Nato reported that the small American Combat Outpost in Dara-I-Pech district of Kunar Province, on the border with Nuristan Province in the east of the country, came under heavy fire at around 4.30am local time. Heavy fighting continued throughout the day with US forces calling in artillery, fast jets and Apache helicopters.
Nato spokesmen warned of casualties "on both sides", and in the last few minutes it has emerged that nine American soldiers were killed, making it one of the biggest single losses in a day for the coalition since military operations began in the country.
"Insurgents have been firing at the COP with small arms, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars using homes, shops and the mosque in the village of Wanat for cover," said a Nato statement.
If we are not prepared for the literalist exegesis that informs the millenarianism of the Taliban-Al Qaeda cadres then let us, for everyone's sake including our own, stop glorifying them
The Lal Masjid phenomenon manifests the tension and the confusion of this nation as nothing does; and the confusion is confounded by the lies mouthed by all concerned, including the media.
Let's begin with the bombing of the police contingent in the closing moments of the congregation commemorating the "shuhada" of Lal Masjid.
If the people who were gathered at the mosque to venerate those who resisted the state and rebelled against it were and are right, then the man who blew himself up and killed the policemen and others should be hailed. He gave his life, just like the Lal Masjid rebels, for a higher cause, one, which, as the argument goes, even transcends the state.
By the same logic, those who attacked the mosque were wrong. They represented a state whose writ is unacceptable and, were one to employ the currently reigning exegesis in some circles, which must be fought because it is a battle of Right against Wrong — the faithful against the infidel. The state is apostate.
If, on the other hand, we think that the policemen met "shahadat" while performing their duty, the bombing was a dastardly act, the state is at war with some elements that want to subvert it from inside, then the Lal Masjid cannot be lionised — neither can those who died there fighting the state be considered heroes.
These are two different narratives; they are in conflict. Both cannot be right. One of the two, most definitely, is wrong and misplaced.
My intention here is not to judge either but simply to point to the absurdity of moving from one to the other as if they are compatible and part of a continuum.
What makes it worse is that all of us are making this mistake, some unwittingly, but most deliberately and wittingly. Those who know what they are doing belong to the media and the political leadership. They are mixing up the categories deliberately.
Let's consider the probity of allowing the Lal Masjid conference to be held. What was the conference about? It was about those who died fighting the state. The current government's act of allowing this conference to go ahead meant that it (the government) did not think that the act of commemorating those who fought the security forces and died in the mosque was wrong; corollary: those who died were right.
But if Lal Masjid was right and so are those honouring the memory of its heroes, then the current government is wrong too — as much in the wrong and apostate as the one that ordered the raid on the mosque. In which case, the current government should either not have allowed this conference to be held or if, as it did, it should simply step down to make way for the ideology represented by Lal Masjid. It cannot do both things.
The speeches at the conference, especially after the first session, called for acts and actions that go against the grain of state's policies — for instance, in the tribal areas or in relation to Afghanistan. This means that the congregants actually believed in attacking the writ of the state and called upon all those sympathetic to their cause to do so. The bombing that happened, as it would have, was in keeping with the ideology propounded by the mosque.
Let it also be noted that the mosque has had links with sectarian organisations, the Taliban and Al Qaeda (the presence of cadres of banned sectarian organisations at the conference has been widely reported). It is no coincidence that within 24 hours of the raid on Lal Masjid, Ayman Al Zawahiri called upon the faithful to avenge the action; neither is it a coincidence that within 24 hours of Mr Zawahiri's warning, security personnel at different points in the NWFP were hit with a spate of suicide bombings spread over almost a week.
So, what was the government thinking when it allowed the conference to be held and also allowed speakers to make speeches that go against the state's writ? How will these elements challenge the state's writ if not by attacking security forces and personnel who represent the state's coercive arm?
The point is simple but I will reiterate it: either the state, as constituted currently, is wrong or the people challenging it are a menace.
The gem delivered by Rehman Malik, who advises the prime minister on internal security, is especially noteworthy for its idiocy. Bragging about security measures he asked the media what might have happened if the bomber had blown himself up among the congregants. Is Mr Malik for real? Does he really think the bomber would have blown himself up among his ideological kin and killed them?
The bomber attacked those he wanted to kill; he was avenging the raid. And, as always with such attacks, he proved deadly. I won't be surprised if investigations reveal that he peeled off from the congregants to do his work rather than approaching the policemen from outside.
Now, to the media. Again, either the policemen are martyrs, having been killed in the line of duty or those who died in the mosque last year and also the man who blew himself up to kill the policemen. The media (reporters and anchors) cannot move between the two narratives as if they are mutually inclusive. If it was a "shuhada" conference then the man who killed the policemen was righteous and the policemen were representing the apostate state.
Let us decide, once and for all, what we stand for. If the nation really feels that Lal Masjid was right then damn the political parties, the current social contract and the United Nations. Let us lap up the ideology represented by Lal Masjid, sectarian organisations, the Taliban and Al Qaeda — yes, because they are all part of the same string.
