They say that hindsight is 20/20 and I think they're right.
Other than the different sounding names, what happened this morning in the Bajur province of Pakistan looks a lot like what happened at Waco, Texas in 1993.
In a brutal demonstration of military superiority, a national government massacred its own citizens to teach others a lesson in MIGHT makes RIGHT.
The Pakistani military said today that it had destroyed a religious school used for training militants in Bajur tribal area straddling the border with Afghanistan. More than 83 people are thought to have been killed in the military operation, local television news channels reported, but no official confirmation was immediately available.
The strike, involving helicopter gunships, started at around 5 a.m. today, military officials said. The target was a religious school, known as a madrassa, run by a local cleric, Maulvi Liaqut. Mr. Liaqut was also reportedly killed, according to local media.
And, of course, all we have is the Pakistani government's word as to who or what was going on at that location.
"We received confirmed intelligence reports that 70-80 militants were hiding in a madrassa used as a terrorist-training facility, which was destroyed by an army strike, led by helicopters," Maj. General Shaukat Sultan, a spokesperson for Pakistani military, said, according to The Associated Press.
General Sultan said that no "high value target'' was present during the raid, referring to al Qaeda or Taliban leaders.
General Sultan also stressed that no children or women were present inside the madrassa and denied any involvement by U.S or NATO troops. [And we're supposed to (obediently) believe it.]
After the attack, helicopters were reported hovering over the area. Telecommunication links were also reported to be suspended, according to local news media.
The madrassa was located in Khar, the main town in the tribal region of Bajur, one of the semiautonomous tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan that have long been considered safe havens for Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants.
Considered by whom?
A dictatorial government press office? Come on - give me a break!
The truth is, we have no way of knowing who these people are and what they value.
But, more likely than not - they're just ordinary local folks trying to make a living and trying to protect themselves from belligerent and authoritarian outside forces - not unlike the folks at Waco.
Bajur, which borders Afghan province of Kunar, has a history of troubled militancy.
It was the scene of a widely unpopular American military strike in January, when al Qaeda's number two leader, Aiman al-Zawahiri, was the target.
Mr. Zawahiri was not present at the time of the attack but at least 18 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack.
Subsequently, nationwide protests were held against the United States and President Musharraf.
Suspected Taliban rebels shot down a Chinook helicopter, killing 16 American servicemen, in Kunar, Afghanistan, not far from Bajur, in June 2005.
Always throwing in some anti-American activities to confuse the issues.
American troops don't belong in Afghanistan anymore than Afghani troops belong in America.
If America's corporate military wasn't there trying to steal resources on behalf of multinational corporations, they wouldn't get shot at.
It's as simple as that.
And what happened today is just more of the same . . .
Today's military strike came two days after thousands of tribal militants staged a protest rally in Bajur and vowed to continue their opposition to the United States and its Pakistani supporters.
Faqir Mohammad, a local tribal leader, had told the protesters that they would continue their jihad against America and its allies, according to the Associated Press, calling supporters of America their enemy.
Soon after today's attack signs of a political backlash emerged. Siraj ul Haq, a senior minister in the provincial cabinet, and Haroon-ur- Rashid, a member of the parliament, condemned the strike and announced plans to resign, a local television station reported.
And things will continue to deteriorate until American troops get the hell out - just like the Russians before them.
Submitted by qrswave on Mon, 2006-10-30 11:25
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your comment is a bit cryptic.
please, elaborate.
thanks.
thanks!
We even have cute little icons! see -->
That ought to attract the young'ns (and the older folks who are young at heart
)
I should have known that the US was involved.