Pakistan frees al Qaeda helpers (50 more)

[54anickel]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/04/25/pakistan.alqaeda.sweep.ap/

SHAKAI, Pakistan (AP) -- Some 50 men arrested last month in an operation aimed at rounding up pro-al Qaeda tribesman were expected to be freed by Pakistan's army on Sunday, a day after five prominent leaders were also granted amnesty.

Offering a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Quran to an army general as symbolic gifts, the five were allowed to go free on Saturday in return for a promise not to help al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives near the Afghan border.

The deal could end months of bloody confrontation between tribesmen and Pakistan's army in the lawless region of South Waziristan, but may unnerve the United States, eager for more tough action by Pakistan in the war on terrorism.

South Waziristan has long been believed to be a possible hide-out for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahri.

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[varun]

1. I told you so...

this is a pattern that has been repeated over and over. Jut after 911, Musharraf freed hundreds of Al Qaeda from Pakistani prisons...recaptured them to squeeze of $3 billion from USA...now frees them again.

The cycle continues :eyes:

[54anickel]

4. I didn't realize that. I guess the question would then be, did those

individuals keep their word, and not go back to aiding Al Qaeda?
There are cultural differences, perhaps wishful thinking on my part that this actually worked.
Certainly continuing to blow them up hasn't.

[Aidoneus]

2. Wise move on their part

That campaign was a catastrophe for Pakistan, with the sole beneficiary being Mushy's US bosses (who exploited it for propaganda purposes even more than the proxy agents did). Busharraf's propaganda fell apart upon the discovery that there was no discovery, and instead of making his master happy they found whole provinces in open defiance of the State and putting forth 'unexpected' and, more importantly, effective, resistance. Since it was fruitless, the goal of the Pakistani State & Army should now be to stop the hemorraging; in this case that means kissing up to the locals and hoping that the glue holds on Busharraf's house of cards.

[NNN0LHI]

3. Afghanistan, US working on amnesty scheme for Taleban

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2004/April/subcontinent_April532.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=

KABUL - Afghanistan and the United States are working on an amnesty scheme for Taleban members and followers of wanted terrorist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a Kabul-based diplomat said on Monday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet, and US army officers the diplomat said, are drawing up the plan, which envisions allowing Afghanistan’s former rulers and Hekmatyar supporters to return to the political scene, jointly.

However, such a plan is likely to evoke fierce opposition from the current Afghan administration, which is dominated by commanders of anti-Taleban forces who ousted the hardliners with US help in late 2001, and from ethnic minorities who were persecuted by the ethnic-Pashtun-dominated Taleban.

Under the scheme, members of Afghanistan’s deposed hardline Taleban and followers of Hekmatyar’s radical Hezb-i Islami organisation would be divided into three categories, ranging from those who would never be offered an amnesty to those who would receive it unconditionally.

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[Pallas180]

7. I'd like junior and cheney to tell us now that the boys who died in their

afghanistan war did not die in vain.

bushit.

[54anickel]

8. This decision wouldn't have anything to do with the precious oil pipeline,

would it? :grr:

[54anickel]

9. This part certainly begs the question, WTF are we doing there?

A spokesman for the 13,500 US troops in Afghanistan said in February: “There’s apparently no more than 50 people who are associated with terrorism and violence. Many Taleban were not criminals ... and we invite them today to join the peace process.”

Since the collapse of the five-year Taleban regime in late 2001, several extremists have been reintegrated into the ranks of local administrations.

In the southern and southeastern provinces, many administrative officials and district chiefs maintain contact and negotiate daily with Taleban members.

At the national level, Afghan and US authorities officially deny any contact with Taleban leadership, admitting only to having been approached “at individual level” by former Taleban officials offering to help re-establish peace and stability.

[54anickel]

10. Pakistan tries amnesty to stem tribal support for Al Qaeda

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0426/p07s01-wosc.html

snip>
The military also set an April 30 deadline for foreigners living in this semi-autonomous region to surrender or face military action, suggesting a possible operation in the mountains where "foreign terrorists" are believed to be in hiding.

The agreement holds out the prospect of ending a protracted confrontation between the Army and the pro-Al Qaeda commanders' local force of more than 2,000 fighters, who have been accused of assisting foreign terrorists in South Waziristan. But some observers urge caution, saying any future operations against foreign fighters - Arabs, Chechens, and Uzbeks - will test the accord's strength.

snip>
The level of resistance offered by the Men of Al Qaeda and their fighters during a major operation last month, loss of life on both sides, and countrywide protests by opposition and religious fundamentalist political parties for fighting "their own people" without consulting tribal elders may have compelled the Pakistani military to change tactics. They moved to find a solution with the help of tribal elders and influential clerics, and held out the threat of confiscating properties and businesses.

Pakistani forces hope the agreement will allow them to launch more successful military actions against foreign terrorists. "The local Al Qaeda men have always served as shield to foreign mujahideen," says tribesman Dilawar Khan. "If the military is able to withdraw this shield then to counter Al Qaeda will be much easier. "

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[NNN0LHI]

5. What are "helpers"? MSNBC just reported they are Taliban. WTF?

I thought the Taliban were very mean to women and all that stuff? Have they turned over a new leaf or what? I guess the Taliban are not so bad after all?

Don

[whatelseisnew]

6. It is just like gitmo, they are taliban and alqada when seized

if they are released they were detainees.

Read the appendix of Orwell's 1984 to better understand how to be

a journalist.