Saturday, September 27, 2008
Nobody likes outsiders coming in and pushing people around
Not even in the the "Wild West" of Northwest Pakistan. Some of the locals are pushing back against the Taliban and al-Qaeda types, who when you get down to it, aren't really anymore sensitive to local customs than we are.
A popular resistance movement is emerging in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province to challenge Islamic extremists, who now exercise control over whole districts and maintain a stranglehold over the local population.Not a perfect solution but one that will have more success than cross border incursions.
The movement in both the province and the lawless tribal territory bordering Afghanistan relies on fierce tribal customs and widespread ownership of guns in the north west of the country, to raise traditional private armies, known as a lashkar, each with the strength of hundreds or several thousand volunteers.
The movement arose after local tribal leaders ... decided that the state can't or won't come to their aid as a radical, alien, form of Islam seeks to impose itself on them down the barrel of an AK-47.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment