Early Bird summary
Friday’s Early Bird leads with an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting that Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. regional envoy, landed in Afghanistan yesterday to help chart President Obama's strategy for peace in this volatile country, a day after a bold Taliban assault demonstrated the insurgency's ability to wreak havoc even in the tightly guarded capital.A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed Richard Holbrooke's arrival but declined to give details on his schedule for his multiday visit.
The Christian Science Monitor states that this week's brazen assault in Kabul underscored a major security gap for Afghanistan: its porous 1,500-mile-long border with Pakistan's tribal areas, where militants can plan attacks and take refuge.Wednesday's insurgents sent text messages to contacts in Pakistan before launching an attack on three government offices that left 28 people dead, Afghanistan's intelligence chief told reporters. Previous high-profile attacks in the capital have also been blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
Other noteworthy items in today’s Early Bird:
§ The London Times reports that Britain's military is to be handed a significantly diminished role on the front line in southern Afghanistan when President Obama completes a strategic review of a war that US officials say is in danger of being lost.Mr Obama is preparing to make his first key deployment as US Commander-in-Chief over the next few days, with reports suggesting that he may send between 3,500 and 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.The Americans are to build two huge new bases in the south. One will be one on the Helmand border with Kandahar at Maiwand - a place famous as the site of the destruction of a British army during the Second Afghan War of 1881. The other will be in Zabul, a province now largely controlled by the Taleban and criminal gangs.
§ The Washington Post reports that Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States."Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world have already experienced low-level instability such as government changes because of the current slowdown," Blair told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivering the first annual threat assessment in six years in which terrorism was not presented as the primary danger to this country.
§ The Los Angeles Times reports that a senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown from an air base in that country, a revelation likely to embarrass the Pakistani government and complicate its counter-terrorism collaboration with the United States.The disclosure by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, marked the first time a U.S. official had publicly commented on where the Predator aircraft patrolling Pakistan take off and land.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: President Obama appears to have fallen into a pattern: Every victory is followed by a setback. (Slate Magazine)
2. Col Sloat takes regiment Marine Corps command: Col. Barton S. Sloat has relieved Col. William Preston McLaughlin as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment at Norfolk Naval Station. (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)
3. Karachi tackles growing Taliban: For the members of Karachi's Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC), it was supposed to be a routine raid. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
President Obama appears to have fallen into a pattern: Every victory is followed by a setback. The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with Republican Sen. Judd Gregg withdrawing as the nominee for commerce secretary. Gregg said he "made a mistake" accepting the nomination because he had "irresolvable conflicts" with the administration, specifically citing the stimulus package and the handling of the census. The White House was surprised by the decision that made Gregg the third prospective Cabinet secretary to bow out from consideration. The Post notes that "nearly half a dozen" of the White House's top apointees have had to withdraw or faced "embarrassing scrutiny" in the past few weeks. "Since the president took office last month, not a week has passed without the White House responding to a personnel crisis," notes the NYT.
USA Today leads with word that five states are considering laws that would restrict an employer's ability to use credit checks as part of the hiring process. With unemployment rising, some state lawmakers are saying that otherwise trustworthy people are being prevented from getting jobs. "It's almost like being forever sentenced to debtors' prison," said Hawaii state Rep. Marcus Oshiro. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how the stimulus package would pour about $26 billion into California. It won't be enough to solve all of the state's money woes, but officials say it will help the close the gap a bit. "California cannot do without this bill," one state lawmaker said.
Gregg would have been the third Republican in Obama's Cabinet, but yesterday he said he came to realize that he hadn't thought through the consequences of what it would mean to be part of an administration with which he has many disagreements. He made his announcement in what the WSJ characterizes as a "dramatic fashion" by sending out an e-mail to reporters moments before Obama was set to take the stage in Peoria, Ill.
Gregg specifically cited the stimulus package and the White House's desire to have more authority over the census. But the outline of the stimulus package has been known for weeks, and when he was asked about the census issue, Gregg said that it "was so insignificant that he would not even address it," notes the WSJ. In the past few days, there was an intensifying effort by Republicans to convince Gregg that he wouldn't be happy in the administration, and White House officials believe this is what led him to change his mind.
