Posted on 10/21/2009 5:07:16 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Taliban declare entire country is a war zone
Following the attack, Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior minister, said that Pakistan was now in what he called a state of war.
As ground troops pressed their offensive in South Waziristan, police in cities went on heightened alert after attacks by al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists this month left 185 people dead. Their targets included elite police commando colleges in Lahore and the army's own general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
An education ministry spokesman said 414 schools, colleges and universities run by the federal government had been shut down. The country's elite schools, which operate on British or American systems, are regarded as at particular risk.
"All have been closed because of security threats received in recent days.
"We are taking precautionary measures. We cannot station police at every school. We hope principals and heads of institutions will make proper security arrangements," he added.
Hussein's warning of increased violence spread fear throughout Pakistan on Wednesday as fighting in South Waziristan intensified in and around the Taliban-held town of Kotkai, the hometown of Hussein and Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistani army sources on Wednesday night claimed to have finally seized control of the town after two days of fierce Taliban resistance, but although troops were in command of the town centre, several pockets of Taliban defiance remained. Several militant groups were still holding on to strategic heights around the town.
The army and Taliban made contrasting claims on the numbers of dead and wounded on either side in intense fighting in and around the towns of Jandola, Ladha and Sherwangai. According to Major-General Athar Abbas, an army spokesman, three soldiers, including an officer, were "martyred" in the clashes, while a Taliban spokesman claimed militants had killed 40 soldiers.
The Army said it
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Taliban declare entire country is a war zone
____________________________________________________
One way to take over a country...
Close everything down tight and cause everyone to fear..
Maybe the madrassas will stay closed. One can hope.
Pakistan’s chickens come home to roost. Kind of funny when you think about it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.