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| Afghanistan |
| Afghanis struggle to police gateway to terror |
| 2006-06-22 |
| The motorbikes surge across the border in waves, hundreds of riders in turbans jostling for space in a cloud of milky fumes and a feverish revving of engines. Overwhelmed border guards try to search for explosives or weapons, a fruitless task. After a cursory pat-down of every 10th man the bikes roar through, barrelling down a barbed wire chicane and into Afghanistan. Border officer Khushnay Kaka watches bitterly. "The Pakistanis are trying to send suicide bombers across," he says. "They make a queue of 300 motorbikes and release them all at once. It is impossible for us to check everyone." Tensions are high at Spin Boldak, a crossing point along the 940-mile border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Long a crossroads for smugglers, traders and tribesmen, it may now be a gateway for Taliban fighters on terrorist missions. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 I'd be guessing but 3 tanks jostling for space in the other direction might just put a stop to this march of motorized lemmings. |
| Posted by: john 2006-06-22 20:48 |
| #6 They can, howver, ban motorbike crossings. Trucks carrying goods? Sure. Busses? Yep. Cars? Well, okay. Donkey carts? No probs. Motorbikes? Nope, sorry, can't do that, you know the import tax on motorbikes these days, Mahmoud? Better turn around ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-22 15:17 |
| #5 Can't shut the border. You saw the trade figures? That is probably quintupling the Afghan GDP. They desperately need that money to rebuild their country. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-06-22 14:27 |
| #4 One wonders if they ever leave their chairs....? yawn, yawn zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-06-22 13:45 |
| #3 "Overwhelmed border guards try to search for explosives or weapons, a fruitless task." LOL! Oh yes! They try, really, really, really hard, but its such an overwhelming task. How about completely shutting down the crossing? Nope. Can't do so without receiving permission from the ISI ... and the pro-Deobandi, pro-Wahhabi, pro-Taliban Paki Intels ain't gonna do that. |
| Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden 2006-06-22 13:44 |
| #2 Based on the title, I thought they were cracking down on mosques. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-06-22 12:29 |
| #1 a piano wire strung at 4' off the ground will stop this surge of bikers....excuses suck. Just say you're assisting the Talibs. We know it, you know it, they know it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-22 11:53 |