Sunday, February 24, 2008

Taliban In Pakistan Warn New Government To Stay Away


Here is it, right on cue. The Taliban and al Qaeda affiliates in NW Pakistan have already made their first demands of the newly elected Pakistani government while the chard dust hasn't even settled in polling places. Here's what a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban said:


"Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear to them we don't want fighting. We want peace, but if they impose war on us, we will not spare them," he said.
"We don't want political parties to repeat the mistake which Musharraf committed and follow a path dictated by the U.S."

Got that new Pakistani government? If you need some interpretation, it means this:

1. We, the Taliban, OWN the NW territories and you better keep out of our area
2. You better cut all ties with the West, especially the United States
3. If you don't do what we say, we will take care of you the way we did Benazir Bhutto

My guess is that the newly elected government officials will appease and back down and cower in corners like newborn kittens. They will be satisified to govern 80% of the country and hope and pray to the golden idol that the Taliban will be satisified with the northwestern area. And in the end, the result of all of this will be a spread of Taliban and al Qaeda influence throughout the country of Pakistan that will rival the worst bird flu epidemic models ever created.
I have been extremely critical of Musharraf in the past but the one thing he did not do was back down after five assassination attempts on his life - he put Pakistani troops in the NW territories as recently as six weeks ago.
The new kids on the block will show their yellow bellies and in essence, the fate of Pakistan will be sealed.

Here's the full story from Reuters.


Pakistan Taliban warn new government to keep clear

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan militants linked to al-Qaeda warned any incoming civilian government on Sunday they would strike even more viciously if President Pervez Musharraf's U.S-backed war on terror continued in tribal areas.
Following last week's inconclusive election, several political parties are in talks to form a coalition strong enough for a ruling majority in the National Assembly. How they deal with militants will be one of their most pressing challenges.
The Pakistan Taliban have been blamed for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, as well as killing hundreds in attacks over the past few years.
In northwest Pakistan on Sunday, militants attacked a security post, killing a policeman and two paramilitary servicemen and wounding six others, officials said.
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that any new military operation in tribal areas would lead to more violence.

"We'll give them a chance," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, told a news conference in Islamabad.

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