Taliban attacks Pakistani school, 120+ dead, mostly kids

[Berkut]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30491435


Apparently it is a military run school, and this is in response to the recent increased action by the Pakistani military against militant groups in the tribal regions.


This seems like an obviously terrible move on the part of the Taliban. Is that because it really is as stupid as it sounds, to go and kill a hundred or so children, or is my lack of understanding of the purpose of such an attack simply a reflection of my lack of understanding of the culture that is being targeted by such an attack?

[Martinus]

Well, it's not just any school - I understand this is a school for children of the military. So this is a retaliation - you strike at us so we kill your children. Perhaps it is not meant to be effective in a strategic sense.

[Berkut]

True - this is just extreme terrorism - just going strictly for straight out fear and intimidation.

However, the audience is still going to end up being larger than just the victims families. Does it matter than everyone else in Pakistan and Afghanistan is now thinking the Taliban are the people who murdered 120 children in cold blood, regardless of whose children they are? Apparently the Taliban doesn't think so...does that say something about the Taliban, or something about that audience?

[The Brain]

I don't think the Taliban have to worry about getting a bad rep.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Those schoolkids looked westernised to me, what with their blazers and jumpers, could easily have been pics of British/Pakistani kids at a school in England.

To people like the Taleban, Boko Haram or Isis these westernised muslims are traitors. I don't think the Taleban have made an error, by their lights this is a triumph.

[Valmy]

To people like the Taleban, Boko Haram or Isis these westernised muslims are traitors. I don't think the Taleban have made an error, by their lights this is a triumph.

So these guys will blow us up even after we all convert to Islam?  Man.  There is just no pleasing some people.

But I guess considering how often Islamic terrorists murder other Muslims that should not be a surprise.

[CountDeMoney]

Going after school children--modeled after a western military academy or not--in retaliation against the Pakistan Army's offensives in the Warizstan tribal areas may be the final nail in the Taliban-ISI covert relationship.

Peshawar school attack: Has Pakistan ISI 'secret support for Taliban' backfired?
Gianluca Mezzofiore
International Business Times
December 16, 2014 13:09 GMT

The horrific attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that left at least 126 people dead, mostly children, has been claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, in revenge for the army offensive in north Waziristan.

"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females. We want them to feel the pain," said Muhammad Umar Khorasani, spokesman for the militant group.

The long-awaited military operation to wipe out the Islamist militant safe-haven from Pakistan's western border plays into a complex political relationship with its troubled neighbourhood Afghanistan.

Mistrust between the two countries stems from Afghan accusations that Pakistan is ultimately responsible for the violence in their country. A special focus is reserved for Pakistan's military and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), accused by the US and Afghanistan of nurturing, training, supporting and equipping Afghan Taliban fighters.

As the US force in Afghanistan is scheduled to drop to 5,500 by the end of 2015 and near zero by the end of 2016, questions over alleged Pakistani support for the Taliban insurgency remain unanswered.

"Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, has been providing the Taliban with safe haven and sanctuary in Pakistan for over a decade," Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Intelligence project wrote yesterday.

"The ISI participates directly in planning Taliban operations and target selection against Nato and Afghan targets. It helps arm and fund the Taliban and assists its fundraising efforts in the Gulf states."

Pakistan denies the charges, reversing the allegations by claiming Afghanistan provides safe havens for terrorists. In July, as the ground operation on Islamist groups was launched, a senior general complained about the presence in eastern Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of TTP.

"Whenever he comes to Pakistan then we can get him and he will be eliminated," said Major General Asim Bajwa, Pakistani army's spokesman. "But before that we are expecting our Afghan brethren, who we have requested to do their bit, to either eliminate him or hand him over to Pakistan."

Supporting Haqqani

However, it has been widely acknowledged that the ISI failed to contain the infamous Haqqani network, which carried out deadly attacks on US troops in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials claimed that Haqqani fighters were allowed to escape to Afghanistan before the operation was launched on 15 June. "The Haqqani network keeps an office in Rawalpindi near the ISI headquarters. General Sharif supervises all of this, just as his predecessors did before him. The general, not the prime minister, makes Afghan policy," Riedel wrote.

