Pakistani Taliban chief threatens strike on White House

There are few groups on the planet that I feel any ill will against. But the Taliban get my vote for one of the few I would celebrate seeing their defeat.

Why?

We can blame the cold war for the Soviet war and the resulting civil war. Both the US and Soviet Union came away from that struggle soiled and laden with blowback that would later cause severe problems. For the Soviets it undermined their supermilitary image. For the US it lead to 9/11.

I can even, to some extent, understand the following civil war. Many different factions wanting to take control. This happens everytime there is a power vacuum. But the Taliban, I have much less patience for.

These guys mostly grew up in the refugee camps of Peshawar. When they went home they took their anger and frustration out on the local people. Their victory should have enabled them to have a peaceful and prosperous Muslim country. Instead they choose to be repressive, extreme and to do far more harm to the nation's future than even the Soviets had done.

Their extreme views are not in line with true Islam. And they have done more to wipe out their own Afghan culture than even the Soviets had done.

So when they were defeated I was happy. But I equally saw that Bush would fail to truly suppress them. Now they threaten to resume power and to take Pakistan with them. This is a disaster that must be prevented.

The Taliban cannot be allowed to persist. They must be taken down and kept down permanently. Then and only then can Afghanistan have peace and Pakistan stability.

Once the Taliban are gone, people can start to go to Afghanistan and provide aid, support, education and opportunities for the people of that tired nation to live lives free from war and the constant threat of death.

If the Taliban attack the US, it will be all out war and the losing party in the end will be the obliteration of the Taliban.

My message to this Taliban leader... Peace is in your hands. The welfare of your people is in your hands. If the god you believe in exists, he will judge you for your misinterpretation of Islam and you will pay the price for the many of your own people you have harmed.

Seek negotiation now and find peace.

"Pakistani Taliban chief threatens strike on White House"

It's anybody's guess what Rush Limpbaugh, the leader of the GOP, will say on his talkshow about this.

I'm wondering just how far Rush Limpbaugh, the leader of the GOP, will support this 'in the interests of the Conservative Party.' ;-)

Sushi - this ain't an issue of political division. Let's leave Rush where he is, self gratifying himself in some broadcast booth.

The challenge of the Taliban should be met on every front. Where and when they are found, they should be "neutralized with extreme malice" (to quote a US friend of mine who is currently "vacationing" in Afghanistan searching for OBL). The bile that this extremist sect expouse in the name of Islam should be rejected outright as divisive, xenophobic, reactionary crxp (feel free to add your own objectives).

As much as there is an effort to combat the Taliban and their numbers. By having the Non-Muslim fighters in their countries and areas going into their houses and threatening innocent families only helps their cause get larger. When the group of Nations initially went to Afghanistan it was for the cause to get 1 person in his group and because he was the mastermind of 9/11. The Taliban who happened to govern the country (who may I add prior to then were never declared as a terrorist organization) were accepted at the U.N as the leaders and controllers of the country. Our Western governments overthrew the government in power in order to get 1 man. He is still out there. But in the process the people of Afghanistan may have been suppressed by 1 group in the past, now they are suppressed by another group and those people aren't even from their country. The Taliban are gaining popularity again because although they may not represent the ture interests of the country, they are the only ones around that can and it shouldn't be up to Westerners to have a puppet (This is how they see Karzai) of theirs in power of the country. Even if he may be the right leader his support for the forces that are there are starting to drag. Let's face it that 7 or so years in the country so far just to look for 1 man with the changeover included equalling 100's of thousands of troops knocking down families doors accidently killing innocent people in fear that they may be a suicide bomber or a car bomber, driving high speeds through villages in order to avoid bombing will bring nothing more than growth to the Taliban and such radical groups. These are just facts.

Another 'clenched fist.' Imagine that.

Pakistani Taliban chief threatens strike on White House

Not to worry as Pakistan will use the additional $1.5 billion in aid from the U.S. to chase down the bad guys in their country.

DJJapan. I agree with you about the concerns you have. The answers cannot come from having brutal occupation. And we do need the participation of other Muslim nations.

Facts about the Taliban are also facts and they are but one of the many monsters recognized by the UN. That fact alone does nothing to rationalize them as acceptable.

The Taliban have repressed their people at a level unseen even during the Soviet occupation. The fact that the masses are wanting them back, is most often explained by our friends in Kabul as simply wanting the war to end and for the foreign occupation forces to leave.

But there is a greater danger here that must drive how we address the issue of the Taliban. Pakistan is a nuclear nation and cannot be allowed to come under the control of fundamentalist and jihadists. Yet that is precisely what has been happening in recent weeks. The Taliban are gaining power in Pakistan as the legitimate government is too frightened of internal strife to challenge their expanding rule.

