Information on the extensive ties between jihadists and Pakistan's military, from Kaushik Kapisthalam at FrontPage:
The whole Farooqi episode just illustrates the perils of Pakistan’s superficial crackdown on terror. For American authorities to continue to rely on agencies like the ISI to vet terror suspects is a dangerous proposition. Obviously the Pakistanis would want to shield anyone that would implicate their army. This means that for a successful war on terror, the US must insist on a bottom-up purge of the ISI to weed out al-Qaida sympathizers in the Pakistani army. Despite Musharraf’s promises on this regard, little has happened. Musharraf replaced the ISI’s Director General under US pressure but left the middle and lower levels untouched.Pakistan today is the de facto epicenter of Al Qaeda’s operations, with suspects in terrorist attacks from Turkey to Indonesia all being traced back to training camps in that troubled nation. In that context, one can see that the current US war on terror in Pakistan is missing the forest for the trees. Instead of rehashing the “Over 500 Al Qaeda terrorists arrested in Pakistan” story, American authorities must ask themselves why there are so many Al Qaeda men in Pakistan in the first place. The fact is the terrorists feel they are safer there with so many connections to Pakistani agencies. Given this, trying to cherry pick some Al Qaeda Arabs from Pakistan without shutting down the ISI-jihadi nexus it is simply ineffective. American officials also need to ask Gen. Musharraf why all the Pakistani jihadi groups linked to Al Qaeda are still freely collecting funds and recruiting volunteers despite their supposed proscription.
If anything, the thought that Army officers of a nuclear-armed nation are involved in joint operations with an Al Qaeda mastermind should remind people of the seriousness of this dilemma. Who is to say that some other Al Qaeda friendly Pakistani army officers will not hand over a nuclear warhead to terrorists in the future? Isn’t it time for America to stop listening to the State Department status-quo artists and give Gen. Musharraf an ultimatum to purge his army and spy agencies of uniformed jihadists? Congress has reportedly cleared the Bush administration decision to make Pakistan a Major Non-NATO ally, which allows the Pentagon more freedom to grant military assistance to Pakistan and also virtually shields Pakistan from any future sanctions. It would only be prudent that the Pentagon makes actual aid and weapons transfer contingent on a full clean up of the Pakistani military. Anything less would be pure folly.
Scary......
To think a muslim nation with nuclear weapons.
Scarier still....
A nation which is so obviously a haven for Al qaeda and other radical islamists ...... WITH NUCLEAR FREAKIN' WEAPONS!!!! Mr.Bush finger on the button please, the quick fire round is coming right up!!!
Unfortunately, the seeds of Jihadism that were sown in the Pakistan Army and ISI by the CIA and co. during Reagan's Jihad in Afghanistan are now in full blossom. If study the Pakistan Army prior to the Afghan Jihad you will notice that it was a very secular organization, and was always at odds with the Islamists.
It will be very difficult to purge the jihadist elements, but Musharraf has made a good start, and most people in Pakistan are surprised at his success. That said, the job is far from over and the international community should keep the pressure on him. Today, the Army is in the throes of an internal war. I have no real figures, but from what I hear, it is split about half and half of Musharraf sympathizers and Jihadists. Pretty much all of the top-level people are now pro-Musharraf in supporting the War on Terrorism. The real problem comes from the lower levels of the Army, amny of whom were originally motivated to join the army for Islamist causes. But I'm sure Musharraf will be able to finish the job.
Morning all.
As our wedding approaches it gets more difficult to even get in here to read. And my posting usually add very little anyway.
However! In passing I shall leave a link for any who want to see a bit more of the history of radical islam- and its ties to Nazi Germany.
Enjoy!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/816232/posts
Unfortunately, the seeds of Jihadism that were sown in the Pakistan Army and ISI by the CIA and co. during Reagan's Jihad in Afghanistan are now in full blossom. If study the Pakistan Army prior to the Afghan Jihad you will notice that it was a very secular organization, and was always at odds with the Islamists.