If the nation is prepared to do that, nay spoiling to do so, let us chalk a new social contract, pray for the souls of all the suicide bombers, hail those who are fighting the security forces in FATA and the infidels in Afghanistan and be done with the state as it is configured today. The policemen, of course, had died in the wrong and in vain — just like every single security person who has fallen in this conflict has got killed in the wrong cause, defending an apostate state.
Conversely, if we are not prepared for the literalist exegesis that informs the millenarianism of the Taliban-Al Qaeda cadres, let us, for everyone's sake including our own, stop glorifying them. Let us focus on the soldiers that have fallen rather than going on about the plight of the innocent "shuhada" of Lal Masjid.
We must also then realise that we are under threat; that these people are as much against our way of life as they are against the infidels west of Durand Line.
In which case, need it be said again that the government should not have allowed the crowd sympathetic to Lal Masjid to congregate in Islamabad, the capital city? Because the congregants' narrative goes against everything the state and, by extension, this society stands for.
Let us decide and be done with this confusion, deliberate or unwitting.
Genius Mil blogger, very high credibility, perfect opsec, Great American mouth piece, excellent morale booster, AND GIVES THE ENEMY A PEAK OF WHAT KIND OF TROOPS THEY ARE UP AGAINST.
The blog its self is a great TRUTHFUL propaganda platform, it shows the insurgents: the military, and mental superiority of troops that are killing them.
The Army needs 20,000 "LT G's" blogging, it would go a long way to turning the 'Infomation War" in Americas favor. The Army has the Paradigm, the Troops, and the technical ability to engage and fight the "Information WAR" for the hearts and minds but has so far declined to engage the enemy. If you win the hearts and minds you don't have to Kill them.
There should be a pay grade increase for blogging and an MOS.
The Army is stepping on its own big D***.
The Army has not identified the WWW a it's war domain YET.
It is not going to be easy, but the Army has never refused to engage before because it is "too hard".
Paki Lunatics: "a wise judge" ISN'T HE IS A LUNATIC, OUT OF HIS MIND. America couldn't keep secret Clintions fooling around, and he thinks they could keep quiet MASS murder? Why there can't ever be a conspiracy, READ THIS: 911 conspiracy, admission. Lunatic, if there is an 911 and it comes from Paki, its not the CIA, its al Qaeda, protected by the Taliban. G
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—What if the Americans are planning another 9/11 type of an attack on their soil, with the intention of putting the blame on Pakistan, just to be able to get from us whatever they want? They have given many indications for such a cooked-up attack.
Under the circumstances, all we say is that we should be prepared for such an eventuality. Why are we so backward? Why are our politicians and stupid leaders not raising an outcry about it from now? After all, the Americans start warning on things they are planning to do ahead of time.
Our leaders are good at wasting time at frivolous things, like getting after a patriotic Pakistani like Musharraf. Before the elections, they kept yelling that the elections would be rigged. NOW IS THE TIME THEY SHOULD YELL, WARNING AMERICA THAT IF ANY ATTACK TAKES PLACE IN EUROPE OR AMERICA, IT WILL NOT EMANATE FROM THE PAKISTANI SOIL, AND THAT IT WOULD BE PREPLANNED BY THE LIKES OF CIA.
( IDIOCY, LUNATIC, ILLOGICAL, NONSENSE, g )
THE MEDIA SHOULD ALSO START WARNING. IT IS IMPORTANT or they will actually take us to the stone ages, after their own staged attack. ( THE SKY IS FALLING AND THE CIA DID IT, G )
.... UPDATE: the insanity continues, lack of critical thinking. or is this a new al Qaeda move? SEE EMAIL ADRESS. iNFO @ AL QAEDA? On Mon, Jun 23, 2008 at 2:58 AM, PakNationalists <info.aq.com@gmail.com> wrote:
Some Basics On Conducting An Online Info-War.
By IBN KHALDUN
As a start, do a massive posting on the internet and the mainstream media by collecting their email addresses.
The yanks destroyed two muslim countries, Afghanistan and Iraq after killing 3000 of their own people on 911. They carried out a false flag operation. Now after another 911, they probably plan to take out another two, namely Iran and Pakistan. They will probably send Israel after Saudi Arabia to steal its oil region coz they have been begging ( The Saudie's just raised their production, poor people will freeze to death at these prices,G ) Saudi for lower oil prices. Another country Israelis may attack is Syria.
The important thing is to send emails, and don't use VULGARITY when sending anonymously even though this is THE LANGUAGE they UNDERSTAND, but always speak politely. Dont CORRUPT yourself and ruin your soul. The most important thing is the soul. your body, you country can be destroyed, but not the soul. As a matter of fact, our body or country are being destroyed EXACTLY because we have become corrupt and our soul is not as good as needed.
Nations, people and families that have good soul and mind are always united and invincible. That's how we Pakistanis should be.
