Comments on: Bombings in Swat, Punjab likely to backfire on Taliban

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:14:48 +0000

I guess India might have some interest in this dispute after all. This is from The Times of India today

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ISI-looks-to-use-Hekmatyar-to-hit-Indian-interests-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/5683351.cms

"NEW DELHI: With its favourite anti-India terror group in Afghanistan - the Haqqani network, which was responsible for the attacks on Indian embassy in Kabul - coming under heightened international scrutiny, Pakistan's ISI is planning to use one of its old proxies, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to target Indian interests in the war-torn country.

The move is part of ISI's design to keep attacking Indian establishments in Afghanistan and also skirt around the handicap of not being able to use the Haqqani network under pressure from the US and others."

There are other stories in the Pakistan press blaming India for stirring up trouble to set Afghanistan and Pakistan against one another.

Wars are rarely started or prevented by what it makes sense or no sense to do.

Contrary to what the think tanks like to pretend war is not a game. It is human life, blood and tears.

By: Warren Metzler

Warren Metzler — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:01:22 +0000

Beautiful, beautiful. When you behave inappropriately, regardless of how much you cloak yourself in religious piety, (Moslem, or Christian right), it is only a matter of time before your progressively increasing corruption makes you so bizarre that your potential base turns against you. Making you a pariah. Just let the Taliban stupid themselves out of existence. No need to spend a single life fighting in Afghanistan. Proof again that there is no successful military option for foreign adventures.

By: Mylegacy

Mylegacy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:01:40 +0000

A civil war in Pakistan is NOT going to happen. At least 80% of the people are AGAINST the Jihadists. Juan is right – the dumb asses are committing suicide.

However – IF he is wrong – there will be NO international consequences. India has ZERO desire to get involved in Pakistan. Pakistan as a failed state merely lets India concentrate on it's only semi-legitimate concern – China. I say semi-legitimate because they have so little common border that isn't 400 miles straight up mountain tops that there is no real chance of any major war up there spreading. Neither party has that in their best interests.

By: GenVec

GenVec — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:01:21 +0000

How peculiar, that the Pakistani Taliban – which in the past has shown itself to possess a high degree of political savvy when currying public opinion – should undertake a bombing which accomplishes precisely nothing other than giving a huge boon to US allies within their country.

By: Jay

Jay — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:02:26 +0000

Yes, but could, not the result also be seen not as a "backfire" beneficial to US interests, but as the outbreak of a full out insurrection and civil war in Pakistan, likely spilling into Kashmir and involving India in a regional hot conflict?

Not good, not good at all.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:33:10 +0000

"If I am right, the Obama administration is continuing to benefit in its own attack on the Taliban and al-Qaeda from the stupidity of the latter two, insofar as they are alienating the Pakistani public, which had earlier been somewhat sympathetic to them."

-- Juan Cole

President Obama is waging a war that is wrecking much of Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan for no strategic or legal or moral reason I can understand. The war is costing Americans astonishingly, and needs to be stopped immediately. We are winning nothing, only losing all that America should be.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:15:00 +0000

The bombings in Pakistan are attempts by the Taliban's to pressure the Pakistani government to end the US occupation in Pakistan. Will it work?