Pakistan surrenders to al-Qaeda and the Taliban

[jmc247]

The Pakistani Army is abandoning its garrisons in North and South Waziristan. The Pakistani Military will not operate in North Waziristan, nor will it monitor actions the region.

Pakistan will turn over weapons and other equipment seized during Pakistani Army operations. The Taliban and al-Qaeda have set up a Mujahideen Shura (or council) to administer the agency. The truce refers to the region as “The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan.”

An unknown quantity of money was transferred from Pakistani government coffers to the Taliban. The Pakistani government has essentially paid a tribute or ransom to end the fighting. “Foreigners” (a euphemism for al-Qaeda and other foreign jihadis) are allowed to remain in the region.

Mid-level al-Qaeda commanders were released from Pakistani custody. The Taliban is required to refrain from violence in Pakistan only; the agreement does not stipulate refraining from violence in Afghanistan.

http://www.billroggio.com/

Bill Roggio a military blogger in Afghanistan got the story first today so I am giving him first dibs, but the rest of the media is picking it up.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/09/bin_laden_gets_.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501249_pf.html

I talked with two military officers tonight that not only confirmed this, but were flaming mad. Pakistan just gave al-Qaeda a base to launch attacks around the world again and has given up the hunt for Bin Laden entirely. And, yet they refuse to let one US soldier set foot in the new Talibanistan they have allowed to form. How can they refuse us access to this land that they themselves ceded to terrorists?

[Noah Johnson]

I guess the U.S. surrender to Al-Qaeda in 2001 and subsequently sort of set the wrong tone.

[jmc247]

I guess the U.S. surrender to Al-Qaeda in 2001 and subsequently sort of set the wrong tone.

The Taliban have been kicking the Pakistani militarys butt in Wariziristan, but that said any "peace deal" with terrorists equals a surrender in my book.

[Noah Johnson]

The Taliban have been kicking the Pakistani militarys butt in Wariziristan, but that said any "peace deal" with terrorists equals a surrender in my book.
Bush's policy of simply giving them everything they want also does not appear very effective. We ought to try some of the policies that DO work.

[Cam63]

George doesn't think they're that much of a threat for some reason.

[Alex]

So...does this mean all that money america has been giving pakistan stops now?

[king mob]

This just makes the last five years there a total farce.

[Drew Van T.]

It's not completely unreasonable for any government to want to restore peace to one of its regions sooner rather than later. They probably have good reasons ("the presence of 80,000 troops was undermining the tribal political system needed to counter rising Islamic militancy") alongside bad ones (like being paid off).

In any case, it has been obvious from the start that the Pakistani government has neither the willingness nor the capacity to completely subjugate the Taliban within its borders. It may simply be that the political realists of Musharraf's regime have prevailed.

[BlairH]

So...does this mean all that money america has been giving pakistan stops now?

I hope so. Perhaps there is some way the Western (and the US in particular) world can convince the tribal leaders to stop the region from becoming a haven for terrorists? I'm thinking putting that money formerly earmarked for Pakistan to use by funding joint border patrols and getting the tribal leaders to crack down on any Al Queda fighters in the region. Surely they must understand that having their region become a haven for international terrorists is not exactly a good idea?

[Charles RB]

This is probably a good thing for Pakistan, as it gets to opt out of fighting at its border and gain some stability (and graft money).

Since I'm not Pakistan - OH BUGGER.

[Shem the Penman]

So...does this mean all that money america has been giving pakistan stops now?

We haven't done more than send the occasional :mad: their way when they were gaily selling nuclear secrets to anyone who could pony up the cash (see Al Qadeer Khan). Why should this be any different?

Besides, we gave up the hunt for Bin Laden before they did.

[Michael P]

This just makes the last five years there a total farce.
They weren't a farce regardless?