Last Updated:
February 7, 2012

Signin or Signup to submit Article
Home » Terrorism » Talibanization » Taliban
Taliban
Per Page :

Admiring Taliban (God Help Me)

by aminz on Aug 23, 2009 Afghanistan, Bollywood, Drones, FATA, Freedom of Speech, Hakeemullah, Hollywood, Humour, Mehsud, Nat Geo, Nek Mohammad, Pakistan, Politically Correct, Rambo, Salman Khan, Taliban, TTP, US 4 Comments •

Well as the title suggests, this post is not for weak hearts, people with no sense of humour, adults under the mental age of 7 and proponents of freedom of speech. Wait a minute did I say proponents of freedom of speech, well thats what I said. Normally those who advocate freedom of speech mean, freedom of ‘their’ version of speech and admiring Taliban may not conform to their concept of free speech. Only anti-religious and blasphemous stuff qualifies for that (pun intended).
Anyway all I wanted to say was that these Taliban guys are really dashing. I mean they have a rugged, rustic, macho and chauvinistic air about them. They look so manly. Now honestly if we take our regular, cleanly-shaven, trying-to-look-bad Hollywood icons and any Talib walking down the FATA hills; who would look more manly and bad. I got you there didn’t I; because we all agree that Taliban are more BAD. But I was emphasizing manliness here (Ahem).
Okay now lets make a side by side comparison. Lets compare Mr. Rambo with (Late) Nek Mohammad. Just for the record, Nek Mohammad was probably the first victim of a US drone operating on the wrong side of the border.

Oh by the way for the record once again, Mr. Rambo also had the honor of fighting in Afghanistan against the Commies alongside (the then called) Mujahideen. How time changes!
Coming back to the point. Now guys (and especially girls) please leave all your biases aside and tell me whose your man?
No, didn’t impress you. Okay then lets try Taliban vs. Bollywood. Here we go:

Here we have Mr. Salman Khan (Sallu G) versus Hakeem Ullah Mehsud (the newly appointed TTP chief, believed to be already dead by some). Now both of them are ‘BAD’ in their own ways but whose more manly? The earring clad guy with an aura of stupidity OR the really dangerous guy on the right (side of the column). Please also keep in mind that Taliban are a species that are really hard to photograph. Ask any Nat Geo photographer whats easy to catch on film, the tonsils of a living African Lion or the turban of dead Taliban and he’s sure to choose the African version. Unless you get abducted by them (Taliban I mean) its really hard to photograph them. In fact when one does get abducted its Talibaan who ‘shoot’ the photographer, with all those exotic settings and props. On the other hand the filmy guys are meant to be photographed. They use all means possible to improve their looks whereas Taliban may spend the least of their time in front of a mirror. But still I guess they manage to steal (rather kidnap) the show.
Now all those self-righteous, forward-looking and liberal-minded folks might be thinking, whats the point of this whole post. Well folks, there is no point in this post, it was just for laughs. Humour doesn’t have to ‘politically correct’. If it can make you laugh it has done the job. Got my point now??? :)
0 Views : 103

At Imran Khan’s Rally

by aminz on Jul 5, 2009 Chief Justice, Imran Khan, JI, Lahore, Middle Class, Pakistan, Petrol Prices, Politics, Power Shortage, Price Hike, Protest, PTI, Rally, Talibaan, Taliban, Talibanization, Unemployment, WAPDA 2 Comments •

On the eve of 3rd July, 2009, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) organized a protest rally on the monumental Mall Road (Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam) of Lahore.
protest was against acute power shortage, a sudden rise of prices in petroleum products (that will trigger an across the board price hike) and unemployment. The issues are indeed the most burning ones faced by Pakistan today. I’m sorry but terrorism, religious extremism, Talibanization etc. does hurt me but NOT as much as these things do. A suicide bomber is a real threat but he would rather kill me in an instant, however the above stated issues will leave me lurching somewhere between life and death, a much more painful ordeal. To get killed by a bomber is NOT a priority here .. its plain sarcasm. But lets leave that debate for a later occasion.

