US war on terror is clearly marked out as an American way of life. Nothing else can possibly justify this war or any other which US has led in this or past century. Area of interest, previously defined in terms of geography, has now expanded into every nook and cranny of this globe. In fact, US thinks it fit to call moon its area of interest!
Therefore, it is not hard to imagine that China's growing influence on world economy (and subsequently, politics) is in direct conflict with America's dwindling influence in world markets. No more does US dollar shakes European economy as it did perhaps 15 years back. And no more is US in the list of 'must visit' country as it used to be prior to this joke of war on terror.
Pakistan, therefore, is in big trouble. China thinks of Pakistan as a long term partner and friendly neighbour without bragging about it. US is no friend of Pakistan and in fact, has started bombing civilians inside F.A.T.A region without as much as apologizing. And still it brags about long-term interests with Pakistan and its people (sic and sic again). Pakistani army is finding it hard to say or do anything about this ever rising political drama on its land and today, Gen. Kayani, in a fit of rage, asked Americans to stop bombing inside Pakistan. He was very vocal that Pak Army has signed no deal with the Americans which may allow them to bomb hideouts inside our territory. We are waiting for US response.
Meanwhile, Chinese engineers continue to disappear. It is very interesting to note that no engineer or any other nationality is ever abducted. And this has been a case since long. We can clearly note that apart from USA no other nation has any interest in abducting Chinese engineers in Pakistan and eventually killing them.
It is then clear that US would do anything and everything to belittle China using Pakistan. Already, Gwadar port is malfunctioning due to extreme level of terrorism in Baluchistan. We now understand that US does not want to allow China access warm waters of Pakistan as it would allow China to do roaring trade with Middle-East and beyond and cut down transportation costs.
War on terror is also being deliberately pushed upwards towards Chinese border with Pakistan. We have already noticed something called Pakistani Taliban moving towards Swat and beyond. The tourist valley of Swat is now being touted as a safe heaven for terrorists and US is asking Pakistan to do more. You might hear similar things about Hunza Valley and Sost valley and eventually about Pak-China border in years to come. We have also see a spate of so called Islamists taking some time out during Beijing Olympics. I see red here. Why were these so-called Islamists not doing anything before the games? And how come they are related to Taliban in Afghanistan? And who supports them? For sure, many of these must have gone through Pakistan. And they are serving similar purpose of destablizing the center as Pakistani Taliban are doing here. The only major difference is that whereas in China these so called Islamists or Taliban are swiftly executed without much fanfare in Pakistan they lead pretty comfortable lives and blow up fellow Muslims on daily basis. It is very interesting to note that American interests are never harmed by these so called Jihadis and the only sufferers are Pakistani assets and Pakistani muslims.
For sure, US has reached the heart of our country and will surely harm our relations with China. It does not like the way China has progressed at world stage. It hates to note that non-English speakers, non-whites, small people are calling the shots. Therefore, Pakistani territory is the next hot spot and once again we are in the mess of what we call Cold War. This time, though, China won't forgive USA.
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Afghanistan welcomes 'war on terror' shift on 9-11 anniversary
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai Thursday welcomed a new US "war on terror" focus on Pakistan's border areas as more deadly violence underscored rampant militancy seven years after the 9/11 attacks.
Karzai also called for an end to civilian casualties in the fight against extremists after a US strike last month which Afghan and UN officials say left 90 villagers dead.
As thousands of US troops stationed here fell silent to mark the anniversary of 9/11, two Taliban-style suicide attacks struck in the volatile south, leaving a total of four Afghans dead and more than a dozen wounded.
The NATO- and US-led force announced meanwhile that three soldiers had been killed in attacks in the volatile south and east of the country.
A US defence official later confirmed that the two killed in eastern Afghanistan -- one in an attack on a combat outpost, the other in a combat operation -- were Americans.
In London, the British defence ministry confirmed that a British trooper died in a blast in southern Helmand province on Wednesday.
The US-led coalition said separately it had killed "several militants" in a raid on a Taliban commander Wednesday although locals said three civilians were among the dead.
At a press conference, Karzai welcomed comments from the US military chief about a change in strategy to fight the growing violence and said he had long called for a shift to target extremists launching attacks from Pakistan.
Taliban militants fled to Pakistan's tribal regions along the Afghan border after the hardline regime was toppled by a US-led invasion in late 2001 for harbouring Al-Qaeda operatives including leader Osama bin Laden.
"Our words have been clear in this regard: a change in strategy is needed, meaning that we must go to places where there is training and hide-out facilities, and jointly we must go there and destroy that," Karzai said.
He spoke after US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Michael Mullen said he had commissioned "a new, more comprehensive military strategy for the region that covers both sides of that border."
Karzai also paid tribute to the international soldiers in his country to help tackle insurgent violence and expand the Afghan security forces, destroyed in a civil war that preceded the Taliban's 1996-2001 reign.
But he said there had been mistakes, notably the number of civilians being killed in military operations.
"We want civilian casualties in Afghanistan not only to reduce but to stop totally," Karzai said.
The issue has come to the fore with Afghan and UN teams saying more than 90 civilians were killed in US air strikes in the western district of Shindand on August 22.
The US military says only five to seven civilians were killed along with 30-35 militants but it has launched a review of its initial investigation.
There were, however, new claims of civilian casualties Thursday with locals saying US-led coalition troops had killed a woman and her two sons in a raid in central Ghazni province.
The coalition confirmed Wednesday's operation but said that "several militants" were killed and two arrested.
Elders took the bodies of the dead to the town of Ghazni in protest.
"If the governor of Ghazni does not bring those responsible to justice, the people will either commit suicide or stand and fight against Americans," an elder, Fazal Mohammad, told reporters.
The Taliban meanwhile claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing in the southern city of Kandahar that a government official said killed a boy and an adult male and wounded six more people.
A second suicide attacker blew himself up outside a mosque in the Kash Rod centre in Nimroz province and killed a policeman and a civilian, provincial governor Ghulam Dastagir Azad told AFP. Seven more people were wounded.
Soldiers at US military bases in Kabul and at Bagram, north of the capital, meanwhile held ceremonies to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001.
"War remains a brutal endeavour and mistakes are made but we remain totally committed to the people of Afghanistan," the most senior US commander in the country, General David McKiernan, told soldiers at the largest US base at Bagram.
"We will win this war for our countrymen, for the Afghan people and for the world," he said.
The Taliban meanwhile marked the anniversary with a statement saying the United States was at the "edge of historical defeat" in Afghanistan.
Suspected US missile kills 12 in Pakistan: official
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - A missile fired by a suspected US drone Friday killed a dozen people in a Pakistani tribal area where American forces based in Afghanistan have been targeting Al-Qaeda militants.
The missile hit a house on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a local official said, in the fifth such strike in two weeks targeting Taliban or Al-Qaeda fighters hiding out in the rugged tribal area.
"The pre-dawn strike destroyed the house and 12 people were killed," the official told AFP, with another 10 people wounded.
The 12 were believed to be rebel fighters, locals said, adding that the house hit in the Tol Khel area had been rented by an Afghan militant organisation, Al Badar, and was being used as an office.
Al Badar, backed by former guerrilla leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has previously conducted operations against Afghan and international forces based across the border in Afghanistan, residents and a security official said.
Missile strikes targeting militants in Pakistan in recent weeks have been blamed on US-led coalition forces or CIA drones based in Afghanistan. Pakistan does not have missile-equipped drones.
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