Missiles hits religious school in Pakistan. 8 killed.

[Mithie]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapc...ike/index.html

You're joking, right?

[Big War Bird]

Religious school, terrorist training camp, is there really a difference?

[Gaidin]

Religious school, terrorist training camp, is there really a difference?

Only if we get to blow up my high school for being a training camp for abortion clinic bombers.

[Mikelus Trento]

Religious school, terrorist training camp, is there really a difference?

If you're on the receiving end, no, not really.

[Каие]

So people are justifying an blatant act of terrorism? [If this is true of course]


-----------------------------

Religious school, terrorist training camp, is there really a difference?

[saneel]

Religious school, terrorist training camp, is there really a difference?

I wish you say this in my face.

You guys which are saying that this was right, are such a dickheads. I couldn never killed a child! Even if i knew he is more evil than Hitler! You have all some serious issues with yourself. Probably all coming from families with social problems. Motherers!

[Gaidin]

You guys which are saying that this was right, are such a dickheads. I couldn never killed a child! Even if i knew he is more evil than Hitler! You have all some serious issues with yourself. Probably all coming from families with social problems. Motherers!

I hope you never have to star in The Omen.

[Каие]

I couldn never killed a child! Even if i knew he is more evil than Hitler! You have all some serious issues with yourself. Probably all coming from families with social problems.

It's easy to kill children the US way....missiles, artillery and air strikes....never get to see their faces...





Although it must be pointed out it's not clear who has died in this attack, it would well be 25 year old students, who are also learning the Taleban dogma [since it was in a Taleban stronghold] and possibly training to be warriors.

But it's good to see the, inevitable, contrast between this situation and the religious students killed in Jerusalem a few months back.

[Gumpfendorfer]

I never said kill innocents. Youths in a Taliban school are not innocents, they are Taliban. A lot of fighters are mere teens. Remember the 12yo who sawed that man's head off on vid? A ing Taliban.

Though my gut reaction is the same as you Boofhead, my second thought is different. I do not know whether this was a valid target and well never know. What I do know is that those teenagers did not have a choice, having been put their on a young age by their family, of which most live in grinding poverty, beyond your imagination. It's a mouth less to feed. They did not ask to be involved in a global power game which has haunted this region since 1979 and has affected their lives to the extreme, not yours. As a result they will never have a decent future.

Second, yes what the Taliban do is appalling, but unfortunately that does not restrict itself to the Taliban alone. That's the way this war has been fought since the days of the Russians. One of our allies Dostum used to drive over prisoners with tanks, kidnapping women, imprisoning them in cellars, and raping them for years, sometimes to the death. He is now part of the minister of defence. And he isn't the only mass murderer. So it's hardly an argument.

Third: why don't we ask Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States to stop funding these madrassah's. Haqqani gets his money from there and so do most madrassah's in Pakistan. Its part of the Saudi's policy for decades now as a counterweight to the Shia's in this medieval stand off with them and the spreading Wahhabi/Saudi influence. The number of madrassahs has sky-rocketed after 9/11.

And why doesn't the West keeps his promise and starts an education programme in Pakistan, since the Pakistan establishment is not interested. Educated people, the idea itself is regarded ridiculous amongst the elite. Instead of propping up the elite with more guns.

We are not going to kill ourselves out of this one and handing out weapons to the tribes. Well big chance they run to their neighbour, kill them and take their land. Stupid idea, creating more chaos and death.

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

Though my gut reaction is the same as you Boofhead, my second thought is different. I do not know whether this was a valid target and well never know. What I do know is that those teenagers did not have a choice, having been put their on a young age by their family, of which most live in grinding poverty, beyond your imagination. It's a mouth less to feed. They did not ask to be involved in a global power game which has haunted this region since 1979 and has affected their lives to the extreme, not yours. As a result they will never have a decent future.

Second, yes what the Taliban do is appalling, but unfortunately that does not restrict itself to the Taliban alone. That's the way this war has been fought since the days of the Russians. One of our allies Dostum used to drive over prisoners with tanks, kidnapping women, imprisoning them in cellars, and raping them for years, sometimes to the death. He is now part of the minister of defence. And he isn't the only mass murderer. So it's hardly an argument.

Third: why don't we ask Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States to stop funding these madrassah's. Haqqani gets his money from there and so do most madrassah's in Pakistan. Its part of the Saudi's policy for decades now as a counterweight to the Shia's in this medieval stand off with them and the spreading Wahhabi/Saudi influence. The number of madrassahs has sky-rocketed after 9/11.

And why doesn't the West keeps his promise and starts an education programme in Pakistan, since the Pakistan establishment is not interested. Educated people, the idea itself is regarded ridiculous amongst the elite. Instead of propping up the elite with more guns.

