Sep 23 2006

Did Musharraf Make A Pact With The Devil?

Published by at 10:24 pm under All General Discussions,Bin Laden/GWOT,Pakistan

Word out of Pakistan is Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader on the run for harboring Bin Laden and his motley crew, was pivotal in the recent peace agreement between Musharraf’s government and the lawless norther provinces.

The fugitive Taliban commander Mullah Omar has emerged as the key player behind the movement’s controversial peace deal with Pakistan.

The Taliban’s one-eyed spiritual leader, who has a $10 million price on his head for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks, signed a letter explicitly endorsing the truce announced this month. The deal between the Pakistani authorities and pro-Taliban militants in the tribal provinces bordering Afghanistan was designed to end five years of bloodshed in the area.

Mullah Omar
Mullah Omar brokered the controversial peace deal

In return for an end to the US-backed government campaign in Waziristan, the tribal leaders – who have harboured Taliban and al-Qaeda units for more than five years – agreed to halt attacks on Pakistani troops, more than 500 of whom have been killed.

Waziristan has a 50-mile border with Afghanistan’s Paktika province, long a trouble spot for US and Afghan forces in their battle against al-Qaeda and Taliban renegades. It is home to three tiers of Islamists who operate freely. Of greatest security concern is the al-Qaeda element, followed by Afghani Taliban and then local Taliban.

In return for a reduction in the Pakistani army’s 80,000-strong presence and the release of about 165 hardcore militants arrested for attacks on Pakistani armed forces, local Taliban agreed to stop supporting the foreign militants in their midst, and promised not to set up their own fundamentalist administrations.

I keep wondering why this deal is in place. And I keep coming back to some huge payoff for the ending of the slaughter of Taliban fighters, who have been killed by the hundreds this year alone. If Bin Laden is dying, then maybe the truce is a face saving way for the Taliban to provide Bin Laden a respectful death, and then announce (with proof) the end of Al Qaeda’s notorious leader. All speculation of course, but Musharraf would have been safer destroying the Taliban in Pakistan. Something is afoot. Something is happening that is making the radical Islamicists ready to stop their losing battle. Of course, this is all wild speculation on my part and things could be totally different. But the US would not stand by for the peace agreement without serious and lasting conditions. Remember, the last thing Bush wants is expanding the war. We may have decimated the enemy sufficiently to attempt some diplomatic efforts. We shall see.

8 responses so far

8 Responses to “Did Musharraf Make A Pact With The Devil?”

  1. kathie says:

    Bush seems to have a trusting relationship with Musharraf. Musharraf used the word trust about 5 times in the most recent press conference. If they have something up their sleeves it seems that they both know what it is.

  2. kathie says:

    Another thought. Maybe Mullah Omar is now willing to trade UBL for his life.

  3. kathie says:

    Remember Musharraf always supported the Talaban.

  4. MerryJ1 says:

    The Pakistani ISI created and supported the Taliban, but I think Musharaf just let sleeping dogs lie, until after 9/11 forced his hand. Musharaf’s brother is American, I believe, a dentist, and if I recall right, in or near Chicago.

    Musharaf led a military coup, didn’t he? But he inherited the ISI, who were already pretty well ensconsed, and they were not all happy when he took over. The head of ISI was tied in with Omar and the Taliban, and the Administration asked Musharaf to get rid of that guy after 9/11, which he did. Somebody correct me if I’m in error here?

  5. OleJim says:

    With the comment that he was threatened with “bombed back to the stone age,” maybe the radicals have had enough time in five years to make Musharaf ready to switch sides. Of course, they will kill him if they can, as he slowed them over these same five years.
    He is in a tight squeeze, just like any dictator without well-enforced gun control.

  6. Terrye says:

    Charles Krauthammer called this deal a “concession to reality”.

  7. Mullah Omar Endorses Taliban Deal With Pakistan…

    The Telegraph reports Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s one-eyed leader, signed a letter explicitly endorsing the Waziristan Accord, the truce between the Pakistani authorities and pro-Taliban tribal provinces bordering Afghanistan: Tribal elders in south Wa…

  8. Barbara says:

    I don’t know about trust between Bush and Mushariff. Didn’t Bush trust Putin at one time? Leaders will say anything in the best interests of their own countries and are not to be taken seriously by heads of other countries. We take our allies where we find them. A friend today may be an enemy tomorrow.