Obama was clearly not happy with the announcement and said it was all rather strange considering that Gregg was the one who approached the administration with interest in the job (an allegation that Gregg denies). The Post says that White House aides think it's clear "Obama has not been rewarded for reaching across the aisle" and that he feels no obligation to now replace Gregg with another Republican. After two failed nominees, it's unclear who would be able to step in to take the post at Commerce, and the White House says it has no leading contenders.
The NYT, LAT, and USAT manage to include front-page pictures of the late-night crash of a commuter plane in upstate New York. A Continental flight from Newark crashed into a house five miles from the Buffalo airport at around 10:20 p.m. All 48 people aboard and one person on the ground were killed.
A day after congressional leaders announced a deal had been reached on the massive stimulus package, the bill was still being changed. The NYT notes that at certain points yesterday, officials were still unsure about what exactly was in the bill, which was "a bit discomfiting for House Democrats, who had promised at least 48 hours of public review before a vote." The final bill was released late last night. One of the late additions to the bill was a huge tax break for General Motors. Lawmakers also included a limit on pay and bonuses for executives of financial companies that accept taxpayer money from the Treasury and made the provision retroactive. The House is expected to vote this afternoon.
The LAT notes in a front-page piece that about $106 billion of the stimulus package would be destined for education. That amount is less than the House had hoped for but more than was in the Senate version of the bill, and the money would pay for special education, school construction, and retaining teachers, among other things. The WP points out that the bill "would make a significant down payment on Obama's health-care and energy agendas" by providing almost $20 billion for medical records and more than $40 billion for energy-efficiency programs.
In a front-page piece, the WSJ says that getting the bill approved might be easier than actually spending the money. Many offices in the federal government would get a huge influx of cash, and they'll have to go through a dramatic overhaul in the way they do business if they hope to release the money quickly. For example, one "obscure" office in the Commerce Department that has a $19 million budget and fewer than 20 grant officers would suddenly be in charge of deciding who gets $7 billion in grants to expand Internet access. There's probably no place where the challenges are more apparent than at the Department of Energy, which has a $25 billion budget and a record of delays and cost overruns.
The Post points out that, despite Obama's promises, the final bill includes some pet projects that favor specific interest groups or communities. Democrats insist that none of the provisions are what are traditionally known as earmarks, but Republicans say that whatever you call them, they are still wasteful and do little to prop up the economy. For example, the bill includes $200 million for long-awaited compensation for Filipino veterans who served in World War II.
All the papers go inside with the new intelligence chief warning lawmakers that the economic crisis, not terrorism, is the most urgent threat currently facing the United States. In his first appearance before Congress as director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair said the worldwide economic slowdown could lead to political instability and spark new flows of refugees. In addition, economic troubles could prevent "allies and friends" from meeting "their defense and humanitarian obligations." The Post notes this was "the first annual threat assessment in six years in which terrorism was not presented as the primary danger."
The NYT off-leads a news analysis that looks into how a growing number of economists and financial experts are saying that the government needs to get more deeply involved if it has any hope of thawing the frozen credit markets. These analysts say that a number of the nation's largest banks are basically insolvent and that the Treasury program outlined this week to get toxic assets out of balance sheets through a private-public partnership won't solve the problem. Instead, "the government needs to plunge in, weed out the weakest banks, pour capital into the surviving banks and sell off the bad assets," explains the NYT. Indeed, these experts claim that the government may have to end up taking the bad assets itself if it hopes to end the credit crisis. It could then hold on to these assets and sell them off when the economy improves.
Top of the Document
Col. Sloat takes regiment Marine Corps Command
Posted to: Military
The Virginian-Pilot© February 13, 2009
Col. Barton S. Sloat has relieved Col. William Preston McLaughlin as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment at Norfolk Naval Station.
Sloat most recently served as the assistant chief of staff for plans, policies, and operations at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, Norfolk, according to a news release.
During his tenure, McLaughlin oversaw the reorganization of Marine Security Forces and the establishment of a Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company at U.S. Pacific Command. His next post is operations chief for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, currently deployed to Iraq.
For photos of the ceremony, visit the military community photo gallery at www.hamptonroads.com/pilot/military.