Posted by chan'ad at June 10, 2004 07:55 AM
And what would you call what Jimmy Carter did? Iran hostage?444 days?
What do you call what Clinton did shall we talk about 1993 when they knew that Iraq was part of the WTC bombing and this fact came out in court in 2000 and lets look at UBL and how Clinton did run away from africa? and UBL said we were a paper tiger! and how Clinton could have gotten UBL from the Suedan??? you can try to rewrite history but there are people who will make the truth come out!! We are not under desks!!!
Part of he American Tribe
God Bless the USA and All her Fighting Forces and All who Fight with her give the Strength and Courage to stay the course to Victory Amen
Catherine;
I'm not sure that Chan'ad was trying to blame Reagan for the situation in Pakistan, but simply trying to locate the point in history where our enemy's enemy was our "friend" for the purely practical reason of handing them their asses on the battlefield.
At the time all this Islamic Jihad crap was a sideshow compared to the very real threat of the Soviet Union.
Of course hindsight is 20/20 and that is why Chand'ad thinks he/she is so smart to blame Reagan.
Thanks H.K.
We also fought with the Russians to get rid of Hilter and we won that war only to be at war with the USSR well we won that too we will win this war as well!
Life is not perfect roses have thorns but smell sweet!
This is a war where the Arab leg. is trying to take over the world through Islam well people reject this way of life so they are useing fear and Death to make this happen! Others have tried this and failed and They will fail this time too!
Part of the American Tribe
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and All who Fight with her give them Strength and Courage to stay the course to Victory Amen
Catherine said:
I never said that Carter, or Clinton, or anyone else was free of mistakes. I agree with you.H.Katabolae said:
Yes, I agree that everything is much clearer to see in retrospect. But that does not mean we can not identify where mistakes were made. We must acknowledge, understand, and analyze the mistakes made in the past in order for us to ensure that we don't do the same thing again. In this case, we must recognize that Opportunism is not always the best policy. Reagan is not alone on this. There was a time when Secretary Rumsfeld was best pals with his man Saddam.Furthermore, the story is often portrayed as though Reagan had no possible way of understanding the threat posed by Jihadis at the time. In fact, there were many Pakistanis who were well aware of the danger of Islamists and implored both the Pakistani regime, as well as the United State, to not make an alliance with them. They begged the US to not fund these Islamists, as they already had to deal with them in Pakistan. But no one really cared, because at the time it was not in their "interests", and Opportunism won the day.
Bottomline: No one is perfect, and no one can foresee the future. But we MUST recognize where mistakes were made so that they are not committed again.
Under Presidential orders, the Pak Army’s again been conducting operations in the autonomous, tribal District of South Waziristan, this week engaging and bagging some dozens of Jihadis, many of them described as foreign - reputedly, Chechens and Uigurs, some Arabs and Uzbeks.
Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharaf, is endeavouring a supremely precarious balancing act, often predicated upon whom he can afford to offend the least. At this stage, that’s gotta be America - should it withdraw its favour from him, he knows he’s kaput (hence his series of hesitant sweeps into Waziristan).
In addition to vitally keeping the US on side, he must not excessively alienate a spectrum of different - frequently adversarial - elements within his own blighted nation, among them a host of militant Islamists and their throngs of el-Qaeda sympathizers.
Indeed, across the board in ever-fractious Pakistan, these millions probably comprise the biggest single minority, all bound in common in enthusistic support of the “Holy Warriors” in Kashmir, the Taleban in Afghanistan, the Chechens and “Palestinians” (it goes without saying), the prompt application of the Shariat… and Pakistan’s possession of nukes.
Mr Musharaf’s well aware that this game he’s in is for high stakes and that direction over his atomic arsenal is the prize.
