Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Pakistani Rubicon Awaits

Has the die been cast? US and NATO forces are supposedly massing along the Afghan border with Pakistan after cross border raids included Pakistani troops operating in conjunction with Taliban and al Qaeda elements. This comes on the heels of a significant attack on US forces in Afghanistan that resulted in nine US soldiers killed and 40 Taliban killed as well.

Indian and Afghan intelligence reports that the Pakistani intel services have sided with the terrorists. That isn't exactly a surprise to anyone following the situation in Pakistan, as the ISI has long harbored favorable sentiment to the Islamists and al Qaeda in particular.

The problem remains as it has been for some time now - control over the Pakistani nuclear arsenal. Taking action against the Islamists might throw control over those weapons into the hands of the very people we're trying to keep from ever getting their hands on the button. Pakistan's long standing appeasement policy towards the border regions has fostered the conditions that we're seeing today. And India could see the brunt of those weapons as India and Pakistan have fought repeated conflicts since their founding and the conflict boils over from time to time over the Line of Control.

Meanwhile, Taliban propagandists who were pushing claims that NATO forces killed civilians in airstrikes were rebutted by ISAF investigators, who found that the closest airstrikes were more than 40km away.

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