September 05, 2006
Pakistan Surrenders to Taliban
Don't worry, the Pakistani equivalent of the Taliban have promised not to harbor foreign troops or launch raids over the Afghanistan border in return for Pakistani troops leaving the area. With no Pakistani troops in the area, we'll just have to take the Taliban's word for it. They can be trusted, right?
IHT:
The accord calls for Pakistani troops to stop their hugely unpopular military campaign in the restive Pakistani region, in which more than 350 soldiers have died, along with hundreds of militants and scores of civilians.If Pakistan is indeed ceding its sovereignty in Waziristan, then why would it be a violation of international law to invade?
But the agreement, which one official said offered an "implicit amnesty" to foreign and local militants, highlights the Pakistani military's inability to crush a violent pro-Taliban insurgency on its own soil.
Pakistani forces had no alternative but to reconcile with the militants, whose knowledge of the terrain and determination to protect their region would have forced the conflict to continue, said Rusul Basksh Rais, a Pakistani political analyst.
"The military was not in a position to defeat the tribes," Rais said. "But Pakistan can't afford to - and I believe won't - let this area become a sanctuary for the terrorists."
Under the pact, no militant in North Waziristan will shelter foreign militants.
By Dr. Rusty Shackleford at September 5, 2006 05:19 PM | | l digg this
