This is a real kick in the ass. You provide a safe haven for the little turds, and this is the thanks you get:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Taliban militants are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region far from the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive.
The deteriorating situation in the former tourist haven comes despite an army offensive that began in 2007 and an attempted peace deal. It is especially worrisome to Pakistani officials because the valley lies outside the areas where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have traditionally operated and where the military is staging a separate offensive.
“You can’t imagine how bad it is,” said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a federal lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bomb-toting assailants in mid-December, weeks after he left. “It’s worse day by day.”
The Taliban activity in northwest Pakistan also comes as the country shifts forces east to the Indian border because of tensions over last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, potentially giving insurgents more space to maneuver along the Afghan frontier.
Militants began preying on Swat’s lush mountain ranges about two years ago, and it is now too dangerous for foreign and Pakistani journalists to visit. Interviews with residents, lawmakers and officials who have fled the region paint a dire picture.
A suicide blast killed 40 people Sunday at a polling station in Buner, an area bordering Swat that had been relatively peaceful. The attack underscored fears that even so-called “settled” regions presumptively under government control are increasingly unsafe.
The 3,500-square-mile Swat Valley lies less than 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.
A senior government official said he feared there could be a spillover effect if the government lost control of Swat and allowed the insurgency to infect other areas. Like nearly everyone interviewed, the official requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by militants.
……A Swat militant boasted that “we are doing our activities wherever we want, and the army is confined to their living places.”
“They cannot move independently like us,” said the man, who was reached over the phone and gave his name as Muzaffarul Haq. He claimed the Swat militants had no al-Qaida or foreign connections, but that they supported all groups that shared the goal of imposing Islamic law.
“With the grace of Allah, there is no dearth of funds, weapons or rations,” he said. “Our women are providing cooked food for those who are struggling in Allah’s path. Our children are getting prepared for jihad.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081229/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_valley_of_fear
Pakistan has been complicit in its covert and open support of the Taliban. The Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has Taliban moles on its payroll. Terrorist groups operate carte blanche in Pakistan, abetted by a large portion of the Pakistani government, Army, and ISI.
They were responsible for training the Mumbai terrorists who killed and wounded hundreds in India.
Congratulations, Pakis. Your murghis have come home to roost.
The people of Swat– according to the news reports I’m reading– have no love foe the Taliban and want them wiped out. (That’s hardly surprising; even most Afghans don’t like the Taliban.) Normally that’s a good thing; successful COIN operations depend on getting the people on your side. What I can’t uderstand is why the Pakistani army and the police don’t follow through. Why do they allow the Taliban to have Swat? I can understand letting the Taliban run loose in the tribal areas because that destabilizes Afghnaistan. But allowing them access to anywhere else in Pakistan destabilizes Pakistan. I don’t understand what’s going on.
Alamanach,
Here’s what’s going on:
Not suprising that Swat is a Taliban stronghold.
SFC MAC