Posted by Tina
One of the confounding elements of war is that it is often difficult to tell whether or not certain players are more enemy than friend. This article about the recent bombing in Pakistan posted by Walid Phares over at CounterTerrorismBlog offers a perspective I thought our readers might find interesting:
Jihadi Hellish message to Pakistan, by Walid Phares
* As shown by world networks, the hellish flames ravaging the Mariott Hotel in Islamabad seemed like a vision of the Apocalypse. That’s at least how many survivors of the Terror attack that massacred more than 60 and wounded hundreds have described it: “The end of the World.” But beyond the barbaric bloodshed and the human suffering ensuing, the heavy question fuses fast: How to read this Jihadi mayhem and what is the message behind the bombing?<strong>*
* What is al Qaeda and their Taliban herds up to, by terrorizing the people and Government of the second largest Muslim country in the world and -more important- the first Islamic nation to possess nuclear weapons? According to many Pakistani sourcesincluding Lt General Talaat Massud the Terror attack has a “loud and clear message.” He asserted that those behind the operation “wants to tell the Pakistani Government to stop sending the Army into their (Taliban) areas and to oppose any intervention (against al Qaeda) inside Pakistan by the United States.” Massud comments, aired on BBC were firm: “This is a mega explosion and it needs mega decisions in the country, more will come.” *** The War between the “Jihadi Islamists” of all kinds and the secular coalition led by the “People’s Party” formerly headed by the late Benazir Bhutto is on. Indeed, while many in the US and the West doubted former President Musharraf’s ability or political will to take the fight comprehensively to the tribal areas, newly elected President Aif Ali Zardari and his Prime Minister Yosaf Raza Gilani have repetitively committed to confront the “fundamentalists and terrorists.” A one year long reading of this “struggle” shows that the Taliban have targeted the secular “People’s Party” since its chances to come to power were increasing. After a failed attempt at her life, the Jihadists finally assassinated Bhutto. But the come back of her party in the last elections brought her widow to the top office. The “Bhutto leadership” reaffirmed their intention to take on the Jihadi Terrorists. Strong with a popular support, including among women and youth, the secular political coalition was considered as top danger by the armed Islamists. Hence, the logic of the Mariott attack. It was chiefly to strike at the forthcoming ideological advance against the Jihadists. In short this was a preemptive blow against a Government which may not hesitate in engaging a battle of ideas against the medieval forces in Waziristan and against the circles of Jihadophiles in Islamabad. From their hideouts, Bin Laden, Zawahiri and Mullah Umar have urged their Pakistani brethren to smite the head of the secular establishment in the country. Pakistan could be the biggest prize ever, if it falls into the hands of the Taliban and their urban allies. But to do so, the current democratically elected Government and the President must be removed. And prior to this, the Armed forces have to stop their raids into the north western valleys. *** This is a warning to Pakistani civilian and military authorities to break all ties to the American-led campaign against Terror. But more precisely to reject NATO incursions after al Qaeda inside Pakistan. Already the new public agenda of the current Administration in Islamabad openly warns against US raids across the borders for domestic political reasons. The new President pledged, few hours before the explosion, that he will carry the campaign against the Terrorists but at the same time he will refuse American military interventions on his national soil. The Jihadi bloodshed in the city is a “mega-warning” that al Qaeda and the Taliban will respond inside the country against pressure coming from across the border. *** But a more daring investigation of the propaganda goals sought by the Jihadists may project that by enflaming the situation in Pakistan and by ripple effect in Afghanistan, the architects of international terror wants to heat up the debate in the US Presidential election as well. The war room of al Qaeda has demonstrated in the past years that it also aim at manipulating public opinion “behind enemy lines” as well. By fueling the violence inside Pakistan the propagandists would demonstrate that US attention to that country was minimal in contrast to American involvement in Iraq. *