Asif Ali Zardari

The Taliban advance in Pakistan and America's 'double game'

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:24:57 +0200

"Taliban Bush". Source: www.anvari.org

The Taliban have positioned themselves less than 100km from the Pakistani capital. One of our Observers in the country tells us that she doesn't see the militant group taking power. She explains however that the US, which has today expressed alarm over the advancing Taliban, is partly responsible for the mounting success of Islamic extremism in the country.

Earlier this month Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari agreed to allow the Taliban-controlled region of Swat Valley to implement Sharia law, provided that the aforementioned put down their weapons. The Taliban law did indeed change, but the Taliban chose to ignore their part of the pact. This was demonstrated by their continued military offensive, which soon brought them to the district of Buner, just 100km from Islamabad. Last Wednesday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the advances a serious threat, saying that the Pakistani government was "abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists".

"I’m proud… we have the right to defend our country"

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:51:20 +0200

Pakistan and the US came to blows on Thursday after ground forces from the two countries exchanged fire over the border with Afghanistan. One of our Observers in Pakistan says the army was right to defend the country and is ready to fight, while another says the incident was no more than a "lovers' quarrel".

The two countries refuse to admit who's to blame for the crossfire, which follows weeks of escalating tension as US troops move further into Pakistan as part of the "war on terror". Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, is largely perceived as an ally of America. But since he was instated last Saturday, he's had to face the challenge of military confrontation with the world's most formidable army. According to Zardari, Pakistani forces set off two flares to warn US helicopters that they had crossed into Pakistani airspace on Thursday. The US, on the other hand, denies that its aircraft had crossed the border, arguing that they returned real fire to warn the ground troops to stop shooting.