Posts Tagged by swat valley
Give the Taliban An Inch, They Take the Mile
| 4/28/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
Earlier this month, the Pakistani government inked a deal with the Taliban allowing them to impose their extreme form of Islam in the Swat valley. The Swat area is in the largely lawless Northwest regions along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. The Taliban being who they are barely allowed the ink to dry before moving their forces into the neighbouring Buner district.
They have since pulled some of their forces out but reportedly still have about 450 militants still in the area. That’s definitely enough to be terrorising the population. Control of Buner would place the Taliban within about 60km of Islamabad, the seat of government in Pakistan. (more…)
Pakistan Signs Deal With the Devil
| 4/14/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the regulation which gives the Taliban legal control over the Swat Valley near the Afghanistan border. The Taliban came into existence wtih the help of Pakistani security forces. They were originally meant to operate in controlling Afghanistan after the Russians pulled out in the 1990s.
The Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies have terrorised that area of Pakistan since being pushed from power in Afghanistan. They have used the area to launch attacks against international forces, including Canadians, engaged in trying to bring stability to Afghanistan. They have also used it as a base to attack the Pakistani government. It also appears the attack in Mumbai earlier this year were planned and controlled from this area. (more…)
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