I later learnt that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also organized similar rally on that very day at about the same location, few hours before this particular event. PTI and JI are two political groups that opted to boycott last years’ general elections. It is good to see that they are playing their role in national politics one way or the other. I wish these political forces join hands for these issues and make a united front to get them resolved, just like they did for the “Chief Justice” issue.
Anyhow coming back to the rally. The rally was properly organized and had lot of party workers and a representation of women too. However, one thing which I was looking for and was utterly lacking was the educated youth and the white collar middle class. The workers present there were the typical paid party workers. Not saying that they shouldn’t be there but my image of PTI was a bit different. A friend of mine who is a party member and comes from an educated background was there at the rally but he too was watching the event from the sidelines like me. But lets not draw any conclusions from these observations at this point in time.
Imran Khan joined in the rally later on and as is natural the crowds were electrified by his presence. The procession then marched on towards WAPDA House where Imran Khan had to make a speech. The numbers out there in the procession were quite plausible. According to my most conservative estimate there were 2 to 3 thousand people in that rally. News items from national dailies about the event are also attached.

0 Views : 41

Bodies of 15 Militants Found in Swat

by admin on Oct 8, 2009 Pakistan, Swat, Swat Operation, Taliban, Terrorism Comments Closed • ,

Bodies-of-15-Militants-Found-in-SwatPESHAWAR: The bullet-riddled bodies of 15 suspected Taliban militants were found on Thursday in the northwestern Swat valley, officials said, amid concerns of extra-judicial killings in the area.

Officials have previously said 251 corpses have been dumped next to roads, beheaded or strung up in Swat since July, when the government declared a massive military operation had almost defeated Taliban fighters.

‘I can confirm that 15 bodies were found today and our information is that they are militants,’ army spokesman Major Mushtaq Khan.

‘They might have been the victims of infighting among militant groups or killed by local people.’

Residents in the rural Swat town of Mangalore on Thursday alerted authorities to the bodies dumped in three different areas.

Doctor Naeemullah Khan said that 15 bodies were brought to the rural health centre with all the victims apparently shot dead during the past 12 hours.

Security forces are already facing questions about the mysterious appearance of bodies of suspected militants that have been turning up in Swat, some showing signs of torture. (more…)

0 Views : 27

Britons and Australian held in Yemen over suspected links to al-Qaeda

by Abdurrahman on Jun 5, 2010 Security, Taliban, World News Comments Closed • , ,

Yemeni officials have claimed that some of the foreign nationals detained have connections with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to blow up a transatlantic airliner on Christmas Day last year, and Anwar al-Awlaki, a jihadist cleric.

The arrests of the British nationals follow an investigation into the activities of an Australian woman by police in the capital Sana’a after information was supposedly passed to the Yemenis by the Australian government.

Shyloh Jayne Giddens, a Muslim convert who moved to Yemen to bring up her two children in an Islamic country, has been detained without charge in Sana’a's political prison since May 15.

Her Australian passport was cancelled two months ago by the Australian government for “national security reasons”.

Ms Giddens, 30, was teaching English in Sana’a at the time of her arrest. She denies having any terrorist links.

At least two of the British nationals being held are of Yemeni extraction, and others detained include American and French nationals as well as “Asians and Africans”, the Independent reports.

Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian student responsible for the failed Christmas Day attack, told US investigators after his arrest that there were “many like me” trained by the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP).

US intelligence officials warned in February that al-Qaeda was trying to recruit English-speaking westerners, particularly women, who could easily slip past security controls to launch terrorist attacks.

