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| India-Pakistan |
| Govt in a state of denial about Daesh? |
| 2015-02-02 |
| [DAWN] The government apparently remains in a state of denial regarding a massive threat posed by the Middle Eastern terrorist group Daesh (Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... ), which recently announced its set-up for Pakistain and Afghanistan. "Islamic State (IS) is not a major threat. It is not a serious problem for Pakistain," Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in goodjihadis and badjihadis as a matter of national policy... said on Saturday in reply to a question on the sidelines of a seminar on US President Barack Obama ...I am not a dictator! 's recent visit to India. Mr Aziz's assessment gave an insight into the government's thinking about the challenge from the group and its planning for dealing with the threat. Daesh had earlier in January announced its organizational structure for "Khorasan" (Pakistain and Afghanistan) led by a former leader of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) from Orakzai, Hafez Saeed Khan. A former Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim, was named his deputy. With the group's leadership for the region going to a Pak and ex-TTP men getting a lion's share in the 12 top positions, it is clear that the IS plans to focus on the country as part of its 'expansion into Khorasan' strategy. Besides the sectarian angle, Daesh appears attractive for young religious forces of Evil because of the territory it controls and the financial resources it possesses. Weakening of the TTP because of desertions and military action has also provided a conducive environment for the IS to establish a base here. The group first made its presence felt across the country through a wall-chalking campaign and leaflets distribution. Its flags were also noticed at a few places, including some sensitive installations near Rawalpindi. This was followed by some arrests, which led to a decline in wall chalking and other outreach activities, but the group began concentrating on organizational matters and recruiting. The Commander of the US-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, Gen John Campbell, had in an interview mentioned Daesh's recruitment drive both in Afghanistan and Pakistain. IS front man Abu Muhammad al Adnani As-Shami, while announcing the set-up in a recorded message released by the group's media wing, called on fighters who had sworn allegiance to the group's leader Abubakr Baghdadi to follow the orders of "the Khorasan governor and his deputy" and "prepare for the great tribulations they will face". Daesh may not still have challenged the security situation here, but the statement emphasising organizational discipline and preparedness hints towards its planning to step up activities. The IS chief had received a number of allegiances from this region in the past. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 They've already ceded territory to the Taliban -- both the Afghan Taliban and TTP -- and various other al Qaeda linked groups until recently unmolested except by American drones. Remember when they gave up the Swat Valley, then had to reconquer it? And no doubt someone said to someone else, "If they fight among themselves, there will be fewer for us to deal with later. Look at Syria and Iraq -- always best to take the long view on these things." |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-02-02 08:07 |
| #1 "Islamic State (IS) is not a major threat. It is not a serious problem for Pakistain," Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz. Well, everyone knows... "ISIS is not Islamic." |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-02-02 00:44 |