Pakistan Militants conscripted sons ...

[christof139]

Official: Pakistan Militants conscripted sons
4 hours ago, 9-27-08

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news...7/AS.Pakistan/

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Militants battling security forces in a tribal region
bordering Afghanistan have forced families to give up sons to fight alongside
Islamist extremists, a Pakistani military official said.
Meanwhile, new violence in the region Saturday reportedly killed 16 insurgents.
Overall, more than 1,000 alleged militants have died since Pakistan launched a
military offensive in the Bajur tribal area in early August, officials said. The
effort has won praise from U.S. officials, who say al-Qaida and Taliban fighters
involved in attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan use Bajur and
neighboring tribal regions as a safe haven.
The offensive, which could last up to two more months, proceeds as Pakistan
struggles with economic problems, power shortages, and violence throughout the
country, including a massive attack that devastated the Marriott Hotel in
Islamabad a week ago.
Insurgents had a stranglehold on Bajur prior to the offensive, officials said.
The militants converted schools into Islamic courts, set up a traffic control
system, and imposed taxes on the timber and marble industries, the region's two
main industries.
On Friday, a Pakistani military commander accused insurgents of forced
conscription.
"All families were asked to give their one male child to this (militant)
movement, and this was done forcibly, and if somebody doesn't do it, his house
would be destroyed," said Maj. Gen. Tariq Khan of the paramilitary Frontier
Corps.
It is nearly impossible to independently confirm the details provided by Khan
and others in the military. Journalists' access to Bajur is restricted, and the
area is remote and dangerous. The government has traditionally had limited
authority in the area, allowing tribes to wield tremendous influence, although
that has suffered as militants have grown in power.
In a briefing to reporters visiting the region Friday on a special army-
organized trip, Khan showed photos of militant tunnel systems and trenches and
said Bajur had become a "center of gravity" for all sorts of insurgents from
throughout the region.
Khan expressed "respect" for the militant fighters, saying they had good
communications and command and control systems, as well as "top of the line"
tactical understanding of the terrain.
"They are not people who are just picked up from the streets and haven't gone
through any kind of formal training," Khan said. "I would have liked to have two
or three of these people taken to our infantry school and teach some of our
officers."
"My timeframe for Bajur is anything from between one and a half to two months to
bring about stability," Khan added.
Government official Iqbal Khattak said security forces backed by helicopter
gunships killed 16 insurgents and wounded another 20 in Bajur on Saturday.
Pakistan's military effort in Bajur has not kept the U.S. from launching its own
operations, including missile strikes, in the tribal areas, prompting Pakistani
protests. On Thursday, a murky five-minute firefight between U.S. and Pakistani
forces along the often-contested border further deepened tensions, though
officials have since urged calm.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for a string of recent suicide
bombings they called revenge for the Bajur offensive.
Analysts say the Pakistani Taliban or al-Qaida could have been behind the
Marriott blast in Islamabad as well, though the top Pakistani Taliban commander
has denied any role.
So far, only a little-known group calling itself Fedayeen al-Islam, or Islam
Commandos, has claimed credit, warning Pakistan to stop cooperating with the
U.S. war on terrorism.
Khadim Hussain, an Islamabad police official, said Saturday the latest death
toll in the hotel blast was 54. It wounded nearly 270 people.
On Friday, a group of diplomats met with Rehman Malik, the head of Pakistan's
Interior Ministry, to get a briefing on enhanced security measures for their
missions and personnel.
United Nations officials also met and decided not to change their offices'
current security status. A change by the U.N. — such as sending home family
members or nonessential personnel — could have prompted other foreign-based
groups to consider pulling people out as well.
On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday, diplomats
from several nations, including the U.S. and Britain, launched "Friends of
Pakistan," a group expected to provide support for the Muslim nation in a range
of areas including its ailing economy.
According to a statement posted on the U.S. State Department Web site, the group
"agreed on the importance of supporting Pakistan's democratic institutions,
including in support of economic reform, rule of law, good governance and
countering extremism."
___
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad, Inam Ur Rehman and Asif Shahzad
contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Sven788]

Wow that's ed up....

[Dr. Croccer]

Christ. Pakistan really needs a new Musharraf.

[mrmouth]

This is not a new tactic. The Taliban has a long history of doing this in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The insurgency in Iraq as well.

When I was in Afghanistan they flattened an ancient goat herding town when the populace refused to aid them. They executed the males who wouldn't fight with them, and retreated back into the hills to shoot artillery at the town full of women and children. They even went a far as completely boarding up entrances to buildings so they couldn't take shelter. In the end it wouldn't have mattered anyhow. They killed around 200-250, only 13 survived, no children.