Gigantic terrorist attack - bomb blast at the Marriott, Pakistan

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lancer
Maybe now Pakistan will understand why we want to hunt terrorists in their land. They need to get it that when we are hunting there it is still their land of course. We're not Russians.

The Pakistanis have brought in the majority of the high-ranking terrorists who have been captured. They're wise enough to know that they are better at hunting terrorists on their own soil than we would be.

[Lancer]

We should be working together against our common enemy.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lancer
We should be working together against our common enemy.

I'd be happy to feed them satillite recon photos and give them access to any detainees in Gitmo. Plus, any training or anti-terrorist weaponry they desire.

[Dr Strangelove]

Meanwhile President Zardari vows to rid Pakistan of the extremists. You know, with the US killing innocent civilians in Pakistan al Qaeda might have benefited from the wedge driven between Pakistan and the Coalition fighting them, but then they have to go out and attack the Pakistanis. These guys literally won't stand to have their enemies hand them a victory.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Lancer
Maybe now Pakistan will understand why we want to hunt terrorists in their land. They need to get it that when we are hunting there it is still their land of course. We're not Russians.

.....and ignore the killing of their civilians by American bombs and bullets? How chivalrous of you to offer to sacrifice their women and children for the good of the war effort.

[Lancer]

Their own people died in that blast yesterday. They've lost control of a whole region of their country which is being used as a base against the rest of Pakistan and the world. If they can't do anything about what is essentially a large country dedicated to murder and terrorism, we definately should. Preferably before a city gets nuked by terrorists from Pakistan.

"Meanwhile President Zardari vows to rid Pakistan of the extremists. You know, with the US killing innocent civilians in Pakistan al Qaeda might have benefited from the wedge driven between Pakistan and the Coalition fighting them, but then they have to go out and attack the Pakistanis. These guys literally won't stand to have their enemies hand them a victory."

He's blowing wind around. If Pakistan could do anything about the tribes that harbor terrorists in their north they would have done so ages ago.

We should try to placate the government and people of southern Pakistan while we go hunting up north.

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


I'd be happy to feed them satillite recon photos and give them access to any detainees in Gitmo. Plus, any training or anti-terrorist weaponry they desire.

I'd rather we bring a few Pakistan military along as translaters and use our troops. If troops of Pakistan caught a moslem terrorist they might have a nice beverage together, but arrest them? I would guess there's not much chance of that. Southern Pakistan and their government gets alot of nice foriegn aid from the US so they like to make pleasant noises towards us while we pay their bills. Their army however is basicly a moslem army...

They don't really want the problem of the north fixed. As they make us happy they also make the terrorists happy by providing a huge sanctuary. When the US went into that sanctuary, the pres of Pakistan ordered his troops to fire on US forces. People assume that's because a few tribesmen got killed and wouldn't we do the same if it happened to us. Well no. The US attack on the North scared the terrorists into informing the southern government that they need better protections. The government responded by the shoot Americans order. The terrorists the blew up the hotel to underline the fact that the government of the south exists at their whim.

It all comes down to if the US doesn't do it, nobody will. As usual.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

It's a cluster**** with no way out. Al Qaeda appears to be supported by rogue groups operating within the ISI (Pakistan's security services); there's no way for us to go in after AQ without those groups fomenting rebellion against the Pakistani government. And since Pakistan has, by best estimates, 30-80 nuclear warheads and the means to deliver then, destabilizing the government is not a good idea -- not because the government will use nukes, but because the nukes will end up on the black market, where they will surely be acquired by both AQ and Iran.

And how did we come to this pass? Simple; we diverted our attention and resources to the needless war in Iraq instead of finishing the job in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ironically paving the way for the proliferation of real WMD by whipping up a war over imaginary ones.

Bush really is the worst f*cking president ever.

[SlowwHand]

So the answer is to wring our hands and sob in frustration while pissing our pants?

[rmsharpe]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
And how did we come to this pass? Simple; we diverted our attention and resources to the needless war in Iraq instead of finishing the job in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ironically paving the way for the proliferation of real WMD by whipping up a war over imaginary ones.

Bush really is the worst f*cking president ever.

Aren't you the type to say that we're creating more terrorists by fighting back in the first place?

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Lancer


I'd rather we bring a few Pakistan military along as translaters and use our troops.

What are you going to do when those translators protest firing on buildings not clearly occupied by al Qaeda, shoot them? Do you really want witnesses coming along for the ride?

Their army however is basicly a moslem army...

Well duh.

They don't really want the problem of the north fixed. As they make us happy they also make the terrorists happy by providing a huge sanctuary. When the US went into that sanctuary, the pres of Pakistan ordered his troops to fire on US forces. People assume that's because a few tribesmen got killed and wouldn't we do the same if it happened to us. Well no. The US attack on the North scared the terrorists into informing the southern government that they need better protections. The government responded by the shoot Americans order. The terrorists the blew up the hotel to underline the fact that the government of the south exists at their whim.

There's really not a whole lot of logic in your twisted little conspiracy theory. You're basically saying that those little brown people are incapable of feeling, even towards their own, so the Pakistani president must be following the orders of his al Qaeda masters.

It all comes down to if the US doesn't do it, nobody will. As usual.

Screw ourselves over? Well yes, our Republican government are the masters at that.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
So the answer is to wring our hands and sob in frustration while pissing our pants?

No, but the answer is not to make things even worse. Blown up Marriott= bad; AQ with nukes = worse. Is it really that hard to understand?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by rmsharpe

Aren't you the type to say that we're creating more terrorists by fighting back in the first place?

No, I'm the type to say that we're creating more terrorists by destabilizing Iraq for no good reason and turning the place into one big Al Qaeda-sponsored career fair.

In other words, I'm the type to be right about these things.

[Lancer]

"What are you going to do when those translators protest firing on buildings not clearly occupied by al Qaeda, shoot them? Do you really want witnesses coming along for the ride? "

That is a rather difficult situation. Hmm. I know, we throw them out of the choppers!

Just trying to be the nutjob you want me to be Dr Strangelove.

[Pekka]

What a picture...