Tensions have increased in the past year as more than 2,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of sending army commandos, doctors and military advisers to train Afghan Taliban.

They alleged that the military operation to dislodge Pakistani Taliban from Waziristan had the effect of pushing Islamists into Afghanistan.

General Zahir Azimi, an Afghan army spokesman, said: "They were thinking: 'Foreigners are leaving Afghanistan. They don't have a strong air force . . . so we will ramp up our attacks and overrun provinces."

He added that Afghan intelligence intercepted phone conversations between militants and suspected ISI agents.

A new hope

Afghan officials also accuse Pakistan of having fired nearly 5,000 rockets into eastern Afghanistan since last spring, in an attempt to clear the ground for Islamist militants and allow them to establish bases in Afghanistan.

Most recently, the appointment of an all-clean general at the head of Pakistan's spy agency spurred hope for the corrupted intelligence force. General Rizwan Akhtar commanded the paramilitary Rangers during the country's crackdown on the criminal mafias with excellent results. His charisma and high moral standards may help reforming the ISI from the terrorist-backing image they gained over the years.

"For him a terrorist is a terrorist," Nasir Aftab, a senior Karachi policeman, told the Guardian. "There is no impression of good terrorism or bad terrorism, or that some are working for Pakistan."

Experts believe that the surge of domestic terrorism has pushed Pakistan's military to change its murky approach to the Taliban, thus explaining the military operation in north Waziristan.

Now, jihadists are taking revenge and turning the guns against their former founder and supporter.

[garbon]

Going after school children--modeled after a western military academy or not--in retaliation against the Pakistan Army's offensives in the Warizstan tribal areas may be the final nail in the Taliban-ISI covert relationship.

Peshawar school attack: Has Pakistan ISI 'secret support for Taliban' backfired?
Gianluca Mezzofiore
International Business Times
December 16, 2014 13:09 GMT

The horrific attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that left at least 126 people dead, mostly children, has been claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, in revenge for the army offensive in north Waziristan.

"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females. We want them to feel the pain," said Muhammad Umar Khorasani, spokesman for the militant group.

The long-awaited military operation to wipe out the Islamist militant safe-haven from Pakistan's western border plays into a complex political relationship with its troubled neighbourhood Afghanistan.

Mistrust between the two countries stems from Afghan accusations that Pakistan is ultimately responsible for the violence in their country. A special focus is reserved for Pakistan's military and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), accused by the US and Afghanistan of nurturing, training, supporting and equipping Afghan Taliban fighters.

As the US force in Afghanistan is scheduled to drop to 5,500 by the end of 2015 and near zero by the end of 2016, questions over alleged Pakistani support for the Taliban insurgency remain unanswered.

"Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, has been providing the Taliban with safe haven and sanctuary in Pakistan for over a decade," Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Intelligence project wrote yesterday.

"The ISI participates directly in planning Taliban operations and target selection against Nato and Afghan targets. It helps arm and fund the Taliban and assists its fundraising efforts in the Gulf states."

Pakistan denies the charges, reversing the allegations by claiming Afghanistan provides safe havens for terrorists. In July, as the ground operation on Islamist groups was launched, a senior general complained about the presence in eastern Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of TTP.

"Whenever he comes to Pakistan then we can get him and he will be eliminated," said Major General Asim Bajwa, Pakistani army's spokesman. "But before that we are expecting our Afghan brethren, who we have requested to do their bit, to either eliminate him or hand him over to Pakistan."

Supporting Haqqani

However, it has been widely acknowledged that the ISI failed to contain the infamous Haqqani network, which carried out deadly attacks on US troops in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials claimed that Haqqani fighters were allowed to escape to Afghanistan before the operation was launched on 15 June. "The Haqqani network keeps an office in Rawalpindi near the ISI headquarters. General Sharif supervises all of this, just as his predecessors did before him. The general, not the prime minister, makes Afghan policy," Riedel wrote.

