War on Terror: Identifying Real Culprits

[mumtazapiracha]

The 'War on Terror' has become the most-talked about, written-about and propagated and publicized topic around the world and particularly in Pakistan. There are more than 16 million entries under the search term 'War on Terror' on the world's #1 search engine, Google. There are over 3 million entries under the search term 'Pakistan War on Terror.'

A wide collection of articles, books and documents are listed. It is simply impossible to scan the entire collection or a sizeable part of it. A few glances over the literature, however, do give you an overall picture of global terrorism. Richard Miniter's book "Shadow War," Jordan J. Paust's book " Beyond the Law," Bill Sammon's book "Fighting Back," and the websites SocialistWorker.org, America's War Against Terrorism, 9/11, War on Terror, and a host of articles published in the newspapers and journals provide a 'peep' and food for thought.

Since the 'War on Terror' is still in progress and classified information is yet to be de-classified, the historians are unable to pen down authentic, unbiased, and well-documented episodes of the whole war or parts thereof. It is almost impossible to draw ENTIRELY objective, authentic and reliable conclusions from the compilation of documents available on the Internet. There are far more assumptions, conflicting statements and divergent views.

As far as I could decipher the documents and understand the phenomenon of 'War on Terror,' I share my conclusions with you within the sphere of limitations cited above.

1. The War on Terror is based on the terrorist attacks that took place against the US establishments in the various parts of the world prior to 9/11 and the 9/11 attack on World Trade Center in New York. All those incidents are clubbed to form an overall picture of the mastermind who is assumed to be Osama bin Laden, leading his 'Al Qaeda' from the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and Pak-Afghan border.

2. The leads from the terrorist attacks in various arts of the globe has taken the US to Afghanistan and Pakistan in pursuit of the perpetrators, assumed to be part of the 'Al Qaeda' network.

3. It is assumed that Osama bin Laden is heaquartered in Afghanistan or Pak-Afghan border alongwith his 'Al Qaeda' leadership, masterminding terrorist attacks on the US and Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan. The focus has shifted and confined to terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and the presumed presence of 'Al Qaeda' leadership in this region.

4. Afghanistan is being ruled by AfghanTaliban, Afghan war lords and Kabul government of President Hamid Karzai in their controlled parts of Afghanistan. There is no single government in place.

5. Afghan Taliban's activities are confined to Afghanistan. It is simply impossible for them to cross the Pak-Afghan border and engage themselves in the tribal belt or elsewhere in Pakistan.

6. The militants assumed to be operating in the tribal belt are altogether a different lot. These are, in all probability, the local armed men who are defending themselves and their foreign 'guests' who fought in the 'Afghan Jihad' against the Soviet Union and later migrated from Afghanistan to the tribal belt after the US attack on Aghanistan in 2001.' These armed men do not have the motive, desire and capacity to enter and attack in other parts of Pakistan or Afghanistan.

7. The terrorist attacks within Pakistan do not appear to have a link to the Afghan Taliban or Fata militants. These attacks, in all probability, are being planned and executed by a multitude of organizations banned under the label of terrorist organizations. They are fighting a 'Jihad' against the US and the 'friends' of America who are supporting the US in its War on Terror. For them, it is obviously a 'Jihad' against the Jewish-Christian forces who are assumed to have their own 'nefarious' designs to eliminate Muslims and Islam.

8. A fourth force at work, in all probability, comprises the hired mercenaries who are carrying out terorist attacks within Pakistan at the behest of our great neighbour who assumes and propagates that every terrorist attack in its country or Kashmir is planned and executed by Pakistan's intelligence agencies through 'Jihadi' outfits.

9. A fifth force at work, in all probability, comprises the localized armed fighters who are trained to fight against the government in Pakistan for their rights at the behest of their localized eaders
"The comprehensive study analyzes 648 terrorist groups that existed between 1968 and 2006, drawing from a terrorism database maintained by RAND and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism" is worth reading. (RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis)

The whole situation is a cobweb of linkages from various sources. There is a Afghan Taliban-led war of independence against the US and Nato in Afghanistan, there is a resistance movement in Fata, there is a conglomerate of 'Jihadi' outfits operating against the US and its Pakistani friends, there are India's sponsored terrorist groups and there are localized armed human rights activists in sensitive parts of Pakistan.

