Nuclear fears prompt Pakistan to prepare attack on Taleban – Times Online
The Taliban are relentless and the Pakistani’s may not have the will power to stop them. They already gave them concessions rather than resistance.
Thousands of Pakistani troops were massing for an assault on Taleban positions 65 miles from the country’s capital last night after giving the insurgents 24 hours to withdraw from their advanced positions or face attack.
The threat of force follows a stern warning from American policymakers that Islamabad was doing too little to stem a growing militant insurgency.
The Taliban definitely needs to be stopped. What if they got their hands on a nuclear weapon?
So let me get this straight. We send good men over to Afghanistan to remove the Taliban because they supported the guy who backed 911.
They leave Afghanistan and set up shop in Pakistan. Now they are possibly going to take over that place and have nukes.
In other words, getting their asses kicked out of Afghanistan was the best thing that ever happened to them…
#2. Yes. The Pakistan military have so far, been protecting the Taliban from cross-border attacks by the Allies, and feeding shared intelligence to the Taliban. I have a feeling that the outcome of this conflict has already been decided.
#2
oh it gets better the Reagan Doctrine where the U.S. provided support to just about any anti-communist resistance forces helped get them started. We made the Taleban in a force to be reckoned with.
Almost every time we go around thinking the enemy of our enemy is our friend, it comes back to bite us in the butt. Lets hope Obama is smarted than Reagan Clinton and the Shrubbery Twins on this.
I am mighty glad I learned to duck and cover as a child.
I refer to my previous post: Nuke both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kill ’em all and let Allah sort it out.
I don’t agree… with #6. I would support the Pakistan army, unless you want to go there and take care of business yourself. Something about the “enemy of my enemy is my friend? ” We should support them in any way we can.
WTF? Time for the ‘only superpower’ to start acting like one.
Let the culling begin!
Dear Mr. John C. Dvorak,
Far more dangerous and frightening to me than loose nukes is the superfluous apostrophe in “Pakistani’s.”
I mean this in a loving and kindly way, as I’m sure you know.
Thanks,
Andy
You all are aware that if Islamabad falls to the taliban, that there will be a major preemptive strike by India against pakistan, right?
India in no way can allow the taliban to get their hands on nuclear weapons.
We are talking a huge, major and possibly nuclear regional war.
so thats the limited nuclear war thats been predicted for 2009.
>> sargasso said,
>> The Pakistan military have so far, been protecting the Taliban from cross-border attacks by the Allies, and feeding shared intelligence to the Taliban.
Wow you guys have a simplistic understanding of this conflict.
If the Pakistan military is protecting the Taliban, please explain this article. (or the zillion like it reported everywhere if you were paying attention)
“10 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Battle with al-Qaida”
Pakistani military authorities say 10 of their soldiers were killed Wednesday, in a gun battle with suspected al-Qaida fighters, in tribal areas, near the Afghan border. At least two Pakistani military officers and a number of al-Qaida fighters are reported to have been killed in the incident.
But Obama was going to fix it all!
And I seem to remember being told over and over again that the Taleban were not so bad. Of course that was when Bush was against them.
The problem with Afghanistan started when we pulled out after the Soviets left. Our objectives were met, we didn’t have a need or desire to govern/control. So the wrong people made it to the top, assisted by the Pakistani ISI because they were seen as possible allies against India (and a great excuse to get their own people some combat training).
The situation in Pakistan has occrred because the same mindset is in play. The military and ISI are loathe to let the Taliban get eliminated, they’re so focused on India. Also, what passes for a democratic government thinks appeasement will work when it hasn’t. The only time the Taliban (or any Islamist group) proposes to agree to a cease-fire or anything else is in order to consolidate their holdings and build up for the next offensive. It is never ending, there is no concept as peaceful co-existence. Nor ‘moderate’ Taliban. That is the contrivance of journalists and diplomats.
We can’t rush in ourselves, that isn’t a real option. Which leaves the Pakistanis themselves. The military has to see the Talibani and Al Qaeda types as a threat to their own power, and take action. It won’t do anything for the government itself.
