Posted on 06/28/2008 8:35:19 AM PDT by nuconvert
Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown near Peshawar
Jun 28, 2008
By Ibrahim Shinwari
LANDIKOTAL, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces launched an offensive against Taliban fighters near the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday, prompting a militant commander to suspend peace talks and threaten retaliation.
The crackdown in the Khyber tribal region followed a series of sorties by Taliban fighters into Peshawar to push people to observe their puritanical interpretation of Islamic law.
"There has not been any resistance from any group or miscreants," according to a government statement in Peshawar.
Major-General Alam Khattack, who is leading the offensive, said it was focused on Bara town, around 5 km (3 miles) west of Peshawar, and could be extended to other parts of Khyber.
"It was initially planned for four or five days but it may be extended further," he told a news conference in Peshawar.
A senior security official said the troops fired mortar rounds into militants' bases and destroyed eight of them, including the house of local militant commander Mangal Bagh. He said one militant was killed in an exchange of fire.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
pong
Excellent news - For the smoke this creates -
btw - we are just passed the 4th anniversary of the Nek thread (in case you’d care to make an update there...)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1155685/posts
which started on the introduction to Nek thread here >>
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1137369/posts
This is very good news!
The new crowd is in charge in Pakistan. I would think of them as Albright, Obama and EU types.
Strange how the Musharraf cynics, Reuters and the Drive-Bys trust the new guys to get this done.
I don't.
McCain should be pummeling Obama on this, but he's laying low. It's possible, though not likely, that he's going to let Br'er Obama stick his fist even deeper in this tar baby.
This is "Dog and Pony Show" news - It's "Groundhog Day" News. Hell, it's not even "news"
It's only 'deja vu all over again."
The taliban sympathizer/infiltrated Paki gov't/military, when things becoming glaringly obvious they are in bed with the talis, pull a "Clinton."
They lob a few bombs at empty buildings, they make great noise for a few days, they then hold "peace" talks and then call a cease fire - which has one purpose: to allow the talies time to recoup, regroup, break the agreement and continue to overtake the NWFP.
The world gets upset,,,the Pakis lob a few bombs at empty buildings, make a great noise for a few days...."
They've already, true to the pattern, stated that this operation will last week. The Talis know it will stop and lay low and wait...per their agreement. All for show...
There is only one way to get a handle on what is going on in Afghanistan: Kazai makes good on his threat to follow the talies back across the border = and we give them air cover.
Killing a rat or two in the basement does not solve the problem. You must follow them back to their nests and wipe 'em out...not stopping to let them multiply
Exactly.
This so called offensive should be judged on its outcomes.
1/ How many Taliban commanders were killed or captured?
2/ Hoew many terrorist camps were destroyed?
3/ Have the jihadist madrassas been shut down?
4/ Do cross border attacks on coalition troops decrease?
I have seen this show before and it always ends with a whimper. I’m not believing this episode unless the above outcomes are shown to have happened.
Usually these Pakistani attacks are a way of saying “Hey Americans, we just bombed our people, so get off our backs”
exactly - I’m watching anxiously - I have family on that damn border -
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