coddling of the Terrorists, including his recent abolition of sanctions against Syria and moves to abolish sanctions against Iran, I'm not so sure that Obama won't just grin and bear this.
Note, by the way, that if he does this, he'll be violating yet another campaign promise. You may recall that he pledged to focus on Afghanistan and get tougher on Pakistan to expel the Terrorists from their Northwest Province. In other words, he specifically stated that he would lean on Pakistan if they did exactly what they are now doing.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister for the North West Frontier Province, said authorities would impose Islamic law in Malakand region, which includes the Swat Valley.
Now, keep in mind that Pakistan is already governed by "Islamic law," including the criminilization of heresy and apostasy, and the prosecution of rape victims as adulterers and fornicators, and "Islamic practice," including the routine sheltering of lynch mobs and the rape of women held in police custody. What Amir Haider Khan is promising is to impose the Taliban's version of Islamic law, which includes the abolition of women's education and jobs. And this will be done with the authority and force of the Pakistani government.
The Swat Taliban said Sunday they would observe a 10-day cease-fire in support of the peace process. They welcomed Monday's announcement, which did not mention any need for the militants to give up arms.
In other words, the Taliban only promises 10 days of peace, and they will keep their weapons. They're getting everything, and giving up nothing. And the price Pakistan is paying is that it would now be permissible under Just War for America to attack Pakistan.
The only conceivable reasons for Pakistan to do this are (1) a sneaking sympathy for the Taliban goals, and (2) a complete conviction of Obama's cowardice.
The U.S. has stepped up missile strikes in the border region since August, killing some suspected top militants. Pakistan routinely protest the strikes, saying it undercuts its fight against terror.
What "fight against terror?" Or, rather, what "fight against terror" now? With this agreement, the Pakistanis have pretty much surrendered.
Regaining the Swat Valley from militants is a major test for the Pakistani government.
A "test" which it has now resoundingly failed.
Unlike the semiautonomous tribal regions where al-Qaida and Taliban have long thrived, the former tourist haven is supposed to be under full government control and lies less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the provincial capital, Islamabad.
How long will it be now before the Terrorists openly take control of all Pakistan?
And, will President Obama do anything to prevent this victory?