Pakistan warns west: we cannot fight al-Qaida if crisis escalates

[CHIMO]

Source: Guardian

Senior Pakistani intelligence officials have threatened to end military operations against Islamist militants along the country's Afghan border if India deploys troops on their eastern frontier.

In a rare briefing to senior local journalists, intelligence officials said the coming days would be "crucial" and threatened to pull out all the troops committed to the "war on terror" in the event of "an unwanted conflict" with India. "We will not leave a single troop on the western border if we are threatened by India," an official was reported as saying.

Pakistan currently has more than 100,000 soldiers engaged in operations in the semi-autonomous tribal zones where senior international militants connected to al-Qaida, local extremists and a significant proportion of the Taliban's leadership are thought to be based.

The Pakistani operations, largely funded by the United States, are seen by Nato commanders as vital to keep open supply lines to their troops in Afghanistan and to block, or at least hinder, movement by militants across the porous Afghan-Pakistan frontier.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/terrorism-pakistan-india-conflict

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Seems like before Obama can defuse Kashmir that others are throwing sand into the gears.

[TomInTib]

1. Quick! send Condi!

She'll fix this in no time.

[rainbow4321]

3. Funny you should say that...CNN-IBN just said she will be there Wednesday

to meet with the Indian PM. I imagine we will be seeing photo ops of her at the Taj hotel and the hospital/survivors' bedsides.

[TomInTib]

4. Well, I sure hopes she wears her Good Shoes.

Wednesday, huh?

I guess it was hard to get a flight, Tourist Season and all that.

[icnorth]

8. Condi can't be in the loop with her base...

rumour has it Rick Wagoner's private jet may be available or they mey even be downsizing their fleet.

[jwirr]

6. She is trying to get the contract to repair the damage for Helliburtin. nt

[TomInTib]

2. Fulcrum USA

This message was directed squarely at the USofA.

[bluesmail]

7. I agree, it's a not so secretly coded message.

Now the world knows.

[ohio2007]

13. sending out a BHO SOS

Bear in the mountains



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/world/asia/26pstan.html?_r=1

[benld74]

5. Take the money and run,,,

more of our money GIVEN by BUSHCO in another LAME attempt to curb terrorists

[bemildred]

9. Yer not fighting al Qaeda now ...

If they have 100,000 troops in the tribal areas, then they are not doing much. Not that that is a bad thing, them not doing much in the tribal areas, but this is bullshit.

[mr_hat]

12. Exactly. Those troops are there to destablize Afganistan, nothing more.

Time to call Pakistan's bluff and stop being played for suckers to the tune of billions of dollars per year.

[ohio2007]

14. Fort Apache. Staying alive in hostile territory is the biggest goal they have.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401255_pf.html

[ohio2007]

10. Give Barack the accurate intelligence he requested, and he said Hillary will take it from there

India-Pakistan tensions may pull in U.S.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AT1KI20081130

Seems to me we are already in since the civilian govt hasn't reigned in the ISI rogues

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/29/pakistan.missile/index.html?eref=rss_latest

better start greasing up those fast tracks,his people need to acompany any diplomatic nerve soothing missions.

[DallasNE]

11. Excuse Me

But when have they put any real effort in going after either al-Qaida or the Taliban. After all, both bin Laden and Omar are still on the loose.

[sarcasmo]

16. One and the same, Al Qada is the given name from the CIA for the Taliban.

Why you will see many of us here refer to then as AL-CIA-DUH.

[happyslug]

17. There is a difference, Al Queda is Arabian (including Egyptian) based, the Taliban is Pusthan.

And in that part of the world that is a huge difference, through for the last 20-30 years these two groups have worked together, it is Al Queda that gets the money from Arabia, but it is the Taliban who we are fighting in Afghanistan AND are a problem in the Mountains of Pakistan.

These two groups are related, but are separate organizations and separate agendas. Al Queda wants a new Islamic Empire, a return of the Caliphate of post-Mohammad times, while the Taliban wants to control Afghanistan. Right now these two agendas provide grounds for mutual cooperation. You have to start someplace to build the Caliphate Empire (Al Queda's aim) and the Taliban are willing to be part of that Empire for it promise them local control of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These two groups will break apart if Pakistan and Afghanistan ever falls to the Taliban and India does nothing. The Taliban will concentrate on its local control and tell Al Queda that the Taliban can no longer help them (Different case if India invades, then the Taliban will want assistance from any ally including Al Queda, through if the Taliban gets greedy and invades India after Pakistan falls to it, then it may be Al Queda that abandons the Taliban, for Al Queda wants Arabia and views the present conflict just as a training ground for a future attempt to take over Arabia).

Now the above is pure speculation, like the French in the late 1600s and early 1700s who said France should abandon its colonies in North America, for within a Generation the Americas would demand independence from Britain. As long as the French were in North America the Americans looks at the British as needed allies, but once the French threat is gone, so will any support for British involvement in America (and look at what happen within a generation, 20 years, of the fall of Quebec to Britain, the US won its war of Independence).

You have to look at the long term when you plan any actions when it comes to other countries. When it comes to the Taliban, maybe the best choice would be to leave them win Afghanistan. Such a win would leave the Pusthans to busy fighting over Afghanistan to fight in Pakistan let alone India. On the other hand if the war against the Taliban continues, they may extend their guerrillas activities to India (and this recent attack may just be the first of many).

My point is there are ways to separate the Taliban from Al Queda, but it means giving the Taliban something. What are we willing to give them? Afghanistan? Why not, the Taliban had it before and from all reports Al Queda was paying the Taliban for the right to train in Afghanistan (Through 9/11 came out of that purchase by Al Queda). We have to get the Taliban on the ground to want to make peace AND then make it more profitable for them to expel Al Queda then to keep them. That will take a good bit of Diplomacy but it is the best way to end attacks like what happened on 9/11 and Mumbai. Separate Al Queda from the Taliban instead of forcing them into each other arms, Obama may be able to do it and in the long term such an arrangement will end the ability of Al Queda to spend its money.

[Kalyan]

15. thrilled

As an Indian, i am thrilled to see people commenting on this thread are well aware of Pakistan's dubious ways.

The threat to move forces from the west to the east is to get US to bully India on the charges of terrorism. This is by far the greatest confession that has come out of Pakistan that they realize that ISI or militant organization based on their soil. Hence playing the bluff game.

I am hoping that India teaches Pakistan a few tricks like stopping $7 bn IMF aid; getting international agencies to impose tough condition on cleaning militancy