( yes bombing Mosques, funerals, market places is OK, Muslim killing Muslim women children, suicide bombers IBN KHALDUN can ignore or maybe he thinks the CIA are doing this too? G )
Enemies always start by inciting internal wars. Remember, Hazrat Ali who was the main defender of Islam in it's earliest inception was killed by a foolish muslim fanatic, kharajite. Remember, Hazrat Imam Hussein was martyred by the son of Hazrat Mu'aawiya. Even Americans know that the country must be defended against enemies INTERNAL and external. Those who bring false concepts, fallacies, impiety. We love our countries only because they give us a nice environment to live. That nice environment must be maintained to justify dying for it. One of the goals of the yanks by AQKhan was to destroy that kind of nice refuge for our scientists. The second by constantly harassing after the GHOST OF OSAMA is to do it for ordinary people. Pathans are our most brave segment of fighting people. Second perhaps come Baluch and third punjabis, mohajirs and sindhis. People from the northern areas are the bravest fighters as in Kargil.
( REMEMBER THE TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA, SUICIDE BOMBING YOUR CITIES, MARKET PLACES, POLICE, WARING ON THE PAKI PEOPLE, G )
I am an old guy now so i hope young people go ahead and run this warning campaign to the media and the universities intelligentia. The last can be done on the newsgroups like:
( AND MAYBE YOU ARE ALSO DUMB ENOUGH TO BECOME SUICIDE BOMBERS TOO? G)
alt.war.nuclear, alt.religion.islam, soc.culture.usa, soc.culture.russian , soc.culture,canadian, british australian sci.physics sci.maths sci.chem comp.unix.shell gnu.emacs.help comp.lang.c, python, ruby,
for the media:
Alex Jones counterpunch countercurrents blogs mcneil lehrer news hour
Call up various mainstream media anchors and RECORD the conversation, use an alias for yourself if you want to protect your privacy and then put it on youtube, under false flag on Pakistan, Iran, etc.
IBN KHALDUN THINKS THE PAKI PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT, AND THIS TYPE OF PROPOGANDA WILL WORK ON THE PAKIS? I give the Paki people more credit.
The government of Pakistan has given cash compensation to more than 500 people for the Taliban fighters killed or wounded during the military operation in the tribal district of South Waziristan
Image via WikipediaPakistani Taliban quits peace talks with gov't
ISLAMABAD, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Taliban said Monday they had suspended peace talks with the government as "the government has refused to accept their demand of troops withdrawal from the tribal regions."
The News Network International news agency quoted Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar as saying that the dialogue process had been deadlocked as "the government has refused to accept key demands."
The army spokesman did not comment over the Taliban statement.
Maulvi Umar said Taliban representatives who were holding talks with the tribal elders, mediating between the two sides, had quit the talks due to the government's attitude.
Maulvi Umar said that Taliban wanted troops be withdrawn from the tribal regions and the Swat valley before a formal agreement but the government did not agree to the proposal.
He said Taliban had attached expectations to the new government but now "we have realized that the statements of goodwill from the government side were hollow slogans".
Maulvi Umar claimed that the government was not sincere and serious in the talks. He warned that the government would be responsible if the militants took any action. He also said that some government institutions do not want success of Taliban-government dialogue process.
The Pakistani Taliban, led by Baitullah Mehsood, declared a ceasefire with the government and entered into dialogue with the government to end violence.
The new government announced to hold talks with the militants who would lay down arms.
Taliban presented four demands to the government including withdrawal of army from South Waziristan tribal region and Swat valley, exchange of prisoners, compensation to the affected people in Waziristan and Swat and free movement of Taliban activists.
Tribal elders have been mediating between the Taliban and the government to broker a peace deal and to end violence in the tribal regions and the restive Swat valley in the country's northwest.
On Wednesday, wire services reported that a senior Chinese official charged foreign intelligence services of causing "massive and shocking" damage to his country through computer espionage.
A vice minister of the Information Industry, Lou Qinjian, did not identify any culprit by name, but he did state that 80% of the computers used in the attacks were based in America. Beijing's accusation came suspiciously only after months of reports of Chinese hacking into Western government information systems.
President Bush had been expected to raise the issue with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, during their 90-minute meeting in Sydney last Thursday. The two leaders had time to discuss a wide range of topics, including China's role in Sudan and Iran. They even found a few moments for a friendly chat about next summer's Olympics.
Mr. Bush, however, was not anxious to talk about the recent Chinese hacker attacks against U.S. government networks. The Pentagon suspects that China's People's Liberation Army successfully penetrated an unclassified computer system serving the office of Defense Secretary Gates this June.
The system was shut down after the perpetrators had obtained information, some of it sensitive. The Pentagon attack followed ones last year in July on the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, in November on the Naval War College, and in December on the National Defense University. In the spring of last year, China accessed State Department computers and installed backdoors in networks to siphon off information on China and North Korea.
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