NewsTrust - Pakistan - Most Recent Stories: News (Independent)

How the US Funds the Taliban

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Nation - By Aram Roston - Nov. 12 (Special Report) - With Pentagon cash, contractors bribe insurgents not to attack supply lines for US troops

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Pakistan at War

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Global Pulse - By Erin Coker - Oct. 28 (News Analysis) - It has been a bloody month for Pakistan. The army has launched an offensive in South Waziristan aided by US drones, and the Taliban are fighting back with suicide bombs in major cities. With hundreds dying, what do the Pakistani people think?

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Phase 2 of Waziristan Campaign; Pakistan Closes Schools; Mahsud Civilians Barred from Roads

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Informed Comment - By Juan Cole - Oct. 24 (News Analysis) - akistan's military began "Phase 2" of its campaign in South Waziristan on Thursday, with a siege of Kotkai, the home town of Hakimullah Mahsud, the leader of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan. So far the army claims to have killed 100 militants, and 300 homes are said to have been damaged. Locals maintain that some of those killed are actually innocent civilians, and most of the houses were unconnected to the Taliban. Even if they were accurate, these numbers suggest that the Taliban have not stood and fought, but rather have melted away, since they only have light arms and would have been killed in large numbers by the Pakistani army, which has artillery and fighter jets.

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No Afghanistan ‘Checkposts’ Abandoned While Pak Military Offensive Proceeds ?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Independent - By Spencer Ackerman - Oct. 19 (News Analysis) - "A piece in the Pakistan paper the News accused the U.S. military of taking the inexplicable step of abandoning “checkposts” on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border while the Pakistani military offensive in nearby Waziristan intensifies. According to Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s staff, it’s just not true".

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Pakistan: The Kerry Lugar Bill

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Global Voices - By Faisal Kapadia - Oct. 14 (News Analysis) - The Kerry Luger bill is essentially a non military aid package granted to Pakistan by the U.S in view of its precarious economic condition due to its indulgence in the war on terror as a front line allied state. This bill grants Pakistan $1.5 billion annually for five years and comes along with stringent conditions on how to distribute and invest this money.

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What did Rawalpindi Militants Want?

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Informed Comment - By Juan Cole - Oct. 11 (News Analysis) - A hostage standoff at Pakistani military HQ in Rawalpindi ended violently on Sunday morning when Pakistani troops stormed the compound where the militants had holed up with 25 hostages. Three of the hostages were killed in the course of the assault, along with two army troops and four militants. Earlier the militants, some dressed in Pakistani military uniforms, had driven up to the entrance. When they were nevertheless challenged, they opened fire, killing several Pakistani troops and two officers, one a brigadier, and some of them were killed. Others escaped, and managed to take hostages for a time. AP has video on the end of the hostage crisis at the military HQ. One of the hostage-takers is said to have been wearing a suicide bomb belt, ...

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Unintended Consequences in Nuclear Pakistan

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

TruthDig - By Fred Branfman - Oct. 09 (News Report) - If U.S. military leaders are right that they cannot prevail in Afghanistan without escalating into Pakistan, this is the strongest possible argument for withdrawing from Afghanistan. For nothing, not even Taliban rule in Kabul, could justify allowing the tiny Afghan tail to wag a giant, nuclear-armed Pakistani dog whose stability is clearly America’s very top priority in the region. Further instability in Pakistan would only benefit al-Qaida, which has already made deep inroads into Pakistan and is unlikely to return to Afghanistan even if the U.S. withdraws from there. Former N.Y. Times correspondent Stephen Kinzer is right: “It should be engraved on the minds of every American diplomat: Do nothing that will further destabilize Pakistan” (from the “Rethink Afghanistan” video).

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CIA’s Interrogation Probe: What it means for Pakistan? ?

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Mystified Justice - By Sana Saleem - Aug. 28 (News Analysis) - For many of us the question is not only about prosecutions,the concern is way beyond that of prosecutions, it is mainly about the truth that should be made public. The detailed reports on abuse and torture and the assurance that the US is determined to mark an end to it, are of primary concern. The strong emphasis laid on the release of the memos is proof enough that the people demand a detailed answer. An investigation about how and to what extend were the tortures carried out and whether or not the authorities are serious about ‘changing their ways’ seems to be the demand.

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Afghan Elections Give Pakistan Bleak Hope

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Naveen Naqvi - Aug. 27 (News Analysis) - Where Pakistanis had once bristled at the idea of being lumped in with the Afghan state, there is now a subtle admission that their futures are shared. The Foreign Office spokesman, Abdul Basit, said on Thursday that the fates of the two countries were intertwined. Pakistan's government expressed the hope that elections in Afghanistan would bring stability to its western neighbor.

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Feingold to Obama: Announce Withdrawal Timetable from Afghanistan

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

blogs.abcnews.com - By David Chalian - Aug. 25 (News Report) - "After eight years, I am not convinced that pouring more and more troops into Afghanistan is a well thought out policy," said Feingold. The liberal Democrat said he has expressed his reservations with President Obama, Admiral Mullen, and others inside the administration and he says he has "never been convinced they have a good answer." "I think it is time we start discussing a flexible timetable so that people around the world can see when we are going to bring our troops out," said Feingold.

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Pakistan: Lawyers On A Rampage

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Global Voices - By Sana Saleem - Aug. 13 (News Analysis) - The recent news of some lawyers harassing members of civil society, journalists and the police has raised a lot of eyebrows. Pakistani bloggers remember the heroic role of these men of law in the inspirational and much successful Lawyers movement and question these actions.

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David Wise: "The CIA, Licensed to Kill"