We are not going to kill ourselves out of this one and handing out weapons to the tribes. Well big chance they run to their neighbour, kill them and take their land. Stupid idea, creating more chaos and death.

Good post especially the last paragraph. It's also interesting to note that Haqqani was one of the Mujahideen leaders that fought against the Red Army and their Communist allies.

About your point of the US "educating" Pakistanis, I can shed some light on that. Only recently the US appropriated a few million dollars to the Education Ministry of Pakistan. However, with Zardari and his henchmen (and women) on the loose, it takes no Abdul Qadeer to figure out where the bulk of that money will go. Most schools in the rural areas are merely "ghost schools," even with the massive cash injection.

[mrmouth]

Madrasas are often used as weapons caches in Pakistan and India.

The Madrasas in Pakistan, outside the tribal regions, are routinely raided by police and military forces. Arrests are made, and weapons are seized.

Lets not pretend this was a school of higher learning.

[Gaidin]

Madrasas are often used as weapons caches in Pakistan and India.

The Madrasas in Pakistan, outside the tribal regions, are routinely raided by police and military forces. Arrests are made, and weapons are seized.

Lets not pretend this was a school of higher learning.

Course not. I for one can see there being intelligence pointing to reason to blow the hell out of the place. I just don't think every one of them does this and believe Big War Bird's all inclusive statement is both naive and wrong.

[Heinz Guderian]

this is why i'm glad i went to a Catholic boys school equipped with the Patriot system. The Board of Governors said it would be a waste of school money. Father O'Shaghnessy told them to themselves.

[Big War Bird]

Course not. I for one can see there being intelligence pointing to reason to blow the hell out of the place. I just don't think every one of them does this and believe Big War Bird's all inclusive statement is both naive and wrong.

Did it occur to you I was being flippant?

[Gaidin]

Did it occur to you I was being flippant?

I've seen you be serious about crazier stuff so...honestly...no. Smilies help.

[boofhead]

A maddrassah in a Taliban stronghold.

Good. That's where they teach kids to cut off heads, commit murder, suicide bomb, beat women, kill apostates &c.

[Exarch]

US missile hitting a school in pakistan

why arent pakistan and USA at war yet?

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

US missile hitting a school in pakistan

why arent pakistan and USA at war yet?

Musharraf and the US Govt. had an agreement about this. The US was allowed a base either inside or close to Pakistani territory where it would launch its Predator drones from. The agreement still stands. Zardari has agreed to make only angry remarks after the sovereignty of his country is made a mockery of.

The increasing attacks by US drones have caused anger and frustration among tribesmen. The area elders have threatened to scrap a peace deal with the government if the US attacks were not stopped.

Elders from North Waziristan met NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani in Peshawar on Thursday asking him that the government should take pre-emptive measures to halt drone attacks in the area.

“The jirga members were disappointed over intermittent drone attacks, resulting in the killings of innocent tribesmen and demanded protection from such attacks,” said a handout, quoting an unnamed tribal elder.

Governor Owais assured jirga of the Utmankhel tribe that the government had already realised concern expressed by the elders and it was fully aware of miseries and difficulties of people, and it was taking all necessary steps to rid them off these attacks.

source: DAWN

Even the anti-militant tribesmen that the government is rallying and forming into militias is against such cross-border incursions.

The fact is that whether or not this school was being used as a training camp, the Pakistani authorities should've been informed about this instead of the US taking unilateral action inside an independent country's territory. Moreover, such small-scale attacks do no further the military objectives of NATO because it's just one school - the real camps are hidden inside mountains and such small attacks only help rally support for the Taliban and other militant organizations. It's counter-productive.

Lastly, even the anti-Taliban forces within Pakistan are outraged by these cross-border attacks. For every militant killed in US Predator drone strikes, 2 or more civilians are killed.

We have this stuff in the news everyday. The predators have been mandated perhaps to strike a "target" everyday:

This is the third missile strike by American planes on Damadola. Eighteen people, including 14 members of one family, were killed when a residential compound was hit on Jan 13, 2006.

It was reported at the time that the strike had been carried on faulty intelligence that Al Qaeda No. 2 Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri had come there to attend a diner.

It was hit again by a pilotless predator on Oct 30, 2006, killing 82 people, many children among them.

The second strike had come just a day before the government and militants in Bajaur were to sign a peace agreement.

Ironically, the Pakistan Army had owned up the strike, claiming that the seminary was being used as a training facility by militants.

Source: DAWN

Or you could just browse these search results.

[Roman Rapper]

The real issue, of course, will be how many of those eight people were children. Oh, but no, wait, it wont will it? Because these are brown people and it doesn't really matter.

[boofhead]

The real issue, of course, will be how many of those eight people were children. Oh, but no, wait, it wont will it? Because these are brown people and it doesn't really matter.

You're a racist.