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It used to be that we thought of Pakistan as a relatively good ‘Stan. Afghanistan was the more difficult ‘Stan, though once they were our buddies too, of course, we were busy with them “damned commies” at the time… Enemy of my enemy and all that you know. Anyway, India is saying that Pakistan is trying to hype everyone up for war following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Last November’s Mumbai attack must have had support from some official agencies in Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.
Mr Singh also accused Pakistan of “whipping up the war hysteria”.
On Monday, India said it had handed to Islamabad evidence that linked the attacks to “elements” in Pakistan.
(T)he Pakistani government have denied any involvement.
Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted to a new low since the attacks with an escalating war of words between the two neighbours.
There have been reports that Pakistan has moved troops from its western border - where the military is involved in action against the Taleban and al-Qaeda militants - to the eastern border with India.
“Today even as Pakistan engages in whipping up war hysteria, our nation remains steadfastly united and if anything the process of national consolidation is becoming stronger,” Mr Singh told a meeting of state chief ministers in capital Delhi.
“There is enough evidence to show that given the sophistication and military precision of the attack it must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan,” Mr Singh added.
The evidence was given to Pakistan’s gov’twho are currently reviewing it, but so far seem to be saying they see nothing conclusive and are not making any actions. As long as Pakistan is moving it’s troops towards India, that now opens up more potential for trouble on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Already a trouble spot given that many of the terrorists we’ve been fighting in Afghanistan have been hiding out in the hills just over the border. Of course, the Afghans have a little something on their minds other than dealing with us and/or the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda. They’re showing their strong support of the Palestinians who are caught up in the battle between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The modest white Miladul Nabi mosque is almost hidden beneath a massive poster that depicts a red fist raised to the heavens surrounded by slogans expressing sympathy for the Palestinian people, support for what it calls their jihad against Israel and hatred of the “blood-sucking” American government.
Last weekend, the mosque sponsored a protest rally against the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. On Monday, half a dozen young men with cellphones worked in its library, organizing a drive to collect money, blood plasma and volunteers to fight alongside the Palestinians. Sitting among them was the mosque’s imam, Ehsan Habibullah.
“Afghanistan is the land of holy warriors. We feel the pain of the innocent Palestinians, and we will stand with them to the end,” Habibullah said. “Israel is a terrorist state, and the Americans are supporting it, so how can they claim to be against terrorism? In Afghanistan, they are bombing civilians and setting dogs against women and children. They are not killing al-Qaeda — they are killing us.”
Well, you know how we were looking like we were going to have a groundswell of Muslim support around the world once Obama, who is known for showing a more open mind than our current Prez when it comes to world relations, takes office? Yeah, forget about that, as Obama stands pretty much silent behind Bush and Co’s very wide open show of support for Israel saying little more than “There’s only one President at a time”, the world’s Muslims who feel the pain of Palestine view that as little other than a silent endorsement, even while most suspect that the reason for Israel initiating their attacks at this time is because they were not as certain that Obama would support them, but knew that Bush was all about blowing shit up, regardless of who it is. So disregarding the question as to whether or not the Israelis are right in their current bombardment of the Gaza Strip, it’s still gonna wind up likely fucking us in the end as we’re having enough troubles in Afghanistan, and this is not going to win us any favor in the general public. So whoo hoo for that.
Why are the ‘Stans so angry? Because it’s pretty much in their countries natures to be angry. These are countries that have been warring with someone here, there, or elsewhere for more years than we’ve even given thought to them.
Over the past two years, the Afghan populace’s initially welcoming attitude toward U.S. troops has soured, in part because the international coalition forces here have failed to quell rising criminal and insurgent violence and in part because of civilian casualties during bombing raids and alleged violations of Afghan traditions by U.S. ground troops in conflict zones.
Now, the Israeli attack on Gaza, widely seen here as an act of aggression enabled by the United States, has become conflated in the minds of some Afghans with U.S. motives and actions in Afghanistan. Taliban propaganda and sermons by conservative clerics have contributed to a notion of the United States as an occupying power that seeks to subjugate the Muslim world.
“We have cable TV, and we know what the Americans are doing,” said Mehrabuddin Ali, a baker in a working-class Kabul district. “First they attacked Iraq. They didn’t find any nuclear weapons, but they killed a lot of Muslims. Now they are supporting Israel in killing innocent Palestinians. If they have come here to help us, we will welcome them. But if they come to destroy us, we will drive them out like we drove out the Russians. Real Muslims only need the protection of God.”
Well isn’t that cheery? Boy I can only hope that all our various countries’ leaders and top military minds really know what they’re doing, because we’re aiming for a massive conflagration of animosity and violence the likes of which I don’t even want to think about.
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