Pakistani internal security (catch all)

[omarali50]

My latest piece about Shia-killing in Pakistan

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksd...-pakistan.html

[carl]

My latest piece about Shia-killing in Pakistan

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksd...-pakistan.html

Omar, I never thought it through like that. It's chilling. Especially since they won't change course. They are on the verge of winning a great victory and they won't give up the tool they used to achieve that.

So Pakistan is in very deep trouble. For several years I have thought that the only chance the country of Pakistan had was if we beat the Pak Army/ISI in Afghanistan thereby discrediting them. We didn't choose to fight so there was no chance we would defeat them. The Quds Force won't be so diffident.

[davidbfpo]

This short WoTR piece looks interesting, the opening passage may give a clue why:

When it comes to Pakistan’s bad guys, leaders of the country’s major militant groups—such as Hafiz Saeed of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Mullah Fazlullah of the Pakistani Taliban—tend to hog the headlines. Many more are less well known—yet still highly consequential. Five in particular are worth singling out—not just because they threaten stability, but because they foreshadow Pakistani militancy’s future trajectory.


The evolution of this trajectory will likely feature five distinct trends: Uncompromisingly violent anti-state militant factions constraining Pakistani government peace efforts; associations with a resilient al-Qaeda that remains fixated on both local and global targets; a re-emergence of India-focused militancy; sectarian extremists with strong political influence and associations with the state attempting to earn legitimacy from an increasingly radicalized society; and state assets violently turning on their patrons at a time when the Pakistani security establishment can ill afford new sources of unrest. The five men described below each exemplify one of these trends

Link:http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/fiv...-attention-to/

[davidbfpo]

Not seen anything before about this development and very notably who is reported as a staunch supporter:

Punjab's chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the prime minister's brother, is serious about the forensics project. He has invested heavily. The lab, funded without federal or international grants, had an initial cost of $25 million and its expenses total $7 million a year.

He is aware that the police may not "be on message":

We now have to change habits....The police need to still learn to understand its great advantages. They are used to, unfortunately, in some cases, conniving with the culprits. They don't send samples over here unless they feel they are being watched and monitored.

Link:http://www.nationaljournal.com/defen...orist-20140514

[davidbfpo]

I nearly missed this:

Pakistan's military said it had ordered thousands of ground troops into its most restive region on Sunday evening, launching its long-awaited ground offensive to clear North Waziristan of terrorist bases. The operation is named Zarb-e-Azb after one of the Prophet Mohammed's swords.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...militants.html

[omarali50]

I think it is important to keep this in perspective:

1. The army has finally realized (or finally feels confident of doing what it realized a while ago) that the bad Taliban are simply intolerable and must be eliminated. They have been beheading soldiers and playing football with their heads for ages, so this realization is not exactly a stroke of genius. But, better late than never.
2. There will be no operation (yet) against their front organizations and fellow travelers (JUI-S, Jamat e Islami, right wing of the PTI, etc). There is also no sign of any decisive action against the Lashkar e Jhangvi (the anti-Shia killing machine). And of course, the good Taliban and good Jihadists are all on our good side at this time.
3. ALL of the above will eventually have to be tackled.
4. Even small numbers of determined terrorists can maintain a terror campaign for years.
So this is a beginning, not an ending. Maybe not even the "end of the beginning" yet...

[omarali50]

an old post about what liberals should do now
http://www.outlookindia.com/blogs/de...dm=10&pid=3142

[Ray]

Who are the Uzbeks launching terror strikes in Pakistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) militants are lethal, ruthless and faceless and physically fitter than the TTP militants. The officials, who examined the bodies of the 10 terrorists killed in Karachi Airport Old Terminal Attack, indicated that appeared Uzbeks and Chechens. On Sunday night of June 8, the target of these militants was the Old Terminal of Karachi Airport. An important member of the ground combat team told The News that siege lasted more than four hours.....

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, air strikes on terrorists’ hideouts in North Waziristan Agency killed 60 hardcore terrorists including some important commanders and foreigners.

This was not the first time that IMU carried out attack in Pakistan.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-New...es-in-Pakistan

It appears that terrorists of all nationalities are finding safe havens in Pakistan and wreaking havoc by biting the hand that feeds!