Worst case scenario is that Pakistan ceases to exist as a nation-state. With militants so obviously on the other side of the border, India will have no choice but to reabsorb parts of Pakistan. They’ll leave the truly lawless portions off their map. That will be for the world to clean up if they like.
And no, Obama isn’t ‘smarter’. He is smart, but intelligence means little when strong ideological tendencies and wishful thinking get in the way of policy making. You cannot charm your enemies into submission, every nation has their own interests and that has to be served first. This is not a job for Carter II.
#1 – What would they launch it from, a camel? At best they would nuke India and we’d get all of the outsourced jobs back.
Should I go buy duct tape and plastic for the convent windows?
I guess a “RAGHEAD SHAKER” app would get me arrested in Britain, right?
Think of it as population control. We certainly need it, don’t we?
#12
reality check bob
Bob said
And I seem to remember being told over and over again that the Taleban were not so bad. Of course that was when Bush was against them.
Bob show me a link where Obama or anyone on his campaign staff said “The Taleban were not so bad” All you will find is Fox/Rush personal interpretations of Obama saying he was willing to engage some of leaders we are not so keen on in conversations without preconditions.
That’s a far cry from “The Taleban were not so bad” Like all large diverse groups some Taliban are worse than others who knows some might be worth talking to.
So far Obama is being the President his campaigning said he would be and deciding the big stuff the way he said he would. That should make the people who voted for him with realistic expectations satisfied and those whom he was not to there liking just as disappointed as on election day. The only ones who should be disappointed are the ones that had unrealistic expectations.
How long will it be before a nation run by Taliban/Al Qaeda types develop a nuke, just like Pakistan, and uses it to deliver Allah’s will? (I guess that would be ok as long as it was democratically placed in power.)
Then ask yourself why the universe isn’t teeming with intelligent life as Drake’s equation postulates and as would be expected after millions of years of expansion opportunity.
RBG
#19 – Aw who gives a shit, lets get it over with.
Only knowledge and understanding will help us out in our dealings with Asia. Talk to someone who has been there. You probably know someone, or at least someone who knows someone who has been there. Ask them what the people are like and what their opinion is of what we should do.
See if you don’t run across some surprises…
It the US didn’t fuck up everything it touches in the Mid East, perhaps there wouldn’t be a Taliban at all.
Get energy independence ad GTFO.
#19 unlikely as they really do not support education. More likely will acquire it. Nonetheless they will have considerable “voice” with a nuke.
You can bet those nuclear weapons will be making a trip to Iran, not launched toward India. They need to be taken out, the Pakistani Army can’t win because half supports the Taliban. This is one case a tactical small yield device maybe necessary while the weapons are centralized.
#24 umm. Iran hates the Taliban, they are not allies, and if we had not isolated Iran in making a play for their oil, they could be OUR allies in Afghanistan (in an enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of way).
If the Taliban got a hold of nukes, Iran would more likely be a victim of a bombing, rather than being given one to use.
The latest reports from Pakistan say the Talibans have withdrawn and laid down their weapons in the Bunir area.
I wish they should be kicked out to Afghanistan where the US predators take care of them.
As long as we get some HD cameras in place to get some really good modern footage of a mushroom cloud, i”m all for it. Don’t waste the opportunity.
Everyone thinks they are an expert on the problem. Everyone but me. I know just about nothing about the muslim world.
The situation is bad but fortuneately what’s left of the Pakistani government has won a small victory. The muslim Taliban has retreated under threat of military force.
This should be fair warning to the Christian Taliban in our country that a line has been drawn in the sand. It is critical that there tax protected status be eliminated and huge retroactive fines be implemented for their illegal support of political parties.
President Obama has not done enough here to preserve our constitution.
“This should be fair warning to the Christian Taliban in our country that a line has been drawn in the sand. It is critical that there tax protected status be eliminated and huge retroactive fines be implemented for their illegal support of political parties.
“President Obama has not done enough here to preserve our constitution.”
Clearly Dallas reads “Congress shall make no law” in a manner that is… not.
There’s no reason to start prosecuting the “Christian Taliban”. The one strength America has is that it has an amazing immune system. The CHristian right, as a political power, is almost entirely defeated.
Of course they’ll be back in 10 – 20 years, but that’s just the healthy way of it.