0 Views : 34

Drone attacks and US reputation

by admin on Feb 5, 2010 Afghanistan, Drones, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, US 4 Comments • , , , , ,

droneBy Farhat Taj:

In terms of the drone attacks, the US must not make any distinction between al Qaeda and the Taliban. They both have internalised a global ideology that is anti-civilisation and anti-human

There is news coming up in the media that al Qaeda in Waziristan may run away to Yemen in the face of growing drone attacks. The people of Waziristan have expressed deep concern at this news. They do not want al Qaeda to run away from Waziristan. They want al Qaeda along with the Taliban burnt to ashes on the soil of Waziristan through relentless drone attacks. The drone attacks, they believe, are the one and only ‘cure’ for these anti-civilisation creatures and the US must robustly administer them the ‘cure’ until their existence is annihilated from the world. The people of Waziristan, including tribal leaders, women and religious people, asked me to convey in categorical terms to the US the following in my column.

One, your new drone attack strategy is brilliant, i.e. one attack closely followed by another. After the first attack the terrorists cordon off the area and none but the terrorists are allowed on the spot. Another attack at that point kills so many of them. Excellent! Keep it up!

Your drone technology has the full capacity to encircle and eliminate al Qaeda and the Taliban in Waziristan. If you fail to do so and al Qaeda manages to run away to Yemen or any other place, it could only happen in two cases: either you are highly incompetent people or you have ulterior motives.

The people who have established one of the world’s most vibrant democracies and have taken science and technology to a new zenith cannot be highly incompetent. Now the only possibility is that you have ulterior motives, which could facilitate al Qaeda’s escape from Waziristan. (more…)

0 Views : 63

Failure is not an option in Afghanistan

by Abdurrahman on Sep 14, 2009 Afghanistan, Army, Muslims, North America, Taliban, Terrorism, World News 1 Comment • , , , ,
Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon.

The threat of a US failure in Afghanistan is becoming all too real with recent reports of a fraudulent election and a controversial German air strike. At the heart of the problem, however, are disputes within the US defense establishment about waging the war. A recent article published in Joint Force Quarterly by Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent shock waves through the media and the defense establishment. Mullen argued that US policy was failing in Afghanistan because the US was not getting its message across and lacked credibility. He was seen as “blasting” the US military – a military of which he himself is in charge.

So why did he go to the press with his complaints when he could change the “strategic communication” policy he derides? It turns out that his failure to implement the policy he recommends is but the tip of the iceberg of the contradictory condemnation of US policy.

Mullen stressed that “there is no doubt that Abu Ghraib was a stain on our national character, and it reminded us yet again of the power of our actions. The incidents there likely inspired many young men and women to fight against us.” He apparently forgot, like many have, that the main inspiration for Islamism and al-Qaida is not Iraq, that the Iraq war came after 9/11 and that al-Qaida’s extremism cannot always be traced to US actions. Any inspiration for young men to fight against the US emanating from Abu Ghraib was only on top of a wellspring that had provided young men to “fight against us” for years. (more…)

0 Views : 52

Give Pakistan Killer Drones to Target Terrorists

by Asad on Sep 9, 2009 Army, Drones, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, Terrorism Comments Closed • , , ,

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf believes his country should be given drone aircraft to target terrorists.

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf believes his country should be given drone aircraft to target terrorists.

Former Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf believes his country should be given drone aircraft so it can take out top terror suspects without the help of the West, he told FOX News in an exclusive interview.

They have been very controversial always,” he said. “I personally believe that drones should be given to Pakistan because the sensitivity is American troops or any foreign troops coming into Pakistan.”

The question on so many minds — where is Usama bin Laden? — remains unanswered. Musharraf has doubts whether bin Laden has survived the eight harsh years since 9/11.

Musharraf became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and joined the United States in fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He became the target of repeated assassination attempts — but he says he acted for the good of his country — not for U.S. benefit.

“It was not for United States alone … it was for Pakistan,” he said during a wide-ranging interview with FOX News’ Amy Kellogg in London.

“[W]e are a progressive, moderate people, so it was very clear that we cannot accept” the Talibanization of his country, he said, calling it an easy decision to turn his military’s sights on the militants.

“They were roaming around our cities and causing terrorist attacks in our cities and all over, and we had to eliminate that.”