Top of the Document
Karachi tackles growing Taleban
By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Karachi
"Shabbir" (L) says the Taleban will not take over in the next 10 years
For the members of Karachi's Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC), it was supposed to be a routine raid.
The elite anti-terror squad is used to playing a significant role in carrying out the arrests of high-profile terror suspects.
It has been involved in hundreds of raids and dozens of shootouts against hardened and trigger-happy bandits and suspected terrorists.
As such the operation on 15 January in Karachi's Sohrab Goth, a shanty town ridden with crime, was seen to hold few surprises for the detectives.
They could not have been more wrong - as the four-strong advance party, led by AVCC chief and police superintendent Farooq Awan, discovered. They were taken hostage by armed gunmen.
As the back-up force swooped in, the desperate gunmen first shot the hostages and then opened fire on incoming police vehicles.
Mr Awan was among dozens wounded, but two policemen were killed in the hail of bullets.
The gunmen subsequently made good their escape through the narrow streets of the shanty town.
'Jihadi network'
"It was a classic case of lack of information," says a senior police official who was involved in the following investigation.
At the moment, [the Taleban] appear to be lying low, but that could change
Raja Umar Khattab,police superintendent
Ethnic tensions
"The fact that Mr Awan, one of the best anti-terror officers on the force, had gaps in his information shows how unpredictable and dangerous the militant network in the city has become."
According to the official, the main reason for this is the influx of new militants to Karachi, primarily from North West Frontier Province.
"There is also a considerable number from South Punjab, but the jihadi network increasingly has a Pashtun face.
"By default, that means it is the Taleban who have an increased network and clout within the city."
But the officer adds words of caution to his analysis of the situation.
"Please don't take this to mean that complete Talebanisation has started in Karachi - that is certainly not happening."
But what of the Taleban themselves?
"We're here for business - not to fight," says Shabbir, a member of the Pakistani Taleban. "But we do have people here."
Police insist the Taleban are not going to take over Karachi
Shabbir - not his real name - agreed to talk to us about what is happening in Karachi on condition of anonymity.
After a late-night rendezvous, we drive around the city to hear what it is like to be a Taleban member in Karachi today.
"The last time I went to fight was to Afghanistan about a year ago," he says.
But now, he says, it is increasingly difficult to navigate across the Pakistani border.
"Only veterans who have been going there since the fight against the Soviets can cross now."
Most of the fighters are now locals.
While Shabbir agrees there is a Taleban presence within Karachi, he says there is no grand plan to take over the city.
"The people who talk about the Taleban taking over have no concept of military strategy.
"It would take a massive army to take over Karachi, much more than there are Taleban here."
But the most important fact that Shabbir admits grimly is the lack of local support.
"The people here do not believe in our kind of ideology. I don't see the Taleban taking over Karachi over the next 10 to 15 years."
Robberies and kidnappings
Shabbir is not alone in his evaluation of the situation on the ground.
Police superintendent Raja Umar Khattab has been at the forefront of the struggle against Muslim militants since 9/11.
He is an officer in operational charge of the provincial anti-terrorism Criminal Investigation Department, has won a national gallantry award and has been the target of a militant assassination attempt last year when he was seriously injured in a bomb attack on his vehicle.
Karachi is a city that is used to criminal and militant violence
But despite his close encounters, he remains closely involved in monitoring the militants' activities.
"Here there are no video shops destroyed by militants, no [Islamic] sharia courts and there are no no-go areas because of a strong Taleban presence.
"These three elements not are not here, so we cannot say the Taleban are taking over Karachi."
Mr Khattab does accept however, that most of the militants active in Karachi belong to Afghanistan or Pakistan's tribal areas.
"But they are not involved in militant activity over here - rather they focus on bank robberies and kidnappings to finance the fight back home," he says.
"Another major reason is that the Karachi police has been particularly effective in cracking down on such activities."
He is quite clear, though, that the militants remain a clear and present danger to Karachi and Pakistan.
"If you carry out any act of terrorism in Karachi, you send a message all over the world.
"At the moment, they appear to be lying low, but that could change as the [fighting] front broadens in the north-west."
And while people like Shabbir make themselves ready and available, that scenario remains a possibility.