I am of the view that we need a comprehensive multi-faceted strategic plan to deal with terrorism. There is NO all-embracing single solution. The strategic plan will certainly need investment of billions of dollars and rupees in our civilian intelligence network, law enforcement agencies, infra-structural development in the affected regions, consistent and sustainable reforms in education to undo the brainwashing of people in sensitive parts of the country and systematic support linkage between the civilian and military intelligence agencies.

I sincerely and strongly urge you all to please ponder over the scenario, think about the possible solutions and email them to me asap. It is our national duty to be concerned about our national issues. All of you, Masha Allah, are learned persons and should have no difficulty in accessing the Internet, forming your own views and suggesting measures. Being indifferent won't turn back the catastrophe or change the course of history. A dynamic society prepares for the future; a status quo society waits for the future. You better decide.

 

[muse]

Mr. Piracha:

An excellent read - though points 5 through 9 are debatable - points 5 and 6 and to a degree, point 7, are very contentious indeed.

5. Afghan Taliban's activities are confined to Afghanistan. It is simply impossible for them to cross the Pak-Afghan border and engage themselves in the tribal belt or elsewhere in Pakistan

.

Give that the border is porous and people still cross everday in multiple locations the suggestion that it is "impossible" to cross the border is less than credible.

6. The militants assumed to be operating in the tribal belt are altogether a different lot. These are, in all probability, the local armed men who are defending themselves and their foreign 'guests' who fought in the 'Afghan Jihad' against the Soviet Union and later migrated from Afghanistan to the tribal belt after the US attack on Aghanistan in 2001.' These armed men do not have the motive, desire and capacity to enter and attack in other parts of Pakistan or Afghanistan

.

Militants in the tribal belt are ideological associates, affiliates of the Afghan taliban. And these militants have every motivation, desire and demonstrated capacity to enter and attack parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan - these militants are responsible for the suicide attacks inside Pakistan and the militants have been crossing the border to assist the Afghan talib, this is fact, see Syed Salim Shahzad's pieces in Asia Times, including and interview with one of the leading figures of the Afghan Talib movement.

7. The terrorist attacks within Pakistan do not appear to have a link to the Afghan Taliban or Fata militants

See above - how can we assert with any credibility that ideological affilaites have "no link" -- we might as well turn everything on it's head and asset that up is down and down is up.

For them, it is obviously a 'Jihad' against the Jewish-Christian forces who are assumed to have their own 'nefarious' designs to eliminate Muslims and Islam

Indeed, and this "jihad" has thus far killed more than 1200 Pakistani civilians and more than 2000 Pakistani troopers - with what credibility can anyone hope to assert that their jihad" is against "crusaders" and "zionists", their "jihad" is clearly aimed at Muslims.

Regarding the possible "fourth" and fifth force" - quite possibly.

All of this suggests that radical islamist have taken pakistan for a ride and now think that the Pakistani state itself is no longer necesary for their plans - that Pakistan has no legs to stand on - and we recall the saying that "everyone helps to push down a falling wall".

You suggest a "comprehensive" strategy and then suggest there can be " NO all-embracing single solution" - perhaps we understand the word "comprehensive" differently.

The strategic plan will certainly need investment of billions of dollars and rupees in our civilian intelligence network, law enforcement agencies, infra-structural development in the affected regions, consistent and sustainable reforms in education to undo the brainwashing of people in sensitive parts of the country and systematic support linkage between the civilian and military intelligence agencies

.

One can only hope that you are not suggesting the rehabilitation of terrorists through "education" - it was "education" that got them to be terrorists and extremists in the first place - your suggestion, if applied to the general population in the area effected by extremism and terrorism, is reasonable, however; allow me to suggest that terrorists will not disappear just because schools and infra-structure are developed - terrorist need to be dead and that requires us to do the butcher work we have puting off for decades.

That extremism exists and grows is a reflection of the State's failure to first of all identity right from wrong, good from bad and the state's failure to assert forcefully it's exclusive role with regard to coersion in support of the law of the State.