Yes. I'm sure you are. Aren't we all? Peace and harmony for all but I've been reminded again by you, my local expert, that there are "good" taliban and "bad" taliban.
Me personally, i could damn care less for any religious fundamentalists. But I am convinced that Pakistani taleban have nothing to do with the Afghan taleban. Of course there are exceptions. But ttp is very factionalized; as we saw after the death of Baitullah.
I see. Then you've long known and agreed that it was reasonable and appropriate for Pakistanis to permit those like Haqqani and Hekmatyar to use your lands to make war upon the afghans?
when did they do that?
By the way, Hekmatyar is not a powerful person now. You americans love to give too much credit to certain people. He was America's darling against the Soviets.
Does this ring a bell?
or this?
at this time Hekmatyar has many enemies --including Mullah Omar.
He has been trying to get Pakistan taleban militants to fight US forces. It is not in our interests to have anti-US elements in our country, but it is also not in our interests to have foreign boots in Afghanistan. If you asked me even 2 years ago, I wouldnt have said that.
but now officially, i want foreign forces to vacate this area immediately. It is having destabilizing affect for everybody; and even Iranians are pretty angry about the presence of U.S. forces on 2 sides.
Some of these elements don't join these groups because they like taleban ideology (wahhaby); but many join simply because they see it as a national resistance against occupiers (like in the soviet times)
Also, I presume that you've not objected to your own tribal militia leaders like Hafez Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir sending their sons across the border to support Omar?
I don't even know what tribes they belong to; dont call them "my own tribal leaders"
The former is fiercely anti-American (anti-everything actually) and he is a security risk. I would like to see him arrested. Nazir being a dual citizen and equally anti-American ---it is no surprise why he would send his son to fight the foreign troops.
If things were my way, they would be taken out. I'm sure they will be found eventually. Hopefully they wont flee across the border; because we know that checkposts and security arrangements on Afghan side of the border are half-assed.
But you are for peace in the region.
damn right I am.....what's it to you, foreigner?
You, sir, are part of the problem and not the solution. These men "good" and "bad" taliban, are one and the same and only a fool or one willfully duplicitous would suggest otherwise.
The afghan taliban kill the bulk of the afghan people. They do so by intent to terrorize. Just as the Pakistani taliban have done to your maliks, judges, politicians, and F.C. soldiers. The afghan taliban have destroyed schools and enslaved women. Just as your Pakistani taliban have done before the eyes of your country last spring in SWAT where it finally became clear to your people that they could no longer be tolerated...
?????????
Even the brits, NATO chief, and Hamid Karzai are admitting that there is no victory in sight; and that negotiations with non hard-core taleban is the only way forward
tell me something, foreigner......What do YOU suggest? ISAF has been in Afghanistan for 8 long years. Things have gotten WORSE, not better
...in Pakistan. The likes of you, though, would wish on the afghans that which you will no longer accept for yourselves.
hogwash and yet another ad-hominem attack. You don't know me.
Good luck with your bizarre and cynical notion of "peace".
Good luck soul-searching and trying to find a way to define "victory" in an already lost war