If both countries fall to Taliban rule then there will be further danger to other areas in the region that are also seeing growing fundamentalist movements.

The solution, I believe, must come in the form of a more unified global coalition of Islamic sects and states to band together to condemn and resist fundamentalism. This can be done in conjunction with UN and Western funded programs that allow Islamic workers and aid staff to establish programs in both countries.

In the mean time the military must be free to go after Taliban strong holds in Pakistan. But must do so with increased caution against civilian injury and death.

No one believes this situation will be easily resolved. But it must be resolved in some way if we are to see opportunities for peace for the region and a stemming of the tide of radical fundamentalism and its harmful impact upon Islam and Islamic people.

Its the same song all the time..

Western power bombs from afar, pissing off some people whose culture prefers mano-a-mano fighting. Latter beats chest and salvages pride with tactics the Western power calls guerrilla or terrorist. Repeat.

It ain't gonna end anytime soon.

Unless Afghanistan and Pakistan work together and take the fight to the Taliban from boths sides of the border simutaniously. Not a few rockets or an assault here and there, but taking it to them once and for all.

That being said, the more Talibam you kill the more that are created. They are a fanatical ideology and they get strength from their hatred. < :-)

tkoind2: I agree with you in what the solution should be but thus far, even after 7 years of being there I haven't seen one majority Muslim country or group raise their hand and want to co-ordinate together to achieve any such goal and it seems that for the most part it will be a very long way off. It is far more complex. On a seperate note yet on the same subject, Us white people report such stories in the world news and it makes people vigilant to such groups as well as stereotyping them. I have an Indian female friend who isn't even Muslim and was born in the U.S and for several years from 9/11 onwards she has had people spit on her, tell her to go home and so on. I don't think that it was such an isolated incident with only her being purely singled out. Why do we use words that explain these actions as "trying to protect our freedom from terrorists" when it is also a form of radical fundmentalism? If our leaders say to us that they will go to Pakistan (Not their homeland) and erradicate the Taliban. Why are we so shocked to hear the same words coming out of his mouth? If it is good enough for us to throw a fastball we should expect that they are going to hit it rather than being scared about it.

The problem with Japanese is that they follow Amereican think tanks.The real enemy of world is WAHABISM PROMOTED WORLD WIDE BY SAUDI ARABIA. Afghanistan,Pakistan, Indian Muslim are only its victims.But they are aligned with Military industrial complex of America.They were also promoting a war with Iran by USA to weaken america.Japan must underatand this real enemy.

DJ Japan, forgive me for disagreeing. If they are bad, the yneed to be stamped out, irrespective of who is doing it. Islamic radicalist thinking is increasing alarmingly and only violence and sadism seems to come of it.If people are hurt because their houses are searched let them stop aiding the terrorists.If you live in a war zone you can expect to get some flak all the time.

It is April Fools's Day....

Captainjohann:

" The real enemy of world is WAHABISM "

So, Shiite islam is A-OK? No problem at all with that? Remember who put the death fatwa on Rushdie, who is financing the Hizbollah and the Hamas, and who wrote a letter to the US, formally asking them to surrender to islam or else?

Those weren´t Wahabis.

Think again?

Pakistani Taliban chief threatens strike on White House

Not to worry as Pakistan will use the additional $1.5 billion in aid from the U.S. to chase down the bad guys in their country.

Instead, U.S. should give $300m to each i.e. Pak civilian Govt., Pak Military, Al Qaida and Taliban and various other small groups.

Might have to use Ghenkis Khan tactics on these lunatics.

Stay tuned for the War on Pakistan. Helping an economy near you soon! Might sound like a joke but seems more and more probable everyday.

Maheshvitekar: You explained it in one. I never said that it shouldn't be solved or stopped but as a result of trying to fix it or solve it Islamic radical thinking is increasing. What do you propose? It is continuous and that's my point. It has gone on for centuries and will continue on for centuries because it is in the funny name of religion that is the cause all of this and if that continues which it will then it doesn't finish. I don't have to be a super wise person to clearly know that as a fact. Also it's O.K to disagree with me.

DJJapan:

Any islamic source could tell you that islam is not just a "religion"; it is a complete way of life, an ideology, a civilization. And that is why Pakistan has no intellectual basis for addressing the islamist problem. Pakistan was founded as islamic state and has written the Shariah into its constitution. Therefore, the secular Pakistani government has no intellectual leg to stand on. If you accept the islamic principles, the Taliban are correct and the secular Pakistanis are heretics.

Down the road, we are looking at the first Taliban state with nukes.

"Down the road, we are looking at the first Taliban state with nukes."