Musharraf said that Al Qaeda has been significantly diminished in Pakistan, but the Taliban is thriving. Yet he believes that the unmanned aircraft the U.S. uses to target key militants in Pakistan should be handed over to his country.

“There is even a doubt whether he is alive,” he told FOX News. “Because right in the beginning he was a dialysis patient, he was a kidney patient; therefore I wonder if he is alive. “ (more…)

0 Views : 24

Is it time to ditch “AfPak”?

by Abdurrahman on Oct 12, 2009 Afghanistan, Army, North America, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, Terrorism, World News Comments Closed • , , , , ,

nuristanOne of the arguments frequently put forward for sending more western troops to Afghanistan is that western failure there will destabilise Pakistan.

Very roughly summarised, this 21st century version of the domino theory suggests that a victory for Islamist militants in Afghanistan would so embolden them that they might then overrun Pakistan – a far more dangerous proposition given its nuclear weapons.

A slightly different but related argument is that the United States needs to show resolve in Afghanistan to convince Pakistan of its commitment to the region and encourage the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency to turn against Islamist militants it once cultivated as ”strategic assets” to be used against its much bigger neighbour India.

“Many in Pakistan have always believed the Americans are not really serious about Afghanistan. They recall that the U.S. supported Pakistan and the mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 1980s only to abandon both once the Soviets left,” writes Bruce Riedel at Brookings in a follow-up to this weekend’s attack on the Pakistan Army headquarters. (more…)

0 Views : 50

Kayani writes to Mehsuds.

by Abdurrahman on Oct 20, 2009 Army, Mehsud, Muslims, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism Comments Closed • , , , ,

78d419d49a7a5643a8cdf1581d610e1eChief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has sought support of Mehsud tribes in the operation against militants in South Waziristan.

In an open letter to the Mehsud tribes, the copies of which were distributed among reporters at a press briefing jointly addressed by Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, the army chief expressed the hope that the tribes would fully back the army in the operation and collectively rise against oppressive elements for a decisive action.

He made it clear that the operation in South Waziristan was not meant to target the ‘valiant and patriotic’ Mehsud tribes, but aimed at ridding them of the elements who had destroyed peace in the region. He said the target of the operation were Uzbek terrorists, foreign elements and local militants.

Gen Kayani said the army wanted to provide an opportunity to the Mehsud tribes to once again live in their area in peace.

He acknowledged that all tribes, including Mehsud, were loyal to Pakistan and had been working for the ‘defence of the country as an army without salary’.

The letter has a colour photograph of the army chief on the top, the national flag on one side and insignia of the Pakistan Army on the other. Urdu and Pushto versions of the message are reported to have been dropped in South Waziristan by helicopters. (more…)

0 Views : 40

Pakistan Closes Schools Amid Attacks

by Asad on Oct 21, 2009 Islam, Knowledge, Muslims, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism Comments Closed • , , , , ,
Children prepare to sing the Pakistani National Anthem prior to the start of classes in a school in Qutbal, Pakistan, on Oct. 13

Children prepare to sing the Pakistani National Anthem prior to the start of classes in a school in Qutbal, Pakistan, on Oct. 13

Pakistan’s schools closed their doors Wednesday, a day after bombings at an Islamabad university, amid warnings of more attacks on a wider range of targets around the country.

The recent spate of attacks in Pakistani cities has come as the army prepared for, and launched, a military offensive in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan that is seen as a stronghold for Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Intelligence officials warned that the militants could target foreign-controlled gas stations, banks and food chains.

All schools, universities and student hostels were ordered closed and vacated for an indefinite period, “until appropriate security measures are taken,” said Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for information.

Many private schools in Islamabad and other major cities had already shut this week after intelligence reports that suggested militants would try to take students hostage to exchange for militants held by the security forces.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the two suicide bomb attacks on International Islamic University, which killed four students and two bombers Tuesday. (more…)

0 Views : 77

Save The Flood Victim

© 2010 UstaadKhan Articles. All Rights Reserved.

Designed by Templatic