The Taliban is officially back in business - this time, they control a small piece of Pakistan

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

This is from a Pakistani web newspaper, Dawn.

Taliban slap taxes in Miramshah

By Our Correspondent

MIRAMSHAH, Oct 22: The Taliban on Sunday imposed their brand of penalties for various acts which they deemed to be offences and levied ‘taxes’ on businesses.

The Taliban, who recently opened their offices in Miramshah after signing a peace deal with the government, also proclaimed a vast area around the Miramshah town to be their ‘area of operations’ and ‘banned’ all sorts of criminal activities around the North Waziristan Agency headquarters.

The Taliban Shura, headed by Maulvi Abdul Wahid, distributed pamphlets spelling out their policies. The pamphlets were also pasted on walls around the town.

All Taliban factions operating in the North Waziristan Agency are represented in the Shura.

The Taliban proclaimed that maintenance of law and order and punishing crimes in the area between Miramshah-Ghulam Khan road and Deerdani checkpoint-I, Miramshah and the Tablighee Markaz and Miramshah and Mirali road would be their responsibility.

The Taliban would devise punishments for different crimes and would award death for death according to the Shariat. Likewise, people committing other crimes in the area would also been punished according to Islamic jurisprudence.

[...]

There was no mention how and where the money would be used.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/10/23/top7.htm

[bhajishah 4]

There goes my summer 3 week vacation in the mountains

There goes my summer 3 week vacation in the mountains

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Cindi,

Haha. I'm a little surprised the Democrats on this website let this thread go. This is some serious political red meat right here. Not only did Bush fail to eliminate the Taliban, the Taliban now effectively control a part of the-"nation"-formerly-known-as-Pakistan. First Pakistan lost the Kashmir Valley to India, then they lost East Pakistan to the Bangladeshis and now this. The only thing novel about this is that this is the first time, as far as I know, that the Pakistani government has voluntarily (in a manner of speaking) handed over control of its own land to another government.

Bush wanted to take away the Talibans safe haven. Clearly, he has failed.

Edited October 24, 2006 by Gupt

[bhajishah 4]

Thats because he wanted to be a cowboy baby....

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Could be. In any event, why the lame duck presidency failed is something academics will debate for years.

What I'd like to know is why this news hasn't made it into Democratic talking points yet. The Taliban control a piece of our 'ally', Pakistan. They have the safe haven our President claims he denied them.

[bhajishah 4]

Its easy, if you want to control crazy then you hire crazy..Saddam should be the president of aghanistan and taliban territories. Send Osama and thier group to fight the shiites, wait they already doing that. Funny how Iraq had no terrorists before, and now they are inundated.

and psst, the WMD are in NORTH KOREA

Musharef is not stupid, keep your friends close, keepyour enemies closer.. intelligence 101

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Musharef is not stupid, keep your friends close, keepyour enemies closer.. intelligence 101

Letting them levy taxes on his citizens and impose their laws on his citizens is not smart, it is a sign of weakness.

[bhajishah 4]

have you been to the tribal areas?? they reallydont consider themselves his citiizens, infact the like the taliban it seems, why do you think some of the poorest people in the world and not giving leads to a 25 million dollar payoff.

[*Robert* 2]

Why is it everytime I see the work Taliban, I think of the song "The Candyman", and then hear the words "Who can take a sunrise and sprinkle it with death.. the Taliban can" "unsure"

[bhajishah 4]

Musharef is not stupid, keep your friends close, keepyour enemies closer.. intelligence 101

Letting them levy taxes on his citizens and impose their laws on his citizens is not smart, it is a sign of weakness.

If they dont like the Taliban and thier taxes, then they can freely move to Pindi , just like anyone else up there

I think its brilliant idea to give the taliban a false sense of security, bring them out of thier hiding places in the mountains down into the village valleys..

[Nizzy 1]

There is no way to completely emliminate the Taliban. It's not like they go around with shirts that say "Taliban" on them. They lay low when they need to and come out when the lights are off, just like roaches. I wish you guys could see Afghanistan and all of those mountains and hiding places. I remember seeing the land for the first time and thinking: "Oh so this is why they haven't caught Bin Laden yet" There are sooooo many mountains its unbelievable. These people can hide anywhere and disguise themselves perfectly as regular everyday citizens and then do what they have to when everyone has their guard down. Also, there is no border control between Pakistan and Afghanistan, no one asking questions, no one cares. I do recall on my last visit seeing two men from the U.S. Army at the border when you enter Torkham (the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan). But they weren't doing much but standing around looking. So my point is, anyone could sneak in and out unnoticed. After all the destruction they have added to my country I wish the Taliban could be eliminated...but I'm not too hopeful.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There is no way to completely emliminate the Taliban. It's not like they go around with shirts that say "Taliban" on them. They lay low when they need to and come out when the lights are off, just like roaches. I wish you guys could see Afghanistan and all of those mountains and hiding places. I remember seeing the land for the first time and thinking: "Oh so this is why they haven't caught Bin Laden yet" There are sooooo many mountains its unbelievable. These people can hide anywhere and disguise themselves perfectly as regular everyday citizens and then do what they have to when everyone has their guard down. Also, there is no border control between Pakistan and Afghanistan, no one asking questions, no one cares. I do recall on my last visit seeing two men from the U.S. Army at the border when you enter Torkham (the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan). But they weren't doing much but standing around looking. So my point is, anyone could sneak in and out unnoticed. After all the destruction they have added to my country I wish the Taliban could be eliminated...but I'm not too hopeful.

It's one thing to say that getting rid of the Taliban is a tough job. I can understand that. But it sends an entirely different message when an American ally officially hands over a piece of its own territory to the Taliban and lets them levy taxes and impose their laws on those people.

It looks bad for President Bush because he said he'd deny them safe haven and clearly he has failed at that.

It looks even worse for Musharraf because this is yet one more nail in the coffin of a disintegrating Pakistan.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

It's one thing to say that getting rid of the Taliban is a tough job. I can understand that. But it sends an entirely different message when an American ally officially hands over a piece of its own territory to the Taliban and lets them levy taxes and impose their laws on those people.

basically sends message that Pak mil is undisciplined, lawless and incompetent (both at admin and mil functions)--which has been known since 1971.

It looks bad for President Bush because he said he'd deny them safe haven and clearly he has failed at that.

No argument here.

It looks even worse for Musharraf because this is yet one more nail in the coffin of a disintegrating Pakistan.

of which (nails) mush supplied a considerable number through his six years of zia-model (corrupt, sleazy, etc) misrule.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

That would be funnier if we had actually succeeded in depriving them of safe haven. Given that we've so clearly failed at doing that, the humor suddenly isn't so humorous any more.