Pakistan to attack Taliban in Bin Laden’s lair

Sunday Times (UK) ^ | May 17, 2009 | Christina Lamb and Daud Khattak in Buner

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

PAKISTAN is to extend its war on the Taliban beyond Swat into the fiercely independent tribal areas bordering Afghanistan where Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda leadership are believed to be hiding.

“We’re going to go into Waziristan, all these regions, with army operations,” President Asif Ali Zardari told The Sunday Times in an interview. “Swat is just the start. It’s a larger war to fight.”

He said Pakistan would need billions of pounds in military assistance and aid for up to 1.7m refugees, the biggest movement of people since the country’s split from India in 1947.

To help take on the militants, the Pakistan army is for the first time to accept counterinsurgency training from British and American troops on its own soil.

“We need to develop our capability and we need much more support,” said Zardari. “We need much, much more than the $1 billion [military aid] we’ve been getting, which is nothing. We’ve got 150,000 troops in [the tribal areas] - just the movement of that number would cost $1 billion.”

Pakistan’s army is geared towards conventional warfare against its old enemy India. There have long been concerns in Whitehall and Washington at its ineffectiveness and lack of commitment against militants.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[NormsRevenge]

Waziristan Bump!

[UCANSEE2]

PAKI: We heard you were handing out bailout money. We want some.

[Flavius]

So good thing they wAited

[swarthyguy]

>.We need much, much more than the $1 billion [military aid] we’ve been getting, which is nothing. We’ve got 150,000 troops in [the tribal areas] - just the movement of that number would cost $1 billion

You gotta hand it to the pucker. He’s got chutzpah.

Notice no mention of:

Chitral, Gilgit, Baltistan or PakiKashmir!

[colorado tanker]

“We’re going to go into Waziristan, all these regions, with army operations,” President Asif Ali Zardari told The Sunday Times in an interview. “Swat is just the start. It’s a larger war to fight.”

He said Pakistan would need billions of pounds in military assistance and aid for up to 1.7m refugees. If my friends and I only get a 1% rake on that, we'll become the richest men in Pakistan! God Bless America, we are your true friend!”

[G8 Diplomat]

Pakistan ۋﮧ۱م

FReepmail if you want on or off

[Marine_Uncle]

Well. Many of us and elsewhere have been complaining for the past six years or so Pakistan did not want to get involved.
Now the rubber meets the road. They just don't have the money and resources required to have their military take over the whole northern part of the country, effectively and destroy the Taliban and their associative radical Islamic/political movements.
Notice we also have been hearing about how the Iraqi military is going to be hurting due to the long term plunge in oil revenues.

[rbg81]

Either someone lit a fire under his a$$ or its just another scam to get $$ out of the West. I think the latter is more likely than the former.

[Azzurri]

“We’re going to go into Waziristan, all these regions, with army operations,” President Asif Ali Zardari told The Sunday Times in an interview.

This guy is a modern day Paul Revere, alerting Bin Laden to evacuate the area.