Tensions have increased in the past year as more than 2,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of sending army commandos, doctors and military advisers to train Afghan Taliban.

They alleged that the military operation to dislodge Pakistani Taliban from Waziristan had the effect of pushing Islamists into Afghanistan.

General Zahir Azimi, an Afghan army spokesman, said: "They were thinking: 'Foreigners are leaving Afghanistan. They don't have a strong air force . . . so we will ramp up our attacks and overrun provinces."

He added that Afghan intelligence intercepted phone conversations between militants and suspected ISI agents.

A new hope

Afghan officials also accuse Pakistan of having fired nearly 5,000 rockets into eastern Afghanistan since last spring, in an attempt to clear the ground for Islamist militants and allow them to establish bases in Afghanistan.

Most recently, the appointment of an all-clean general at the head of Pakistan's spy agency spurred hope for the corrupted intelligence force. General Rizwan Akhtar commanded the paramilitary Rangers during the country's crackdown on the criminal mafias with excellent results. His charisma and high moral standards may help reforming the ISI from the terrorist-backing image they gained over the years.

"For him a terrorist is a terrorist," Nasir Aftab, a senior Karachi policeman, told the Guardian. "There is no impression of good terrorism or bad terrorism, or that some are working for Pakistan."

Experts believe that the surge of domestic terrorism has pushed Pakistan's military to change its murky approach to the Taliban, thus explaining the military operation in north Waziristan.

Now, jihadists are taking revenge and turning the guns against their former founder and supporter.

[Martinus]

Going after school children--modeled after a western military academy or not--in retaliation against the Pakistan Army's offensives in the Warizstan tribal areas may be the final nail in the Taliban-ISI covert relationship.

Peshawar school attack: Has Pakistan ISI 'secret support for Taliban' backfired?
Gianluca Mezzofiore
International Business Times
December 16, 2014 13:09 GMT

The horrific attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that left at least 126 people dead, mostly children, has been claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, in revenge for the army offensive in north Waziristan.

"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females. We want them to feel the pain," said Muhammad Umar Khorasani, spokesman for the militant group.

The long-awaited military operation to wipe out the Islamist militant safe-haven from Pakistan's western border plays into a complex political relationship with its troubled neighbourhood Afghanistan.

Mistrust between the two countries stems from Afghan accusations that Pakistan is ultimately responsible for the violence in their country. A special focus is reserved for Pakistan's military and Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), accused by the US and Afghanistan of nurturing, training, supporting and equipping Afghan Taliban fighters.

As the US force in Afghanistan is scheduled to drop to 5,500 by the end of 2015 and near zero by the end of 2016, questions over alleged Pakistani support for the Taliban insurgency remain unanswered.

"Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, has been providing the Taliban with safe haven and sanctuary in Pakistan for over a decade," Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Intelligence project wrote yesterday.

"The ISI participates directly in planning Taliban operations and target selection against Nato and Afghan targets. It helps arm and fund the Taliban and assists its fundraising efforts in the Gulf states."

Pakistan denies the charges, reversing the allegations by claiming Afghanistan provides safe havens for terrorists. In July, as the ground operation on Islamist groups was launched, a senior general complained about the presence in eastern Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of TTP.

"Whenever he comes to Pakistan then we can get him and he will be eliminated," said Major General Asim Bajwa, Pakistani army's spokesman. "But before that we are expecting our Afghan brethren, who we have requested to do their bit, to either eliminate him or hand him over to Pakistan."

Supporting Haqqani

However, it has been widely acknowledged that the ISI failed to contain the infamous Haqqani network, which carried out deadly attacks on US troops in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials claimed that Haqqani fighters were allowed to escape to Afghanistan before the operation was launched on 15 June. "The Haqqani network keeps an office in Rawalpindi near the ISI headquarters. General Sharif supervises all of this, just as his predecessors did before him. The general, not the prime minister, makes Afghan policy," Riedel wrote.

