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Afghanistan/South Asia
Tribes Stare Down Soldiers
2005-04-22
April 22, 2005: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan), thousands of armed (with rifles and RPGs) Bugti tribesmen have moved to surround an army base. The tribes and the government are in conflict over how much money the tribes get for oil and gas pumped from the area, and how many troops the army can station in Baluchistan. The death toll, so far, has not been very high. It's been a game of bluff and bluster, backed up by a lot of firepower. In western Pakistan (the tribal areas along the Afghan border), police and tribal volunteers are searching villages for foreigners (al Qaeda terrorists). This is all being done very quietly, with the only army troops in evidence being elite commandos. The tribesmen get agitated when they see convoys of regular troops rolling through their territory. But SUVs and trucks full of police or commandos cause less unrest.
Posted by:Steve

#14  FG: so they're the French of Pakistan, huh?

That's better than being the Pakistanis of Pakistan, who not only did not take money from the holy warriors, they *handed out* money to them - billions of dollars. The French of Pakistan we can deal with - we just outbid the holy warriors.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2005-04-22 9:39:36 PM  

#13  so they're the French of Pakistan, huh?
Posted by: Frank G   2005-04-22 8:24:11 PM  

#12  Not for free.
Posted by: Fred   2005-04-22 8:11:30 PM  

#11  the Bugtis sheltering any of America's enemies?
Posted by: Frank G   2005-04-22 7:24:12 PM  

#10  The Bugti are our friend.



/say 19 times real quick like.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-04-22 7:18:12 PM  

#9  Hold the phone here people: the Bugti aren't our enemies, or at least the vast majority of them aren't. They are an autonomous people that have negotiated very specific autonomy deals with Pakland's central government.

They Bugti didn't land on Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan and Iran landed on them.
Posted by: Secret Master   2005-04-22 5:00:58 PM  

#8  Heh, these are real Live-Under-the-Bridge trolls demanding Pervy pay the toll -- and getting away with it. Is there any way to bring these parts of Afghanistan / PakiWakiLand into the present day? Is there the will or the means, locally? I don't theenk so.

Someday the drugs or whatever - oil pipeline security, which affect the outside world will become a high enough priority and this will be solved in a manner they understand. The only one they understand. Boggles.
Posted by: .com   2005-04-22 2:52:45 PM  

#7  Such manly whiskers

Amazing what you can attach with a little spirit gum, ain't it?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-04-22 2:42:31 PM  

#6  Such manly whiskers
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2005-04-22 2:02:10 PM  

#5  I dunno. These 2 dudes staring me down would kinda creep me out...
Posted by: tu3031   2005-04-22 12:32:56 PM  

#4  "The tribesmen get agitated when they see convoys of regular troops rolling through their territory." They just seem in a constant state of agitation akin to the behavior of squirrels in the spring and fall.
Posted by: Tkat   2005-04-22 12:29:21 PM  

#3  Is it just me or do the Pak tribal lands seem like an outstanding above-ground test area for our next generation nukes?
Posted by: Remoteman   2005-04-22 12:24:46 PM  

#2  What some armies see as a curse, the US Armed forces see as an opportunity: no matter in what direction we fire, we're BOUND to hit somebody.

Just a matter of attitude, training, and culture, s'all.
Posted by: Ptah   2005-04-22 10:29:08 AM  

#1  Translation: Control over our own territory is iffy, at best.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-04-22 10:20:43 AM  

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