Top of the Document
Friday’s Early Bird leads with an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting that Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. regional envoy, landed in Afghanistan yesterday to help chart President Obama's strategy for peace in this volatile country, a day after a bold Taliban assault demonstrated the insurgency's ability to wreak havoc even in the tightly guarded capital.A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed Richard Holbrooke's arrival but declined to give details on his schedule for his multiday visit.
The Christian Science Monitor states that this week's brazen assault in Kabul underscored a major security gap for Afghanistan: its porous 1,500-mile-long border with Pakistan's tribal areas, where militants can plan attacks and take refuge.Wednesday's insurgents sent text messages to contacts in Pakistan before launching an attack on three government offices that left 28 people dead, Afghanistan's intelligence chief told reporters. Previous high-profile attacks in the capital have also been blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
Other noteworthy items in today’s Early Bird:
§ The London Times reports that Britain's military is to be handed a significantly diminished role on the front line in southern Afghanistan when President Obama completes a strategic review of a war that US officials say is in danger of being lost.Mr Obama is preparing to make his first key deployment as US Commander-in-Chief over the next few days, with reports suggesting that he may send between 3,500 and 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.The Americans are to build two huge new bases in the south. One will be one on the Helmand border with Kandahar at Maiwand - a place famous as the site of the destruction of a British army during the Second Afghan War of 1881. The other will be in Zabul, a province now largely controlled by the Taleban and criminal gangs.
§ The Washington Post reports that Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States."Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world have already experienced low-level instability such as government changes because of the current slowdown," Blair told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivering the first annual threat assessment in six years in which terrorism was not presented as the primary danger to this country.
§ The Los Angeles Times reports that a senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown from an air base in that country, a revelation likely to embarrass the Pakistani government and complicate its counter-terrorism collaboration with the United States.The disclosure by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, marked the first time a U.S. official had publicly commented on where the Predator aircraft patrolling Pakistan take off and land.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: President Obama appears to have fallen into a pattern: Every victory is followed by a setback. (Slate Magazine)
2. Col Sloat takes regiment Marine Corps command: Col. Barton S. Sloat has relieved Col. William Preston McLaughlin as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment at Norfolk Naval Station. (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)
3. Karachi tackles growing Taliban: For the members of Karachi's Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC), it was supposed to be a routine raid. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
President Obama appears to have fallen into a pattern: Every victory is followed by a setback. The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with Republican Sen. Judd Gregg withdrawing as the nominee for commerce secretary. Gregg said he "made a mistake" accepting the nomination because he had "irresolvable conflicts" with the administration, specifically citing the stimulus package and the handling of the census. The White House was surprised by the decision that made Gregg the third prospective Cabinet secretary to bow out from consideration. The Post notes that "nearly half a dozen" of the White House's top apointees have had to withdraw or faced "embarrassing scrutiny" in the past few weeks. "Since the president took office last month, not a week has passed without the White House responding to a personnel crisis," notes the NYT.
USA Today leads with word that five states are considering laws that would restrict an employer's ability to use credit checks as part of the hiring process. With unemployment rising, some state lawmakers are saying that otherwise trustworthy people are being prevented from getting jobs. "It's almost like being forever sentenced to debtors' prison," said Hawaii state Rep. Marcus Oshiro. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how the stimulus package would pour about $26 billion into California. It won't be enough to solve all of the state's money woes, but officials say it will help the close the gap a bit. "California cannot do without this bill," one state lawmaker said.
Gregg would have been the third Republican in Obama's Cabinet, but yesterday he said he came to realize that he hadn't thought through the consequences of what it would mean to be part of an administration with which he has many disagreements. He made his announcement in what the WSJ characterizes as a "dramatic fashion" by sending out an e-mail to reporters moments before Obama was set to take the stage in Peoria, Ill.
Gregg specifically cited the stimulus package and the White House's desire to have more authority over the census. But the outline of the stimulus package has been known for weeks, and when he was asked about the census issue, Gregg said that it "was so insignificant that he would not even address it," notes the WSJ. In the past few days, there was an intensifying effort by Republicans to convince Gregg that he wouldn't be happy in the administration, and White House officials believe this is what led him to change his mind.
