I'm crushing your head, Mullah Omar
An update on this story. "Afghan President: I'll Send Troops to Pakistan," from the Associated Press, June 15:
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened Sunday to send Afghan troops after notorious Taliban leaders inside Pakistan — an angry warning to his eastern neighbor that he will no longer tolerate cross-border attacks.
The threat — the first time Karzai has said he would send forces into Pakistan — comes only days after a sophisticated Taliban assault on Kandahar's prison freed 870 prisoners, including hundreds of militants from the Islamist movement. It also comes six weeks after Karzai survived his fourth assassination attempt — an attack claimed by the Taliban.
Karzai has long pleaded with Pakistan and the international community to confront tribal area safe havens, and U.S. officials have increased their warnings in recent weeks that the sanctuaries in Pakistan must be dealt with.
Last week, U.S. aircraft dropped bombs along the Afghan-Pakistan border, an incident the Pakistan army said killed 11 of its paramilitary forces. The exchange ratcheted up increasingly touchy relations among the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Analysts said they doubt military action by Afghanistan is imminent, but Pakistan's prime minister said the threat "will not be taken well." A Taliban spokesman warned that the Afghan army would be defeated by thousands of armed tribesman.
Speaking on the grounds of his fortified presidential palace, Karzai told a news conference that Afghanistan has the right to self defense, and because militants cross over from Pakistan "to come and kill Afghan and kill coalition troops, it exactly gives us the right to do the same."
Then, Karzai warned Pakistan-based Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud that Afghan forces would target him on his home turf. Mehsud has been accused in last year's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
"Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house," Karzai said.
"And the other fellow, (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar of Pakistan, should know the same," Karzai continued. "This is a two-way road in this case, and Afghans are good at the two-way road journey. We will complete the journey and we will get them and we will defeat them. We will avenge all that they have done to Afghanistan for the past so many years."
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his country is a sovereign state that wants good relations with its neighbors. But he said the Afghan-Pakistan border is too long to prevent people from crossing, "even if Pakistan puts its entire army along the border."
"Neither do we interfere in anyone else's matters, nor will we allow anyone to interfere in our territorial limits and our affairs," Gilani told The Associated Press. "We want a stable Afghanistan. It is in our interest. How can we go to destabilize our brotherly country? Such kind of statements will not be taken well by the people of both countries."
A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said he would not comment. But another ISAF official said he thought Karzai's comments should be seen as a reflection of frustration with militant safe havens but not as a sign an attack is imminent. He asked not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to speak on the topic publicly.
"Really! My skull is this thick!"
More words. Seeing is believing.
Does Afghanistan control its OWN tribal areas on the Pakistan border?
I doubt the ANA can back this tough talk up on its own: it's too small for Afghanistan's internal security needs and hasn't made as much progress as the Iraqi Army. On the other hand, this could be a pretext for reprisal raids and hot pursuits by the ANA and it's Coalition allies.
Karzai
You forget that Pakistan has nukes. You might want to ask the US to send some nuke into Pakistan's nuke facilities before you send in troops.
Pashtun vs Pathan. Praise be to Allah ;-)
Maybe I'm being unduly pessimistic, but this latest Taliban prison break-out was a shocking demonstration of just how little progress has really been made in the remaking of Afghanistan into a stable and democratic bulwark against jihadism, even after all these years and blood and treasure.
It's probably simply false to believe that there is a big enough source of Islamic moderates on which to rely as a viable alternative. Ultimately, Jihad cannot be effectively opposed by those who belong to a religion which teaches Jihad. Only the enemies of Jihad can effectively oppose Jihad.
Cordinate the offensive with India. It is unbeliveble what Paskistan gets away with.
Pakistan cannot even defend themselves, as they are one in the same islamic theives in the night. the pak gov't makes deals for weapons and use them on their neighbours India and Afganistan. time to pull the plug from the pak, let them wither on the vine.
Pakistan is the hell hole country that do not let NATO forces into its territory to pursue the Jihadis. It is odd that with billions and billions of dollars poured into this country by the US and other western countries they happen to kill just a few Jihadis but these Jihadis happen to kill many Indians and Afghans. US and NATO have been played by the Pakis and the Afghans they are part of the UMMAH and get all you can from the Infidels with false promises.
"Last week, U.S. aircraft dropped bombs along the Afghan-Pakistan border, an incident the Pakistan army said killed 11 of its paramilitary forces"
Paramilitary forces? So that is what Pakistan is calling the jihadis these days...nice.
Thanks for the laugh, Marisol :)
Yea, I agree. The picture and the caption is a real hoot! Thanks for the comic relief.
To be technical about it, isn't that about halfway between "crushing your head" and "squishing your face"?
"Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house," Karzai said.
How soon is 'now'? Baitullah wants to know...
One lesson learnt is to kill ALL the Talibans, helping them to go to heaven to see their 72 vrigins which they longed for. Forget about putting them in prisons.
I agree with AR. Our troops and the Afghans will just have to kill Taliban where they find them. And oh yes, cut these "close ties" with Pak and strike the frontier area immediately. We can't trust 'em.
Why delay....mark your words with action...
Afghan troops? What a joke. It will have to be coalition forces going after the Taliban. Afghan troops can't cut it.
Who would have thought third world hellholes like Pakistan and Iran would be the catalysts for WWIII?
Who would have thought Bosnia would be ground zero for the cataclysm that was WWI?
Afghanistan is a failed state. If Karzai held an election, Mullah Omar would probably beat him. Most Afghanis would probably prefer The Taleban to democracy. We have no friends amongst the Afghans, only temporary allies. We need to target and kill as many of our enemies there as we can, then, in a few years, rinse and repeat. We are wasting time and money worrying about roads and schools.