Jihadis strike back at Pakistan

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Al-Qaeda members based in the Pakistani tribal areas of South Waziristan and North Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan see this development as a serious challenge to their survival. In response, they have drawn together the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, jihadist groups and, last but not least, a significant number in the Pakistani security forces to "nip the evil in bud".

This they aim to do by offering fierce resistance to Pakistani forces across the country from bases in North West Frontier Province and elsewhere, as well as to any coalition forces that stage raids from across the border in Afghanistan. (See Taliban a step ahead of US assault, Asia Times Online, August 11.) After this, they will rejoin the Afghan offensive with renewed zeal.

On Tuesday, militants send a bloody message on their intentions. Two suicide bombers attacked two areas in the high-security zone of the garrison city of Rawalpindi (the capital Islamabad's twin city), killing 27 people and injuring more than 80. Most of the victims belonged to the defense services. An Interior Ministry spokesman linked the bombers with militants in Waziristan.

Last week, in a stunning show of strength, militants abducted 410 officers and soldiers of the security forces in the Waziristans. The Pakistani press initially reported numbers of 100, then 200 and later 300. This clearly underlines the vulnerability of the ruling military establishment.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/II06Df02.html