Obama was clearly not happy with the announcement and said it was all rather strange considering that Gregg was the one who approached the administration with interest in the job (an allegation that Gregg denies). The Post says that White House aides think it's clear "Obama has not been rewarded for reaching across the aisle" and that he feels no obligation to now replace Gregg with another Republican. After two failed nominees, it's unclear who would be able to step in to take the post at Commerce, and the White House says it has no leading contenders.
The NYT, LAT, and USAT manage to include front-page pictures of the late-night crash of a commuter plane in upstate New York. A Continental flight from Newark crashed into a house five miles from the Buffalo airport at around 10:20 p.m. All 48 people aboard and one person on the ground were killed.
A day after congressional leaders announced a deal had been reached on the massive stimulus package, the bill was still being changed. The NYT notes that at certain points yesterday, officials were still unsure about what exactly was in the bill, which was "a bit discomfiting for House Democrats, who had promised at least 48 hours of public review before a vote." The final bill was released late last night. One of the late additions to the bill was a huge tax break for General Motors. Lawmakers also included a limit on pay and bonuses for executives of financial companies that accept taxpayer money from the Treasury and made the provision retroactive. The House is expected to vote this afternoon.
The LAT notes in a front-page piece that about $106 billion of the stimulus package would be destined for education. That amount is less than the House had hoped for but more than was in the Senate version of the bill, and the money would pay for special education, school construction, and retaining teachers, among other things. The WP points out that the bill "would make a significant down payment on Obama's health-care and energy agendas" by providing almost $20 billion for medical records and more than $40 billion for energy-efficiency programs.
In a front-page piece, the WSJ says that getting the bill approved might be easier than actually spending the money. Many offices in the federal government would get a huge influx of cash, and they'll have to go through a dramatic overhaul in the way they do business if they hope to release the money quickly. For example, one "obscure" office in the Commerce Department that has a $19 million budget and fewer than 20 grant officers would suddenly be in charge of deciding who gets $7 billion in grants to expand Internet access. There's probably no place where the challenges are more apparent than at the Department of Energy, which has a $25 billion budget and a record of delays and cost overruns.
The Post points out that, despite Obama's promises, the final bill includes some pet projects that favor specific interest groups or communities. Democrats insist that none of the provisions are what are traditionally known as earmarks, but Republicans say that whatever you call them, they are still wasteful and do little to prop up the economy. For example, the bill includes $200 million for long-awaited compensation for Filipino veterans who served in World War II.
All the papers go inside with the new intelligence chief warning lawmakers that the economic crisis, not terrorism, is the most urgent threat currently facing the United States. In his first appearance before Congress as director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair said the worldwide economic slowdown could lead to political instability and spark new flows of refugees. In addition, economic troubles could prevent "allies and friends" from meeting "their defense and humanitarian obligations." The Post notes this was "the first annual threat assessment in six years in which terrorism was not presented as the primary danger."
The NYT off-leads a news analysis that looks into how a growing number of economists and financial experts are saying that the government needs to get more deeply involved if it has any hope of thawing the frozen credit markets. These analysts say that a number of the nation's largest banks are basically insolvent and that the Treasury program outlined this week to get toxic assets out of balance sheets through a private-public partnership won't solve the problem. Instead, "the government needs to plunge in, weed out the weakest banks, pour capital into the surviving banks and sell off the bad assets," explains the NYT. Indeed, these experts claim that the government may have to end up taking the bad assets itself if it hopes to end the credit crisis. It could then hold on to these assets and sell them off when the economy improves.
Top of the Document
Col. Sloat takes regiment Marine Corps Command
Posted to: Military
The Virginian-Pilot© February 13, 2009
Col. Barton S. Sloat has relieved Col. William Preston McLaughlin as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Security Force Regiment at Norfolk Naval Station.
Sloat most recently served as the assistant chief of staff for plans, policies, and operations at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, Norfolk, according to a news release.
During his tenure, McLaughlin oversaw the reorganization of Marine Security Forces and the establishment of a Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company at U.S. Pacific Command. His next post is operations chief for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, currently deployed to Iraq.
For photos of the ceremony, visit the military community photo gallery at www.hamptonroads.com/pilot/military.