At minimum, their deployment’s compelled the other prime international players, India, Iran, Russia, China, the USA and Israel - all nuclear-armed (or verging upon it, for neighbouring Iran) - to treat Pakistan seriously, which they do (even going gently on Islamabad, as with arch-proliferator, Dr A. Q. Khan, several months ago).
The worst-case scenario? Pakistan’s 50-odd nukes - plus the country’s extensive industrial establishment (developed and constructed with finance from the Saudis) for the production of many more - either passing (once Musharaf’s gone, one way or another) to a new government there, which is controlled by Jihadis, or one or more Pakistani atomic devices being somehow pilfered, intact, by a gang of Islamo-fascist terrorists, or else quietly purchased by them….
HG, excellent post.
Musharraf, soon after usurping power, said on
TV: 'who is a terrorist and who is a mijahideen,
this we should also understand and the terrorist should also understand'. What he meant was when
Jihadis kill hindus or Sikhs in India, he is a mujahideen but when Jihadi kills shias or fellow muslims, he is a terrorist. Unfortunately, Jihad is like a wild fire which kills anyone who disagrees but Pakistanis think they can tame the fire to burn only Hindus and Sikhs. After 11 Sept, Musharraf had a 'change of mind' and not a 'change of heart'. Musharraf is a clean shaven Jihadi and so is every product of Pakistani army and ISI. If he did not shut down the madrassas, shut down the terrorist camps, include Ahmaddiyas as muslims, did not end 'separate electorate' (a way of disenfranchising the Pakistani Christians and whatever little is left of Pakistani hindus living under christian names), did not end the tyranny of landlords, catch and deport Usama Bin Laden, Dawood Ibrahim etc in three years, he will not do it in 300 years either. As Gul Muhammad, a former head of ISI, said - 'how can Musharraf go against jihadis and pan- islamism ? he has the same genes as I do'
One bullet in the right place and Pakistan falls. What we would have to do then defies description.
U:
How right you are!
Naresh C:
Thanks!
Mr Musharaf is indeed a product of the ISI, a totally sinister and insidious body in the region (and somewhat beyond), but - at least on the surface and for the moment - he's "got with the program" (if not fully).
Former General Muhamad Gul is a demented fanatic whom Musharaf's dumped (if but for show), along with an echelon of Pak Army staff- and ISI-officers of his ilk, but ALL ranks of the Pak Army are made up of men who generally REFLECT the attitudes of the sick society from which they spring - need I say more to accentuate the dangers?
Musharaf proclaims himself as "the Ataturk of Pakistan": let's hope that he's not LYING and that he ACTS accordingly in the near future (before it's too late).
Boardingspike: How right you are!
(Dunno how that "U" up got there, but I'd meant to type your handle!)
Lets not forgett that pask. wont let the USA cross the Boder to get the killers and it is pask. that are killing Christians mus. is playing a game and remember the 3Ts we will not wait long. There are many things going on that the press are not privey to!!
We will Win this War!!
I saw a Young Marine today in D.C. Paying respect to President Reagan and I watched people walk fast past him I kept waiting for someone to turn to say thank you I would have given him a big hug but I'm not in D.C.I know that many Americans will give him that hug! But war is ugly and we have to be willing to pay that price and I mean every one like our GrandParents did and yes there is a Story of a train with wonded that stopped in a town in WW2 and the town turned out and when they say the horror they ran away and left the men on the tracks lets we the people not be like that it is easy to call for death when you have no fear of the Fighting!!!
This is war and yes the terrorist want to kill you but you can not forget the Brave who do the Fighting!!!
Part of the American Tribe
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and All who Fight with her give them Strength and Courage to stay the course to Victory Amen
I read some very vague articles some time ago of US/Israeli/Indian special forces training together for a worst case scenario seizure of pak nuclear weapons in case Musharraff falls.
Has anybody heard anything ??
The USAF & Indian AF carried out a joint training excersise a short while ago:
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Images/Special/CopeIndia/index.html
If pakistan does fall into the hands of the jihadi's the situation will be grim.