Posted on 05/03/2009 10:33:59 AM PDT by Schnucki
TALIBAN militants who have seized swathes of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan have inflicted a reign of terror on villagers, landowners and the police, using kidnapping, looting, pillaging and murder to impose their will.
Yesterday, as Pakistani forces stepped up their campaign to retake territory in the districts of Buner, Dir and Swat, it emerged that in one Taliban-controlled village, Pir Baba in Buner, the militants were holding 2,000 people as human shields in case the army attacked.
Elsewhere the Taliban appeared to be relying on kidnapping to extort funds and intimidate the population. Many of their victims have been members of rich families.
“Kidnapping has become routine in our village. Armed Taliban were picking up people and then demanding a huge ransom for their release,” said an elderly refugee now living with his family in a tent in Timergara, a town in Dir.
Police officers were also being abducted or killed. Last Thursday militants kidnapped a local officer and 11 guards in Upper Dir, an area that had been peaceful. In Mingora, the largest city in Swat, three policemen were abducted by militants.
On a two-day journey through the remote valleys in Buner, Dir and Swat, I discovered that many of the 90,000 refugees fleeing the conflict welcomed the military action despite their anger at being forced to leave their homes and farms.
President Asif Ali Zardari, who will meet Barack Obama at the White House this week, launched Operation Black Thunder last Sunday with the aim of rolling back the Taliban advance.
Many regard it as a last throw of the dice by a desperately weak president.
General David Petraeus, the commander of US Central Command, privately told officials that the next two weeks could determine whether the Pakistani government survived.
American confidence in the ability of
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Chickens coming home to roost - it hasn’t taken long!
Obama, pick up line 1, Hillary pick up line 10
Michael Moore must be very proud of his “freedom fighters”.
Those that fail to recognize that fact are responsible for the death and misery of the Taliban's victims.
According to San Francisco, We must respect cultural differences.
Just because the Muslims like to rape, kidnap, torture, and behead people, it does not mean that they are bad people.
In a Lib mind set, they like and respect terrorists. They can relate.
The homos would not water board Sheik Kalid but they would line up to water board Miss California.
These guys aren’t against torture. They are against torturing their anti-American friends.
Let’s open a dialog with them, shall we?
US says Pakistani Nukes are Secure
Voice of America | 04 May 2009 | Meredith Buel
Posted on 05/04/2009 1:46:21 PM PDT by rdl6989
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2244033/posts
BBC: Taleban face human shields charge ( Pakistan getting serious?)
BBC | Monday, 4 May 2009 13:45 UK | BBC Staff
Posted on 05/04/2009 1:23:08 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2244020/posts
and thanks Ernest:
‘Army fears disintegration if war ordered on Taliban’
daily times | 5/1/09 | Daily Times Monitor
Posted on 04/30/2009 8:22:36 PM PDT by Flavius
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241759/posts
It could get ugly!
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