Top of the Document
Karachi tackles growing Taleban
By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Karachi
"Shabbir" (L) says the Taleban will not take over in the next 10 years
For the members of Karachi's Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC), it was supposed to be a routine raid.
The elite anti-terror squad is used to playing a significant role in carrying out the arrests of high-profile terror suspects.
It has been involved in hundreds of raids and dozens of shootouts against hardened and trigger-happy bandits and suspected terrorists.
As such the operation on 15 January in Karachi's Sohrab Goth, a shanty town ridden with crime, was seen to hold few surprises for the detectives.
They could not have been more wrong - as the four-strong advance party, led by AVCC chief and police superintendent Farooq Awan, discovered. They were taken hostage by armed gunmen.
As the back-up force swooped in, the desperate gunmen first shot the hostages and then opened fire on incoming police vehicles.
Mr Awan was among dozens wounded, but two policemen were killed in the hail of bullets.
The gunmen subsequently made good their escape through the narrow streets of the shanty town.
'Jihadi network'
"It was a classic case of lack of information," says a senior police official who was involved in the following investigation.
At the moment, [the Taleban] appear to be lying low, but that could change
Raja Umar Khattab,police superintendent
Ethnic tensions
"The fact that Mr Awan, one of the best anti-terror officers on the force, had gaps in his information shows how unpredictable and dangerous the militant network in the city has become."
According to the official, the main reason for this is the influx of new militants to Karachi, primarily from North West Frontier Province.
"There is also a considerable number from South Punjab, but the jihadi network increasingly has a Pashtun face.
"By default, that means it is the Taleban who have an increased network and clout within the city."
But the officer adds words of caution to his analysis of the situation.
"Please don't take this to mean that complete Talebanisation has started in Karachi - that is certainly not happening."
But what of the Taleban themselves?
"We're here for business - not to fight," says Shabbir, a member of the Pakistani Taleban. "But we do have people here."
Police insist the Taleban are not going to take over Karachi
Shabbir - not his real name - agreed to talk to us about what is happening in Karachi on condition of anonymity.
After a late-night rendezvous, we drive around the city to hear what it is like to be a Taleban member in Karachi today.
"The last time I went to fight was to Afghanistan about a year ago," he says.
But now, he says, it is increasingly difficult to navigate across the Pakistani border.
"Only veterans who have been going there since the fight against the Soviets can cross now."
Most of the fighters are now locals.
While Shabbir agrees there is a Taleban presence within Karachi, he says there is no grand plan to take over the city.
"The people who talk about the Taleban taking over have no concept of military strategy.
"It would take a massive army to take over Karachi, much more than there are Taleban here."
But the most important fact that Shabbir admits grimly is the lack of local support.
"The people here do not believe in our kind of ideology. I don't see the Taleban taking over Karachi over the next 10 to 15 years."
Robberies and kidnappings
Shabbir is not alone in his evaluation of the situation on the ground.
Police superintendent Raja Umar Khattab has been at the forefront of the struggle against Muslim militants since 9/11.
He is an officer in operational charge of the provincial anti-terrorism Criminal Investigation Department, has won a national gallantry award and has been the target of a militant assassination attempt last year when he was seriously injured in a bomb attack on his vehicle.
Karachi is a city that is used to criminal and militant violence
But despite his close encounters, he remains closely involved in monitoring the militants' activities.
"Here there are no video shops destroyed by militants, no [Islamic] sharia courts and there are no no-go areas because of a strong Taleban presence.
"These three elements not are not here, so we cannot say the Taleban are taking over Karachi."
Mr Khattab does accept however, that most of the militants active in Karachi belong to Afghanistan or Pakistan's tribal areas.
"But they are not involved in militant activity over here - rather they focus on bank robberies and kidnappings to finance the fight back home," he says.
"Another major reason is that the Karachi police has been particularly effective in cracking down on such activities."
He is quite clear, though, that the militants remain a clear and present danger to Karachi and Pakistan.
"If you carry out any act of terrorism in Karachi, you send a message all over the world.
"At the moment, they appear to be lying low, but that could change as the [fighting] front broadens in the north-west."
And while people like Shabbir make themselves ready and available, that scenario remains a possibility.
Top of the Document
No comments:
Post a Comment