| Submit your comments on this article | |
| India-Pakistan | |
| Pakistan orders army to go after Taliban chief | |
| 2009-06-15 | |
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan ordered its army to go after the country's top Taliban commander, a feared militant whose remote stronghold could prove a difficult test for troops but whose demise would be a major blow to the insurgencies here and in Afghanistan.
Owais Ghani, the governor of North West Frontier Province, told reporters in Islamabad late Sunday that the government felt it had no choice but to resort to force against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud and his network. Past army action in the region had usually faltered or ended in truces, strengthening the militants. "Baitullah Mehsud is the root cause of all evils," Ghani said, noting a slew of suicide bombings that have shaken Pakistan in recent days. "The government has decided that to secure the innocent citizens from terrorists, a meaningful, durable and complete action is to be taken." Ghani suggested the operation has already begun, though the military has insisted its recent attacks on militants in South Waziristan were retaliatory, not the launch of a new offensive. Two intelligence officials said the army and Taliban were fighting in the Spinkai Raghzai area of South Waziristan as the governor made the announcement. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told The Associated Press late Sunday: "The government has made the announcement. We will give a comment after evaluating the orders." Mehsud is believed to pose a serious internal threat to the Pakistani government, and has been blamed for the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, though he has denied that accusation. The Taliban chief also has been linked to bombings on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In many ways, a full-scale battle in South Waziristan will be a harder fight than in Swat, where the army claims to have killed hundreds of militants over the past six weeks. One reason is that the tribal region's porous border with Afghanistan could make it easier for militants to escape to the other side. Because of the tribal belt's semiautonomous nature, the government has long had limited influence, allowing militants to become deeply entrenched. Pakistan's decision comes as public opinion has shifted against the Taliban, who have been blamed or have claimed responsibility for a series of bloody attacks in recent weeks, including one that killed a prominent anti-Taliban cleric and another that devastated a luxury hotel in Peshawar. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > FM QURESHI: TALIBAN COULD SPREAD TO INDIA AND THE GULF IFF AID NOT GIVEN TO PAKISTAN/ REQUESTS US$2.5BILYUHN IN AID FOR PAKI NWFP ALONE. * SAME > THE NEWS.PK = AFGHAN MIGRANTS IN HUNGER STRIKE IN INDONESIA [want asylum in AUSTRALIA = OZ-LAND]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-06-15 22:00 |
| #3 "Listen! The drums... They say "Bring me the head of Baitullah Mehsud... And a six-pack of coke'... The natives are restless!" "Thirsty, too, sounds like." |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-06-15 11:42 |
| #2 "Baitullah Mehsud is the root cause of all evils," No, but he does seem to be an important representative of the root cause. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-06-15 09:20 |
| #1 Jeez. Just tell US where he is, and a Predator will be on its way shortly. BTW, don't tell him its on the way. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2009-06-15 07:51 |