Tensions have increased in the past year as more than 2,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of sending army commandos, doctors and military advisers to train Afghan Taliban.

They alleged that the military operation to dislodge Pakistani Taliban from Waziristan had the effect of pushing Islamists into Afghanistan.

General Zahir Azimi, an Afghan army spokesman, said: "They were thinking: 'Foreigners are leaving Afghanistan. They don't have a strong air force . . . so we will ramp up our attacks and overrun provinces."

He added that Afghan intelligence intercepted phone conversations between militants and suspected ISI agents.

A new hope

Afghan officials also accuse Pakistan of having fired nearly 5,000 rockets into eastern Afghanistan since last spring, in an attempt to clear the ground for Islamist militants and allow them to establish bases in Afghanistan.

Most recently, the appointment of an all-clean general at the head of Pakistan's spy agency spurred hope for the corrupted intelligence force. General Rizwan Akhtar commanded the paramilitary Rangers during the country's crackdown on the criminal mafias with excellent results. His charisma and high moral standards may help reforming the ISI from the terrorist-backing image they gained over the years.

"For him a terrorist is a terrorist," Nasir Aftab, a senior Karachi policeman, told the Guardian. "There is no impression of good terrorism or bad terrorism, or that some are working for Pakistan."

Experts believe that the surge of domestic terrorism has pushed Pakistan's military to change its murky approach to the Taliban, thus explaining the military operation in north Waziristan.

Now, jihadists are taking revenge and turning the guns against their former founder and supporter.

[CountDeMoney]

"Breaking up is hard to do."--Neil Sedaka

[garbon]

"Breaking up is hard to do."--Neil Sedaka

I just wonder if you thought your commentary on the article was so good that it needed to be quoted by yourself.

[CountDeMoney]

"Breaking up is hard to do."--Neil Sedaka

I just wonder if you thought your commentary on the article was so good that it needed to be quoted by yourself.

Ah, shit.

[Norgy]

It's a senseless act of violence and terror. Murdering children in their classrooms.
Some talking heads (or is it voices) on the radio seem to think it's because Pakistani Taliban is so weak, they can't attack hard targets, and need to show that they still mean business.

Fuck them. All of them.

[viper37]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30491435


Apparently it is a military run school, and this is in response to the recent increased action by the Pakistani military against militant groups in the tribal regions.


This seems like an obviously terrible move on the part of the Taliban. Is that because it really is as stupid as it sounds, to go and kill a hundred or so children, or is my lack of understanding of the purpose of such an attack simply a reflection of my lack of understanding of the culture that is being targeted by such an attack?

Attack us and we will kill your children.  Most soldiers are willing to risk their life, but risking the life of their family is another thing.  If the government is seen as unable to protect its civilians, namely the family of those it tasked with the arrest of criminals, then there's a greater likelyhood these guys will either refuse to fight our switch sides.
That's what the Talibans expects, at least.  And it might work.

[dps]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30491435


Apparently it is a military run school, and this is in response to the recent increased action by the Pakistani military against militant groups in the tribal regions.


This seems like an obviously terrible move on the part of the Taliban. Is that because it really is as stupid as it sounds, to go and kill a hundred or so children, or is my lack of understanding of the purpose of such an attack simply a reflection of my lack of understanding of the culture that is being targeted by such an attack?

Attack us and we will kill your children.  Most soldiers are willing to risk their life, but risking the life of their family is another thing.  If the government is seen as unable to protect its civilians, namely the family of those it tasked with the arrest of criminals, then there's a greater likelyhood these guys will either refuse to fight our switch sides.
That's what the Talibans expects, at least.  And it might work.

It might, but it could easily backfire.  There are probably a lot of members of the Pakistani military who haven't been all that motivated to fight the Taliban, but now might think they'd best take out the Taliban before the Taliban takes out their families.  Not counting those who were related to the murdered children, who now how the motivation of revenge.