Well, I'm not going to sit here and tell everyone "I told you so" but ....well hell....I told you so. I've been blogging for months on the activities of the Taliban inside of Pakistan - I screamed at the Pakistani government when they entered into peace agreements with the Taliban when they literally had the Taliban on the ropes a few times...U.S. officials were silent. I have consistently warned that the Taliban were going to be a huge threat to the new government of Pakistan and it's just NOW, in the 11th hour, that Secretary of Defense Gates and Secretary of State Clinton start making calls for the Pakistanis to wake up. Oh well, here's the latest report from Reuters on how Gates is pressing the panic button (rightfully so, but WAY late):
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged the leaders of Pakistan to act against the spread of Taliban militancy, saying failure to confront the threat could affect U.S.-Pakistani relations.
In a visit on Thursday to a military installation where Marines are preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, Gates said some Pakistani leaders recognize the "existential threat" facing the country's democratic government from the Taliban.
"But it is important that they not only recognize it but take appropriate actions to deal with it," he told reporters at an outdoor briefing, as small-arms fire from a nearby training range crackled in the distance.
The Taliban's growing influence in northern Pakistan and the loss of ground of the Pakistani government has raised concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed nation.
"The stability and longevity of democratic government in Pakistan is central to the efforts of the coalition in Afghanistan and it is also central to our future partnership with the government in Islamabad," Gates added.
"We want to support them. We want to help them in any way we can. But it is important that they recognize the real threats to their country."
Now that I've vented, I do want to point out something. Over the past year, the Pakistani military has shown that they CAN handle the Taliban if they were permitted to finish a damn job! The Pakistani military has the resources of artillery, troops and air support to handle the Taliban and drive them back but their problem NOW is they have allowed the Taliban to spread out and also become entrenched in more populated areas. In other words, they are in 100 times the shit position than they were six months ago.
Photo note: The photo you see above shows Taliban jihadis walking the streets of the Buner District some 70 miles from Pakistan's capital - the Taliban were not even IN this district two weeks ago.
Finally, I do want to point out here that this is what you get when you negotiate with the Taliban. This is what happens when you try to reach out to 'moderates' in the Taliban. This is the DISASTER that happens when a country's leader decides to back down and instill some leveage to 'moderates.' Hmmm....didn't a major western country's President recently suggest reaching out to moderate Taliban in Afghanistan?
Finally, I do want to point out here that this is what you get when you negotiate with the Taliban. This is what happens when you try to reach out to 'moderates' in the Taliban. This is the DISASTER that happens when a country's leader decides to back down and instill some leveage to 'moderates.' Hmmm....didn't a major western country's President recently suggest reaching out to moderate Taliban in Afghanistan?
U.S. defense chief urges action on Pakistan militants
CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged the leaders of Pakistan to act against the spread of Taliban militancy, saying failure to confront the threat could affect U.S.-Pakistani relations.
In a visit on Thursday to a military installation where Marines are preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, Gates said some Pakistani leaders recognize the "existential threat" facing the country's democratic government from the Taliban.
"But it is important that they not only recognize it but take appropriate actions to deal with it," he told reporters at an outdoor briefing, as small-arms fire from a nearby training range crackled in the distance.
The Taliban's growing influence in northern Pakistan and the loss of ground of the Pakistani government has raised concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed nation.
"The stability and longevity of democratic government in Pakistan is central to the efforts of the coalition in Afghanistan and it is also central to our future partnership with the government in Islamabad," Gates added.
"We want to support them. We want to help them in any way we can. But it is important that they recognize the real threats to their country."
Gates' comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Islamabad of abdicating to the Taliban by agreeing to impose Islamic law in the Swat valley and said Pakistan now posed a "mortal threat" to the world.
Within days of the government's announcement of the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Swat, 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, militants forced their way into nearby Buner, closer to the capital Islamabad. They said their aim was to push their harsh version of Islam across the country.
On Thursday, unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of Pakistani paramilitary troops who deployed to Buner and killed a policeman escorting them.
5 comments:
OK - I voted for Obama but this is my first let down. We should have started air strikes as soon as Pakistan ceeded the Swat Valley. Such airstrikes may have increased support for the Taliban within Pakistan - but you've got to draw a line somewhere. This Taliban expansion has changed my whole image of Pakistan. I used to think of Pakistan as being culturally like India, not anymore.
The dumocrats are going to be responsible for a "manmade disaster" of biblical proportions when the taliban get possession of the nukes there. GJ Morons!
How is America (or rather the majority of American voters) responsible for the Taliban takeover of Pakistan? Its the Democrats fault that the Pakistani military is weak?
You are reaching for straws here. America is not to blame but it is our problem. Anon. - you sound like the worst liberal element - blaming all the worlds problems on America.
Esquerita,
Are you serious? This is your FIRST letdown? You've got a good head on your shoulders, Esq, clouded with Leftist thoughts but a good mind...certainly you HAD to have been let down by a stimulus bill that paid off Congress supporters' districts and states instead of doing ANYTHING to stimulate the economy. You're okay with nearly a trillion dollars to pay off favors from Illinois? :)
:Holger Danske
I'd have been a lot happier had all those stimulus dollars been spent on nationalized heath care. Socialized medicine (or whatever you want to call it) would do a lot on its own to stimulate the economy. Think of all the workers and small business owners spending hundreds every month to ensure themselves. A conservative might argue "Do you trust the government with your health care?", I'd answer "Do you trust your employer with it?"
I'm not in lock step with Obama by any means but I think he was a better choice than McCain/Palin. I'm still surprised he actually won.
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