While the world has had its eyes on the Operation Cast Lead in Gaza and now shifts its view onto the coronation of the new American President, the Taliban have been busy in Pakistan. Yup. They have been puffing out their chests, yelling "Allahu Ackbar", proving themselves the mighty warriors they are...by blowing up boys and girls schools in NW Pakistan. :cueing up The Village People's 'Macho Man':
Here's the brief but disgusting article from Daily Times:
It's my view that the Taliban generally have a different mindset than al Qaeda - the forces of al Qaeda basically utilize terror tactics for disruption and trying to weaken a political infrastructure in a country while the Taliban take more of the angle of intimidation. I think the difference is important, in that the Taliban actually operate like they are in control already - they aren't, but they act like that. How can I put it another way? Okay...it would be like Joseph Stalin doing what he did but only commanding one city in all of Russian. The Taliban continue to try intimidate and influence the actual behavior of the citizens of Pakistan...while al Qaeda simply tries to shock and awe the country into chaos. Perhaps a subtle difference, yes but at times, the Taliban do shit that just seems absurd. Besides the fact that they are certifiably insane, they firmly believe they are in control and thus "their" citizens must be brought in line.
Here's the brief but disgusting article from Daily Times:
Taliban blow up 6 schools in SwatI've documented here before that one of the strategies used by the Taliban in Afghanistan when they were in power in that country was to basically shut down the education system nationwide - the Taliban are a bit of a cowardly bunch and they view education of a child as a major threat to their power. Unfortunately for the Pakistanis, the Taliban have adopted this policy for Pakistan ...where they aren't really in power yet but needless to say they are intent on dumbing down that pesky Pakistani population.
MINGORA: The Taliban on Monday blew up five boys’ and a girls’ school in the restive Swat district, locals and officials said on Monday. The Taliban planted bombs around the buildings of five schools, which detonated late on Sunday, while the sixth was detonated on Monday afternoon. No reports of casualties were received. Meanwhile, two security personnel were injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack on their vehicle in Shand area of Madian on Monday, sources said. staff report
It's my view that the Taliban generally have a different mindset than al Qaeda - the forces of al Qaeda basically utilize terror tactics for disruption and trying to weaken a political infrastructure in a country while the Taliban take more of the angle of intimidation. I think the difference is important, in that the Taliban actually operate like they are in control already - they aren't, but they act like that. How can I put it another way? Okay...it would be like Joseph Stalin doing what he did but only commanding one city in all of Russian. The Taliban continue to try intimidate and influence the actual behavior of the citizens of Pakistan...while al Qaeda simply tries to shock and awe the country into chaos. Perhaps a subtle difference, yes but at times, the Taliban do shit that just seems absurd. Besides the fact that they are certifiably insane, they firmly believe they are in control and thus "their" citizens must be brought in line.
2 comments:
There is nothing that Islam fears more than an educated woman, for she might realize that she IS worth more than a goat.
Right on the money...as usual, Shark.
:Holger Danske
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