Pakistan's "Peace" Deal With Taliban in Tatters, as Taliban Kills Soldier in Convoy

Specter had it wrong. We didn't need Jimmy Carter's War on Cancer. What we needed was a truce with cancer.

The fragile agreement, in which the government said it would allow Islamic law in the region in exchange for militants laying down their arms, was left in tatters when a soldier was killed in an ambush.

It came just a day after two local officials were beheaded and Taliban fighters began patrolling Mingora, Swat's main town.

The press mentions beheadings now as if they're routine, like a a local official speaking at a Kiwanis club.

A Taliban spokesman blamed the government and military for provoking the violence saying it had sabotaged the peace process to appease the United States.

Muslim Khan, said that the controversial peace deal "practically stands dissolved".

"This is not our army, this is not our government. They're worse enemies of Muslims than the Americans," he said. "They're US stooges and now it's clear that either we'll be martyred (killed) or we'll march forward," he added.

The attack came despite Pakistan making further concessions to the Taliban by establishing an Islamic appeal court.

Let me rewrite that sentence correctly:

"The attack came because of Pakistan making further concessions to the Taliban by establishing an Islamic appeal court."

But I think that's simplistic, because it implies that Pakistan could do something to stop this, which I'm not sure is true anymore. If it ever was. The country seems to be going Taliban.

Thanks to JackStraw.

posted by Ace at 01:28 PM

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