Pakistan Tribal Areas: Ready To Rumble?

With the violence increasing in Pakistan, particularly in the Tribal Areas, two Paki Generals are now saying: Game On! I posted and linked to background on the areas here.

"There will now be a full-scale military action against Taliban hideouts in the entire tribal areas," a Pakistani brigadier general said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the record.

A second brigadier general, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani army was receiving help from the U.S. military in tracking the fighters, including aerial surveillance from U.S.-supplied drones.

The officials added that the government would still attempt to negotiate with relatively moderate tribal leaders in hopes of cleaving them from hard-core militants. A jirga, or assembly, was planned for Thursday with that goal in mind.

Intervention there won't be a cakewalk, no matter what is brought to bare. A nuke is about the only thing that could achieve that. And IF we and the Pakis do get serious with the region, and I suspect we will, the critical development is determining who may be more moderate and who isn't. I'm not incredibly optimistic that we'll be done here because of this go round. But given the recent NIE, something has to be done to tamp down al Qaeda while trying to salvage something of the region without a full blown assault.

Comments

[Capitalist Infidel]

Dan, what would you consider an "all out assault?"

[narciso]

It can't be all out when perhaps up to a third of the Pakistani army units; a larger percentage in the ISI loyal to the enemy. With the mullah's and this
publicity campaign by the supporters of the ousted Supreme Court members; cahllenging the regime.

[Dan Riehl]

an "all out assault?"

Meaning, I don't see us ever going in with a large force, or with the intention of taking ground and holding it over a long period of time in an attempt to get the region under control. Hell, we didn't even do that in Iraq after the first months, or so. We'll target individuals, perhaps camps and do that more piecemeal. That's what I was suggesting.