Areas of concern in Pakistan

Below is the map of the areas in Pakistan that are supposed to be under the control of the Taliban now - and where Bin Laden et al may be hiding.



And below are the persons of concern in Pakistan - that is if you are the Taliban.

The little girls pictured are persons of concern to the Taliban because girls' education is un-Islamic according to their interpretation of things, and thus, girls who go to school should be eliminated.

But given that girls schools are still operating - and well attended - in spite of the Taliban suggests to me that the locals might be very helpful should there be an solid opportunity to get rid of them.

Uploaded on December 21, 2006 by tj.devine

And look, not only are there girls' schools operating in the area, but co-ed schools too. The pictures above and below were both taken in Balakot.

Uploaded on December 21, 2006 by tj.devine

And not only does there seem to be a pervasive rationality in this region - there's even terrific style. The girl's lace chunni couldn't be cuter - and check out the boy wearing the leopard coat. And what about that backpack in the front row? Is whoever it belongs to carrying it by choice or necessity? I'd love to know what these kids want to be when they grow up.

Should the U.S. give up on Musharraf?

Here's the New York Times' analysis of the situation:

...as a National Intelligence Estimate released last week makes clear, the Bush White House finds itself in a similar predicament. Al Qaeda has reconstituted itself in the wild west tribal areas of Pakistan. It is stronger than at any time in years, and it is actively plotting new attacks.

Putting aside for the moment that this NIE is a CIA work product and therefore may not be reliable (see post below), assume for a moment things are as it says they are in Pakistan. This poses the obvious question: is the General cum President Pervez Musharraf part of the problem or part of the solution?

Here is what The Times says:

[E]vents in Pakistan in recent weeks have at last presented the opportunity for a serious campaign against Islamic radicals in Pakistan, if it’s not already too late. The breakdown of a cease-fire between elders in the tribal lands of Pakistan and the government of President Pervez Musharraf, combined with the determination that General Musharraf showed earlier this month when he ordered an assault on the Red Mosque complex in Islamabad, may have finally given President Bush something his predecessor never had: a partner who may at long last be persuaded to go after an entrenched terrorist haven.

As the Times goes on to report, "Pakistan experts" seem to think that the upcoming presidential elections may be just the "impetus for action" Musharraf needs to muster up the courage to take control of these historically tribal lands. If he succeeds, this would be the first time these areas would fall under control of Islamabad.

But the challenges General Musharraf faces are not trivial, the Times goes on to suggest:

[Pakistan's army is] designed, trained and equipped to fight India in Kashmir and deter New Dehli with nuclear weapons. That requires a dramatically different kind of strategy from what is needed in the tribal areas, whose leaders do not consider themselves part of Pakistan.

As far as what the U.S.'s immediate options are - covert action, airstrikes, or a massive ground invasion - they all seem lousy. As the Times concludes:

Yet, when asked how the United States would respond if Al Qaeda were to plot a successful attack on the United States from the tribal areas, the answer from one intelligence officials was direct: “We’d go in and flatten it.”