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Afghanistan/South Asia
‘We’ll give them a fight they won’t forget’
2004-04-21
A video tape recorded by the two most wanted tribesmen in Pakistan vowed to continue an armed struggle™ against the military operation in the tribal areas and urged people to rise up against President General Pervez Musharraf. “What has been done to us is immoral and illegal,” said Haji Noor Islam. “We condemn it. We will take such revenge™ that they (military personnel) remember for a long time.” The tape, with most wanted men, Naik Muhammad and Haji Noor Islam, was aired by a private TV network and held President General Pervez Musharraf responsible for bringing the military into confrontation with countrymen at the behest of the United States and urged people to rise against him.
"Yeah! Butt out! Waziristan's our country and you're not welcome!"
Naik Muhammad and Haji Noor Islam also vowed in the tape to continue the armed struggle against American FBI and CIA agents in the tribal areas. “We are patriotic people. We have fought against British rule,” Haji Noor Muhammad said. “We will also fight to kick the US agents out of the country. Our struggle will remain till the eradication of every last American.” He called the allegations against them ‘baseless’ and vowed to resist any assault against them with full force and determination. Naik Muhammad criticised the government for taking action against its own countrymen.
Posted by:Fred

#2  On the other hand, they claim to be part of Pakistan, the most important part in their own not very humble opinion. If you're part of a country, you've got to act like it.
Posted by: Fred   2004-04-21 1:23:39 PM  

#1  Actually, these guys have a point. Not that "eradication of every last American" stuff: a Waziri tribesman wouldn't know an American if one beat him with a hamhock. The Pakistan central government has a series of long standing agreements with the Pashtun/Waziri tribal leaders which give them a great deal of autonomy. Musharraf has now broken that agreement, in spirit if not in letter. Really, Waziristan actually is their country in every sense of the word.

Now, that said, if you know anything about the Waziri culture (which for several strange reasons I do) you also know that Musharraf is actually doing them a favor. These guys LOVE to fight. They live for it. When there are no outsiders to fight they fight each other. The standard home/compound in Waziristan is a mud fortress with a tower in the middle for sniping. These guys sit around the campfire at night and talk about how their ancestors kicked Alexander the Great's ass.
Posted by: Secret Master   2004-04-21 11:54:18 AM  

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