In part because, no doubt, they have fellow extremists in the general population who follow the Taliban way.
But more likely, the Taliban do well because they are honest and competent. They impose peace, order and good government. In the place of lawlessness, chaos and corrupt bureaucracy.
Do no misunderstand me -- I am not saying the Taliban are good. They are brutally anti-Christian, anti-woman, anti- human rights. They are intolerant people with a wicked agenda.
If you are living in a hurricane any shelter looks good. And that's why some in Pakistan, who are not generally an extreme people, see a benefit to the Taliban.
But if the Taliban get control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons I think we may see a literal End Times scenario.
Peter Goodspeed, National Post
Pakistan tottered on the edge of a precipice this week as the Taliban made a concerted push into mountain districts that overlook Islamabad.
Near panic seized Pakistan's allies, as masked and heavily armed Taliban terrorists invaded the Buner district, just 115 kilometres northwest of the capital Islamabad, overran government offices, looted foreign aid agencies and established makeshift sharia courts that banned everything from music to shaving.
The strategic consequences of the invasion are immense. It exposed far more than Pakistan's fragility or Islamabad's vulnerability. It thrust the worst possible doomsday scenario to centre stage. The Taliban, backed by al-Qaeda, are now established in a district that straddles two crucial targets.
Just 50 kilometres southeast of Buner lies the Tarbela Dam, the largest earth-filled dam in the world. It provides central Pakistan with most of its electricity and the country's farmers with most of their water.
Thirty kilometres further on lies the Wah Cantonment, an army ordinance complex that produces almost all of Pakistan's weapons and military supplies – including nuclear weapons – in a collection of 14 massive factories that employ up to 40,000 people.
According to some reports, Wah is the chief storage and maintenance site for Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal and it may also house a uranium enrichment plant that was built in the 1990s with assistance from China. In addition to menacing Pakistan's capital, the Taliban and al-Qaeda can now spread out into the seven other districts surrounding Buner and threaten to destabilize Pakistan's economy, while continuing their quest to obtain weapons of mass destruction.
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
416 225 2777
3 comments:
Yet Hillary is trying to convince Congress that the Taliban insurgency who are fighting against American and Afghan forces are motivated more by money than by ideology, while of course she's begging for more money. How much? $980 million in extra funds.
They're all nuts.
The Taliban/Al Quaida are already working with the terrorists in Kashmir. These two groups working closer together are a real threat to world security. The Pakistani ISI (Inter Services Intelligence - CIA equivalent) trains both the Kashmiri militants AND have had a role in training Al Quaida. It's not a stretch to imagine Pakistan's ISI helping the Taliban get what they want. While Pakistan is "officially" a US ally, in reality, it is not an "open-and-shut-case". Many in the military AND the ISI and police forces are loyal to the extremists.
Frightening scenario. The good thing is that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is small, locatable, and easily taken out by either India, or the US. They just need to have the cajones to take such action, rather than waste time with guerrilla fighting in the Afghan mountains. Of course, if you don't get them all in one fell swoop, there are some... err... repercussions.
The good thing is that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is small, locatable, and easily taken out by either India, or the US. They just need to have the cajones to take such action, rather than waste time with guerrilla fighting in the Afghan mountains.
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