I really dislike posting on news reports that begin with ‘a classified program’, because I cannot tell if the story is the news media willing to sell out this country for the big bucks of scoop or a deliberate leak by the government. Needless to say I would be more cautious in reporting on classified programs, as the mess the media made out of the NSA-FISA relationship demonstrates. But this story makes sense because it builds on our success in Iraq in reaching out to those being oppressed by al-Qaeda to see if we cannot pull their “sanctuaries” out from under them and to our side – so I post on it with reservations (besides, it is out now):

A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy, American military officials said.

If adopted, the proposal would join elements of a shift in strategy that would also be likely to expand the presence of American military trainers in Pakistan, directly finance a separate tribal paramilitary force that until now has proved largely ineffective and pay militias that agreed to fight Al Qaeda and foreign extremists, officials said. The United States now has only about 50 troops in Pakistan, a Pentagon spokesman said, a force that could grow by dozens under the new approach.

The program would make sense as a carrot to the stick Musharraf is applying to the region:

The Pakistani Army is pressing its offensive against Maulana Fazlullah’s Taliban forces in the settled district of Swat and Shangla after Fazlullah’s fighters took over the two districts by force over the past several weeks. The strikes in Swat and Shangla happen to coincide with US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte’s diplomatic visit to Pakistan.

…

“Militants spokesman Sirajuddin claimed that they had killed almost 25 personnel of security forces,” after the Taliban targeted a military convoy.

Sirajuddin confirmed the Pakistani Army killed Commander Matiullah, a senior officer in Fazlullah’s command, in an artillery strike. “His Second-in-Command Muhammad Ali was missing feared dead,” the Pakistani military stated.

Fighting has been reported in “the mountainous areas of Yagorai, Dolat Kalay, Shalmano, Tander, Shahtoot, Mian Kalay, Pirabad and Bailay Baba areas,” after the Pakistani Army targeted Taliban hideouts. The military appears to be relying on attack helicopters and artillery to root out the Taliban.

The Islamo fascists’ reliance on exaggerating their meager successes is truly laughable at times. They may have been that successful, but typically they acknowledge big setbacks, like losing key leaders, with faux bravado.

Pakistan has seemed for a while to be the pace where the war on Islamo fascism was going to end. It was were the movement was born. And it is where the retreating forces of Islamic Terrorists are heading after their defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact is Pakistan is hanging in the balance (as this story points out). I have been reading liberal ‘opinions’ on Musharraf and they are pretty consistently ridiculous. They do not understand why anyone would call for marshall law.

Well envision San Francisco and Berkley CA (fondly known as Beserkley by some) had become so fed up with the war on terror they decided to become a sanctuary for terrorists (which is not too far a stretch for these two liberal bastions). What if, to show their defiance to another GOP president, these areas openly allowed Islamo Fascist groups to build up and issue their propaganda against America, calling for Jihad and demanding our constitutional republic become an Islamic state? And what if bombings and attacks on other parts of America were being traced back to these enclaves and the local governments refused to take action.

Anyone doubt there would be Marshall law imposed? Anyone doubt we would be in the middle of our own civil war fighting for the survival of our Democracy? The pathetic thing about this situation is the far left has aligned itself with the fascists who treat women as property! They have completely lost their souls to their lust for power and their petty egos which need to be proven right about Bush and conservatives. This scenario may seem over the top, but trust me when I say you can find inklings of it in the “truthers” who claim 9-11 was actually a Bush/Cheney led act, the wingnuts calling for impeachment of a President for a war Congress authorized by huge margins (larger than Gulf War I), in the claims the US us spying on its people. All these movements have elements who would ally with al-Qaeda if it meant getting rid of Bush. Just read this tripe as an example of what permeates the left (note that none of the dire predictions from 2003-2005 came true).

One thing is for sure, if elements of our country were being taken over by our sworn enemy we would act. Musharraf is going all out to destroy the terrorists in his country (who are also his countrymen allied with al-Qaeda). If there is a way to bring the Anbar Awakening results from Iraq to Pakistan then it makes sense to do so. Or at least try and do so. And I guess the fact more American military advisers will be in country provides for other options to be looked at.