Taliban and Al-Qaeda announce Merger - Dow Skyrockets!

[Vyan]

From Thinkprogress

On May 30, 2005, Vice President Cheney declared that the insurgency in Iraq was in its "last throes" and predicted "the level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline."

Three years later?

Since Cheney’s statement two years ago, 1,799 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, roughly half of all U.S. fatalities. At least 12,378 U.S. soldiers have been wounded.

Wrong again, shooter.

But y'know what's even worse? According to the Moonie-Times Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have just implement a nice neat new corporate merger.

"The Taliban has merged its propaganda and field operations with those of the global al Qaeda network led by Osama bin Laden," enabling the Taliban to "develop from a xenophobic, home-grown Islamist movement into a more outward looking force that is helping to advance al Qaeda’s global interests."

Oh, Isn't that just fine?

Whatever happened to...

The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them.

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.) From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

Yet last September Pakistan signed a peace treaty with the Taliban which among other things... established a stay-out-of-jail zone for Osama bin Laden.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."

Is that what you call the - "Smoke 'em out!!" Strategy?

Instead of reading Pakistan the Riot Act after this announcement, President Bush invited Presidents Musharraf of Pakistan and Karzai of Afghanistan out for a quiet dinner. Are you fracking kidding me?

The three leaders had a constructive exchange on the common challenges facing our three nations. The leaders agreed on the need for common action to achieve common objectives. They committed to supporting moderation and defeating extremism through greater intelligence sharing, coordinated action against terrorists, and common efforts to enhance the prosperity of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

And as result of that "stern jaw-boning" session over some fettucini and veal we have this .

"The Taliban have changed immensely in the last year due to the mentoring they are getting from leading Arab jihadists in Pakistan with al Qaeda, both in the realm of battlefield tactics and media operations," said Lutfullah Mashal, a senior official in Afghanistan's National Security Council.
"They are doing what works in Iraq and often succeeding," said Mr. Mashal, who as director of strategic communications designs media operations to oppose the Taliban.

Now look, I know that Pakistan has got The Bomb and all, but this is just plain ridiculous. America has got to get it's priorities straight.

We are getting Punk'd in Afghanistan.

"Scores of civilian deaths over the past months from heavy American and allied reliance on airstrikes to battle Taliban insurgents are threatening popular support for the Afghan government and creating severe strains within the NATO alliance. ... What angers Afghans are not just the bombings, but also the raids of homes, the shootings of civilians in the streets and at checkpoints, and the failure to address those issues over the five years of war.

NATO, NATO is having it's ass handed to them.

NPR reports, "In Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency is spreading, even reaching some provinces in the north that had never been its strongholds. Last week, Taliban fighters attacked a district only 45 miles from the capital, Kabul. Afghans increasingly fear that NATO and Afghan forces will lose the war."

Now Pakistan has become a Safe Haven for Terrorism yet were talking all this trash about Bombing Iran?

Why is that subject even on the table when we haven't stopped Bin Laden yet?

Before we invaded Iraq there was NO LINK between Saddam, Iraq and Al-Qeada.

Before we invaded Iraq, President Bush was specifically warned what it would turn into by the CIA and ignored it.

"A stable democratic government in postwar Iraq would be a long, difficult, and probably turbulent challenge."

"Al Qa’ida probably would see an opportunity to accelerate its operational tempo and increase terrorist attacks during and after a U.S.-Iraq war."

"Rogue ex-regime elements could forge an alliance with existing terrorist organizations or act independently to wage guerilla warfare against the new government or Coalition forces."

"A US-led defeat and occupation of Arab Iraq would boost proponents of political Islam and would result in ‘calls for the people of the region to unite and build up defenses against the West.’"

"Funds for terrorist groups probably would increase as a result of Muslim outrage over US action."

That last prediction is the most telling because according to current reports the new number one fund-raising source for Al-Qaeda - is now Iraq!

U.S. officials say that "al-Qaida’s command base in Pakistan increasingly is being funded by cash from Iraq, where the terrorist network’s operatives are raising substantial sums from donations to the insurgency as well as kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis and other criminal activity."

I understand that the world is a complex place, and indeed sometimes you have to make the preverbial "deal with the devil" - but What-The-Fuck is going on here??!

When John the Boner shed his crocodile tears about "When are we gonna stand up and defeat 'em", I thought it was just PR. but now I gotta say - He has got a point, we're not fighting them over there so they don't come here - or even fighting them there so they can kill us there - we're not fighting them at all.

It's just pathetic, it really is.

Everything this President has done since before 9-11 has been completely bass-ackwards. I know I'm preaching to the choir, I know our conservatives fellow Americans aren't listening, they've got their fingers in their ears and are going "LaAa laa laa" whenever anyone has the gall and temerity to dare criticize Lord Bush the Second, because to them Bush is America and Bush IS The Troops ™ - and if we stop clapping for Bush we stop clapping for the troops which according to Bill Maher...

"Will make Tinkerbell's light will go out and she'll die...."

But God-Dammit I have to believe that their are some people besides us "crazy commie liberal democrat scum" who are actually paying attention here.

This has gotta stop. Plain and simple. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican - this has gotta stop.

/rant!

Vyan

[Brassballs]

1. I have never understood America's attitude towards Pakistan

in 30+ years of observation. Here is Pakistan...

--the country which conceived and supported Taliban in
afghanistan,

--the country which has more madrassa school students than
the rest of world combined, and where they teach to hate
all non-believers of muhammad,

--the country where 80 to 90% of population hates christians
and hindu's and jews and any other kaffirs,

--the country which has has been ruled by military dictators
almost 90% of the time since creation,

--already has nukes and which are one bullet away from falling
into the hands of extremists,

--the country coddles A.K. Khan who was running a bazaar for
nuclear weapons technology.

Mushy (Musharraf) handles a token terrorist every once in a while
to keep the dollars flowing freely and the dumbass Bush keeps
feeding him more aid.

Please, someone tell me what is wrong here?

[sinkingfeeling]

2. And our government hands over $1 billion of tax payers money to them every year.

[alkaline9]

3. excellent rant! n/t

[DemExpat]

4. Great OP title here.....

:D

and great rant.

DemEx

[Psyop Samurai]

5. Well, that's an excellent summary update...

...and yet there's nothing new.

Upon the invasion of Iraq, we were unmistakably and irrevocably through the looking glass. That's been over four years, and most are still trying to wake themselves up. At that time, I believed there really WAS a "war on terror", and, at that time, and by that act, it was shown to be completely and utterly fraudulent.

I understand that the world is a complex place, and indeed sometimes you have to make the proverbial "deal with the devil" - but What-The-Fuck is going on here??!

Exactly what it looks like, unfortunately.