August 27, 2007:
Unrest continues in Baluchistan
(southwest Pakistan). While the army has crushed large scale armed tribal
resistance, many other forms of protest continue, and as well as some terror
attacks. But the government has far more control in Baluchistan than it
does to the north in the Pushtun tribal areas along the Afghan border. There,
the lack of government control has resulted in U.S. troops regularly crossing
the border when pursuing Taliban or al Qaeda suspects. The troops are allowed
to penetrate up to ten kilometers inside Pakistan. To go beyond that they need
special permission. These missions are kept as quiet as possible, and always
officially denied. The Pakistani government goes along with this because the
people being pursued are fighting the Pakistani government as well. When U.S.
troops cross the border, they do have to notify their headquarters, which then
tells U.S. officials in the Pakistani capital (who, presumably, let the
Pakistani government know). In the last three years, Pakistani military
operations in the Pushtun tribal areas have left 700 soldiers and 1,200
tribesmen dead. Some of the dead tribesmen were killed by American forces,
usually while pursuing groups of Taliban who had been in Afghanistan.
August 26, 2007: There has been an increase in
desertions in the Pakistani army. The reason given is unease about serving in
the Pushtun tribal areas and "fighting my own people." In many cases
the deserters are Pushtuns, who make up a disproportionate fraction of the
military. The Pushtuns are about ten percent of the population, the Baluchis
another five percent. But these two tribal groups comprise a third of the
strength of some army units. Tribesmen frequently desert just because
they get homesick, and know that the government can't touch them in the tribal
areas.
August 25, 2007: In the south Indian city of
Hyderabad, two bombs went off, killing 42. Another dozen bombs were found in
the city, and defused. Police promptly set up over 50 checkpoints and began
searching vehicles. Within days, over 700 suspects were arrested for
questioning. Such a large scale attack is likely to be the work of Islamic
terrorists. Three months ago, a Mosque was bombed in the city, killing eleven,
and today's bombing is seen as payback. Islamic terrorism has been a constant
in Indian history for over eight centuries. The Mongol armies that invaded
India centuries ago brought Islam with them, but were only able to convert,
usually by force, about 20 percent of the population. While the native Hindus
fought back, Hinduism is generally one of the more peaceful religions on the
planet. Hindu extremists have been far less lethal than their Moslem
counterparts. Moreover, Islamic terrorists will attack Hindus no matter where
they are. Thus Hindus (and other non-Moslems) are still persecuted in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. There have been several similar bombings in the past
two years, mainly in the Indian capital. Most have been proven to be the work
of Islamic terrorists. Pakistan and Bangladesh serve as bases for Islamic
terrorist groups that carry out attacks in India. Pakistan refuses to
acknowledge this, while Bangladesh is fighting hard to eliminate the Islamic
terrorists in its midst.
Pakistan conducted another successful test of its
stealthy cruise missile. This is three decade old technology, and not as
complex as the many ballistic missiles Pakistan has also built. Cruise missiles
are cheaper than ballistic missiles, and can be recalled (useful if they have
nuclear warheads).
August 24, 2007: In the Pakistani tribal areas, an
army colonel and three aids were kidnapped, apparently by tribesmen seeking to
get friends or kin released from jail. The tribal chiefs are trying to
negotiate a ceasefire. This is complicated by the fact that the tribes are
never united in any dealings with the government, or each other. This anarchy
is one reason why the Pakistani government has never actually goverened its
tribal areas. In addition to the fractious tribes, there are numerous warlords
(religious, as in Taliban or al Qaeda, or simply tribal gangsters).
August 23, 2007: The growing feud between Pakistani
president Musharraf and the judiciary has resulted in judges releasing
terrorists from prison. This is done to protest Musharraf jailing judges
he disagrees with.
August 22, 2007: In Pakistan, violence against
Christians now includes more kidnappings of Christian girls (who are then
forced to convert and marry a Moslem man they never met before.) The police
often will not intervene. Islamic militants see it as their duty to persecute
all non-Moslems.
August 21, 2007: In Pakistan, police have
been chasing down and arresting Islamic terrorists associated with the Red
Mosque. These were responsible for bombings in the capital that killed 29 in
the last week. Since the Red Mosque was raided last month, Islamic
radicals have declared open war on the government. Over 300 have died since
then, mostly in terror bombings or battles with police and counter-terror
forces.