Don't you worry willi, you'll aready be living under sharia by that time anyway, whilst the ants battle the islamists for control in Europe.

So if they succeed in attacking the White House, do they make the JT list of conspiracy theories?

I mean, who'd believe that Al Qaida could attack the White House. It must be another example of the US Government attacking itself or it's own people . . .

WilliB at 05:58 PM JST - 1st April

“Down the road, we are looking at the first Taliban state with nukes.”

Nobody will let that happen. If it came to that the world would stop even if it meant the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons, the US, Britain & Spain have all had a taste of what can happen if you don’t take positive action. The timing in Spain was more luck that good timing for the fanatics but it did bring in a weak government that is unlikely to keep control at the next election. But the US & Britain will act to neutralise a Taliban control Pakistan with nuclear weapons for no other reason than they will have no choice.

I would not wish a Taliban attack on Washington or any place else but maybe if such an attack did take place it would act as the catalyst that would bring together the western powers to finally take unified action against all the Islamic fanatics & really that is going to have to happen sooner rather than later, because it will eventually happen. This Islamic cancer is growing in the west fed by the more extreme groups in the Islamic countries. At the moment the Western countries protect the Muslims in their countries because that is the morally correct thing to do & yes I do believe it is right to defend a persons right to practice their religion. But not at the expense of self-destruction & that is where countries like Britain in particular are heading.

At some point the West is going to have to make a choice, if the Islamic countries cannot bring their religious extremist under control then the west is going to have to do so for reasons of self preservation & if that brings about a destruction of Islam then that is going to have the be the accepted price. Such reasoning is wrong, I agree, but we do have a right of survival & if that right can only be met by the destruction of Islam we have no choice & everyday that our powers delay making that choice it makes the eventual battle that much greater & harder to win.

I am not being alarmist or paranoid, I am looking at the last 10 to 20 years & there is an obvious pattern of growth that we can all see. Pretending that it is not there or that it is not as bad as it so obviously is will not make it go away or stop it. Feed it with aid & promises will not bring it on side. This radicalisation is growing & its objective is the eventual destruction of today’s Western values & it makes no pretence about that.

Our hands have been tied behind our backs by our own values, we respect the religion of others even when they do not respect our religions or values. Again it is wrong that we should lose our own correct values but if they are going to be lost to the mind set of the Muslims anyway then maybe we should give up on the idea of equal rights for all & simply defend ourselves.

Our hands have been tied behind our backs by our own values, we respect the religion of others even when they do not respect our religions or values. Again it is wrong that we should lose our own correct values but if they are going to be lost to the mind set of the Muslims anyway then maybe we should give up on the idea of equal rights for all & simply defend ourselves."

Best statement to date. And I know, you are shaking your head when you say that but when it comes down to it, what else can be done?

Madverts:

" "Down the road, we are looking at the first Taliban state with nukes." Don't you worry willi, you'll aready be living under sharia by that time anyway, whilst the ants battle the islamists for control in Europe. "

Nope, Pakistan will fall faster. The demographic development in Europe is workings its way, but as you know (or should know), while demography is everything in the long run, it is nothing in the short run.

Grafton:

" Nobody will let that happen. "

And what exactly do you want to do against it (the fall of Pakistan to the islamists)? It is easy to bluster that something will "not happen"; however I bet you have no idea of how to prevent it either.

willi,

You mean the ants won't be figthing the victorious hoardes of islam?

Jeez bud, at least make the consiparcies an interesting read or I'll get bored....

"Wednesday 01st April"

OK.

"amaze everyone in the world with an attack on Washington or even the White House"

I've already been amazed wth the attacks on the White House in 24.

Madverts:

" You mean the ants won't be figthing the victorious hoardes of islam? "

LOL! That would be the same ants who fought a bloody war to carve their islamic homeland out of India, and then proceeded to write the Shariah into their constitution? They are in a great position to oppose the people who take the Shariah seriously. Not.

Dear DJ, intolerance being taught by fundamentalists must be stopped first. What is it about Islam that makes more and more people want to become less modern in their thinking? The siege mentality that is being encouraged needs to be countered. People following other relgions are people too, not evil hordes. Everyone has a right to exist, if the radical Islamist can not understand this by argument other means of imposing these thougts have to be found.

maheshvikar:

" Dear DJ, intolerance being taught by fundamentalists must be stopped first. What is it about Islam that makes more and more people want to become less modern in their thinking? "

Its content, for crying out loud! If you accept that the perfect man was a mediaval Arab warlord, and the gods will are the medieaval Arab laws laid down by said warlord, how do you expect it to be modern?

It is not like that is a new insight. Only modern political correctness and cultural relativism made us forget it.