http://jihadwatch.org/
 

US Special Forces to increase presence in Pakistan -- Al-Qaeda's new central
battlefield


 bhutto%20benazir.jpg <http://www.jihadwatch.org/bhutto%20benazir.jpg> 
The latest casualty on Al-Qaeda's central battlefield

This is even more likely after the murder of Benazir Bhutto. But the
military is still talking about educational and employment initiatives, as
if they will make the jihad go away. This despite the fact that study after
study has shown that jihadists are generally better educated and wealthier
than their peers. "US military beefs up Pakistan force," by Bruce Loudon for
<http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22978944-2,00.html> The Australian
(thanks to JE):

US Special Forces are to increase their presence in Pakistan amid
assessments that the country is to become the central battlefield for
al-Qaida as it is driven from Iraq. 

"Pakistan should be carefully watched because it could prove to be a
significant flashpoint in the coming year," US think tank Strategic
Forecasting said in an evaluation of al-Qaida's tactics as the Islamist
group comes under mounting pressure in Iraq.

With the "rapid spread of Talibanisation" in Pakistan's insurgent northwest,
the country would become "especially important if the trend in Iraq
continues to go against the jihadis and they are driven from Iraq", the
assessment said.

"As the global headquarters for the al-Qaida leadership, Pakistan has long
been a significant stronghold on the ideological battlefield. If the trend
towards radicalisation continues, the country could become the new centre of
gravity for the jihadi movement on the physical battlefield."

The Stratfor assessment coincided with reports from Washington suggesting US
Special Forces would expand their presence in Pakistan in the new year.

[...]

According to reports in Pakistan, areas in the North West Frontier Province,
the federally administered tribal areas, Baluchistan and Pakistan-controlled
Kashmir were earmarked for investment that would boost education and
employment in an effort to wean local tribesmen away from their support for
the jihadi movement.

The area, seen as crucial in the battle against al-Qaida and the Taliban,
was the subject of a summit meeting in Islamabad involving President Pervez
Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai.

The two leaders held what sources described as "unusually cordial and
friendly" meetings on how to boost co-operation in the war against the
jihadis. They agreed to intensify their exchanges of intelligence, something
Mr Musharraf described as "the key to fighting and enhancing our capability
against terrorists and extremists".

Mr Karzai said: "Afghanistan and Pakistan are twins. More than that, they
are joined at the body."

 



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