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September 6, 2006
Pakistan Cedes North Waziristan To Taliban (Update)
Pakistan's Terms of Defeat Include Trades of Land, Men and Money for Taliban Promises; al-Qaeda Safe Haven Established...Just two years after signing a similar peace pact with the Taliban in South Waziristan, the Pakistani government signed another deal with the Taliban in North Waziristan, effectively ceding an entire region of Pakistani territory on the Afghanistan border to the Taliban and, therefore, al-Qaeda - essentially creating a safe haven for the terrorists.
In other words, our supposed ally in the WOT just surrendered to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. On the other hand and if you're an optimist, you can believe as the TimesOnLine does and think that the border deal threatens to close a trap on Taliban. Or are we really seeing what we think we're seeing? Confused? Don't be - think of it more like a hudna.
The MSM newsmeisters take the pessimistic view:
The Raw Story has it that Osama bin Laden won't be arrested, as long as he promises to behave like a "peaceful citizen."
Bill Rogio is as pessimistic as the newsmeisters in, "Talibanistan: The Establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan."
Looking at both sides of the equation and asking ourselves if the peace deal is part of a strategic plan to defeat the Taliban, a simple straight surrender of the Pakistan government, or something in between - the answer likely lies somewhere in the middle of all three - it's the way things are done in that upside down region of the world, basically a hudna. What it really means and where it will lead is, at this point, almost anyone's guess (remember Karzai's deals with the warlords in Afghanistan?). If I had to vote on it, I'd label it a hudna - in the eyes of both sides, and the final outcome is in-process.
Update: Clarification on ABC Report - Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
The President's Spokesperson, Major General Shaukat Sultan was speaking of the peace agreement signed on the 5th of September 2006 with the tribal leaders in North Waziristan. In response to a question, Major General Shaukat Sultan stated that foreigners settled in the area would be allowed to stay there on the condition that they live peacefully and abide by law. At no stage during the conversation he said that this was applicable to Osama Bin Laden.Taking into account my previous comments and this update, I'm sticking with my statement - "What it really means and where it will lead is, at this point, almost anyone's guess." If I had to vote on it, I'd still label it nothing more or less than a hudna - remember - it cuts both ways.
Other coverage:
Stop The ACLU, Dan Riehl, Michelle Malkin and Captain Ed have additional coverage and links.
Posted earlier today at Hyscience
Posted by Richard at September 6, 2006 2:24 PM
