Bush Takes Long Time In Declaring Tribal Areas As Danger Zone
Muhammad Khurshid
April 14, 2008
Tribal areas situated on Pak-Afghan border has been converted into a danger zone since long as after the fall of Taliban most of the terrorists have been brought to the areas. They were settled there. When some of the tribesmen resisted the bid they were either killed or frightened to keep their mouth closed.
Now at last US President George W. Bush has declared the tribal areas as danger zone. Most of the tribesmen think that he took very long time in declaring the areas as danger zone. According to report, President George Bush has said that Pakistan, and not Afghanistan or Iraq, is now the most likely place where a plot could be hatched to carry out any 9/11-type attack in the US.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Bush described the tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as one of the most dangerous areas in the world today where "Al Qaeda had established safe havens and was plotting attacks against the United States".
Asked to comment on an assessment of US intelligence reports that if there was another 9/11 plot being hatched, it was probably in Afghanistan and Pakistan and not in Iraq, Mr Bush said: "I would say not in Afghanistan. I would say in... ."
The interviewer interrupted him and asked "Pakistan?"
"Yes. Probably true," responded Mr Bush. "And, you know, all the more reason to have the capacity to listen to … terrorists making phone calls. That´s why we need to have this Fisa law," which allows phone tapping.
It is clear that Pakistani officials will not cooperate with the US if it takes initiative independently. According to a leading newspaper of Pakistan, it´s now certain. CNN has inevitably joined the rest of the Washington press pack on the "American troops in Pakistan´s tribal areas" story which had been appearing in various publications, but it went a step further by developing the story and reporting that a contingent of US troops were being moved to the tribal areas to train the Frontier Corps to fight the Taliban. This assumes that the Corps does not know how to fight. If its members can´t, then no amount of Americans can teach them. After all, these trainers failed to teach the Republic of Vietnam troops, and ended up doing almost all the fighting themselves. That they lost in the end is ignored by the warriors in the Pentagon, and they are further ignoring the glaring truth that their troops have little to teach the personnel of the Corps. According to CNN, this is merely the first step in a long-term US-Pakistani military programme on counter-insurgency operations.
The trainers, who are expected to be here for a year, will convert the selected FC units to which they will be attached to trainers so that the programme can expand quickly. Though this is merely the first stage of the cooperation, it has been the subject of thorough preparation. There have not only been a number of visits by US officials to bring pressure - successfully - on the COAS, to allow the trainers in, because they comprise a key part of the long-term US security and military strategy.
There have also been military conversations, which have culminated in a joint wargame by US and Pakistan forces involving airborne forces to improve the ability of Pakistan forces to induct heli-borne forces in and out of the tribal region. If the militaries are to conduct discussions and share planning at that level, why bother at all with the elected government? There is no sign that the government had any input on this decision, which works against its stated policy of talking to the militants. The Army must not be allowed to go on as if February 18 did not happen, and carry on defying the elected government.
The End
Now at last US President George W. Bush has declared the tribal areas as danger zone. Most of the tribesmen think that he took very long time in declaring the areas as danger zone. According to report, President George Bush has said that Pakistan, and not Afghanistan or Iraq, is now the most likely place where a plot could be hatched to carry out any 9/11-type attack in the US.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Bush described the tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as one of the most dangerous areas in the world today where "Al Qaeda had established safe havens and was plotting attacks against the United States".
Asked to comment on an assessment of US intelligence reports that if there was another 9/11 plot being hatched, it was probably in Afghanistan and Pakistan and not in Iraq, Mr Bush said: "I would say not in Afghanistan. I would say in... ."
The interviewer interrupted him and asked "Pakistan?"
"Yes. Probably true," responded Mr Bush. "And, you know, all the more reason to have the capacity to listen to … terrorists making phone calls. That´s why we need to have this Fisa law," which allows phone tapping.
It is clear that Pakistani officials will not cooperate with the US if it takes initiative independently. According to a leading newspaper of Pakistan, it´s now certain. CNN has inevitably joined the rest of the Washington press pack on the "American troops in Pakistan´s tribal areas" story which had been appearing in various publications, but it went a step further by developing the story and reporting that a contingent of US troops were being moved to the tribal areas to train the Frontier Corps to fight the Taliban. This assumes that the Corps does not know how to fight. If its members can´t, then no amount of Americans can teach them. After all, these trainers failed to teach the Republic of Vietnam troops, and ended up doing almost all the fighting themselves. That they lost in the end is ignored by the warriors in the Pentagon, and they are further ignoring the glaring truth that their troops have little to teach the personnel of the Corps. According to CNN, this is merely the first step in a long-term US-Pakistani military programme on counter-insurgency operations.
The trainers, who are expected to be here for a year, will convert the selected FC units to which they will be attached to trainers so that the programme can expand quickly. Though this is merely the first stage of the cooperation, it has been the subject of thorough preparation. There have not only been a number of visits by US officials to bring pressure - successfully - on the COAS, to allow the trainers in, because they comprise a key part of the long-term US security and military strategy.
There have also been military conversations, which have culminated in a joint wargame by US and Pakistan forces involving airborne forces to improve the ability of Pakistan forces to induct heli-borne forces in and out of the tribal region. If the militaries are to conduct discussions and share planning at that level, why bother at all with the elected government? There is no sign that the government had any input on this decision, which works against its stated policy of talking to the militants. The Army must not be allowed to go on as if February 18 did not happen, and carry on defying the elected government.
The End
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