Pak Army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visits al-Qaida 'safe ha

[survivor]

Pak Army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visits al-Qaida 'safe haven'
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 060828.cms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday visited the restive North Waziristan region in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, described by US and Afghan officials as a safe haven for al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

Kayani was briefed by officials in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, about "current operational and development activities being pursued by the army" and the local administration, said a statement from the military.

"While interacting with troops involved in the operation, the (army chief) lauded their sacrifices and efforts in fighting the menace of terrorism," the statement said.

On his arrival, Kayani was received by the Peshawar Corps Commander, Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani.

The US has been pressuring Pakistan to launch operations against groups based in North Waziristan, including the Haqqani network, which are blamed for cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

Islamabad says its troops are stretched due to operations in other areas and it will decide the timing of any offensive in North Waziristan.

The CIA-operated drone campaign against militants in the tribal belt has focussed on North Waziristan, which has witnessed scores of missile strikes in the past few years.

Some bombs used in the recent plots shared certain features such as the use of military grade plastic explosives and magnets to attach the device to metal targets. While some had been detonated by remote control, others had relied on the "crude but effective tactic of pulling the pin on a hand grenade."

The summary said the plotters had on occasion used local criminal elements, citing a plot in Baku where Iranian Revolutionary Guards agents provided weapons, equipment and selected the target for attack by Azeri criminals.

"This is an extremely dangerous combination," the report concluded, adding that the geographic spread of the attacks and the willingness to go with less sophisticated plots "may add to the danger rather than lessen it."

[enceladus]

No surprise here. The Taliban and al-Qaeda are simply two branches of the Pakistan military.
Most contact between them and the "main" military is made through ISI.
Pakistan knows that and we know that.
- enceladus

[Auzer]

Pakistanis are the most dangerous people out there to deal with. You never know what games they are playing.

Pakistan defeated U.S.S.R in Afghanistan with Saudi and U.S help. After 2001 invasion , Pakistan saved talibans 'to fight another day' ...and it has been 11 years since and we are wasting our money in Afghanistan. How many of you have seen BBC's documentary on Pakistani double-crossing? It is mind boggling that how Pakistanis made circles around the Western forces in Afghanistan and eventually "trapped" the West in Afghanistan , fighting an expensive but useless war...Meanwhile , they kept taking billions of dollars from the U.S administration...

How about this theory? Pakistani military+ ISI defeated U.S.S.R in Afghanistan and tear it apart into many pieces. This gave WHOLE of central asia to Islam. Many new "Muslim majority states" emerged on the global scale...

Is Pakistan playing the same game? Make the U.S weak and keep them engaged in that useless sandhole ....in the mean time...provide Islam with ample space to expand further? Meanwhile , keep giving this impression "Oh West is wagging a war against Islam" in the Muslim world....with this sentiment..Muslims become more closer to Islam.... Win-Win situation ?

Pakistanis also blocked NATO supply-routes for months before opening them few weeks ago... What the hell do they want?

[Jimi]

Anyone who thinks pakistain is our friend is a dhimmi. Muslims everywhere support the Taliban, or they are not good Muslims, hypocrists as called by Mohammed (allahs prayers be on him). I don't know what ewe are doing over there. We got osama. We can't get rid of the Taliban because that means getting rid of Islam. So wtf?

[Auzer]

Anyone who thinks pakistain is our friend is a dhimmi. Muslims everywhere support the Taliban, or they are not good Muslims, hypocrists as called by Mohammed (allahs prayers be on him). I don't know what ewe are doing over there. We got osama. We can't get rid of the Taliban because that means getting rid of Islam. So wtf?

Pakistan isn't our friend. Pakistanis know that. We know that. Our strategic interests collide. But please , keep your fictions to yourself...

[survivor]

US thinktank reveals Haqqani, Pakistan nexus
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 332174.cms

NEW DELHI: The Haqqani network in Afghanistan is a deadly source of terror attacks against Indian and US interests. But they are also emerging as a significant economic player in the AfPak region, getting into new businesses like rare earths mining, which are of interest to both India and China, making them a more complicated foe.

It also shows that the Haqqani network is closely intertwined with the state and security machinery in Pakistan. Its resiliency can be credited as much to military prowess as the Haqqanis capacity to network with Pakistans ISI, other militant groups (particularly al-Qaida) and key religious figures, according to a recent study by the CTC, a Pentagon thinktank.

(The study by CTC said that the dreaded Haqqani Network receives financial and logistic support from the Pakistani military. The study also said the Afghan Taliban-linked group has a massive network of "mafia"-style financing operation that relies on extortion, kidnapping, smuggling and ties to legitimate businesses, reports PTI)

The study said a joint US-Afghan geological survey, which estimated Afghanistan to have nearly $1 trillion worth of untapped mineral wealth, located 980,000 metric tonnes of chromium oxide deposits buried beneath the provinces of Logar and Khost. These areas are controlled by the Haqqanis and despite there being no official mining leases being given out by the Karzai government, there are indications that the Haqqanis have entered the mining business unofficially. The report says that there is evidence of chromite being smuggled via Pakistan to China.

The Haqqanis' business interests would be of concern to India, because chromite, a rare earth oxide, is important for growing economies like India and China, because of its use in stainless steel. Chromite prices have climbed steeply, and India has expressed interest in rare earths mining in Afghanistan, so, if these findings are correct, New Delhi could come up against the Haqqani network for more reasons than one.

The study said, the Haqqani network's involvement in the chromite business in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a more recent development that highlights the networks capacity to organize quickly around a new business opportunity. It is also a story of chronic state weakness and ineptitude, illuminating how insurgents are able to exploit lack of regulation, coupled with chronic corruption in the Afghan and Pakistani governments.

[ringmaster]

Anyone who thinks pakistain is our friend is a dhimmi. Muslims everywhere support the Taliban, or they are not good Muslims, hypocrists as called by Mohammed (allahs prayers be on him). I don't know what ewe are doing over there. We got osama. We can't get rid of the Taliban because that means getting rid of Islam. So wtf?

Pakistan isn't our friend. Pakistanis know that. We know that. Our strategic interests collide. But please , keep your fictions to yourself...

There is nothing fictional at all about what he said. Jimi is 100% correct.

[Equestrian]

Jimi: I don't know what ewe are doing over there. We got osama. We can't get rid of the Taliban because that means getting rid of Islam. So wtf?

What coalition forces are attempting to do in Afghanistan is to prevent the Taliban from reestablishing a base of operations. This can only be achieved by stabilizing the country. Stability obviously will not rid the Taliban, but it may marginalize them.