It is becoming very clear how al-Qaeda and the Taliban will lose the war on terror – through their desperation to win or survive their acts will cause such a backlash in the Muslim Street they will become to Islam what the Nazis are to Germans. The most recent example of their atrocious desperation has been the use of civilians has human shields:

Men from the 2Bn The Parachute Regiment, who have suffered 10 fatalities and at least 50 wounded this summer in Sangin town, were patrolling the area when they received intelligence that an attack was imminent from the building.

Paras from the snipers’ section, equipped with sophisticated sights, positively identified Taliban fighters on the roof of a compound.

Clearance was then received to fire three extremely accurate missiles from the Royal Artillery’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that all landed on the target.

The insurgents “took a pasting” with a number of enemy dead but, unbeknown to the British, at least seven civilians were sheltering in the home including the fatalities, a six-year-old boy and a girl, believed to be eight, and a woman.

The Muslim Warrior image has been reduced to that of a sick and depraved coward. This is how al-Qaeda l lost in Iraq, and it will be how the war will be lost in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

There is some good news from Iraq where the Islamo Fascists have diverted what few recruits they can muster to the prime battles in Pakistan and Afghanistan:

In the wake of setbacks suffered by Al Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan is becoming the preferred destination for Muslims, particularly from Arab nations, seeking to wage jihad against the West.

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Stracke added that in the past six months, AQI [AJStrata: al-Qaeda in Iraq] “has lost a lot of fighters,” especially ones in its “second layer of leadership, the ones who recruit and plan operations.” As a result, she says, many new recruits are going instead to Afghanistan.

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While Al Qaeda is “not going to abandon” Iraq or “write it off,” General Petraeus added, “what they certainly may do is start to provide some of those resources that would have come to Iraq to Pakistan, possibly Afghanistan.”

He noted that the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq “has been reduced very substantially,” from a peak of 80 to 100 per month to about 20. AQI attacks have dropped since late spring 2007, from more than 120 per month to less than 40 per month during the past three months, according to a Multi-National Forces in Iraq (MNF-I) spokesperson in Baghdad.

In Iraq al-Qaeda cannot find much sanctuary, and they are still be rounded up on a regular basis.

In Afghanistan the Aussie’s bagged a big fish, killing a top Taliban Commander.

Afghan Forces are also doing their part to rid their country of the cancer of the Taliban.

Back in Pakistan the prime focus is still on Bajaur Agency in FATA, where there are daily reports of militants killed in fighting with the Pak Military.

While the battles rage in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there is a backlash rising against the militants who are bringing on this death and destruction and atrocities to the region. And where there once were calls to stop the fighting, there are now calls to hurry up and finish off the militants:

ince the beginning of this month, while residents of FATA, especially Bajaur and Kurram agencies, and part of settled districts of Swat, have been experiencing death and destruction – hundreds of thousands, by the provincial government’s own admission have been rendered homeless and a humanitarian disaster is very much in the making. And while this has been happening, the coalition partners have acted more or less like Nero — busy concentrating their energies on ousting the president. 

Now that this objective has been achieved, with the president’s resignation announcing his resignation on Monday, it is high time that the government got on with the business of fighting the militancy in this region and to acting to prevent the humanitarian disaster looming in the near future. As for the strategy to fight militancy in FATA and the surrounding region, the approach by the coalition partners can be judged by the fact that neither Asif Zardari nor Nawaz Sharif, or even their close lieutenants have bothered visiting the insurgency-affected area to see for themselves the hell that the local population is going through. 

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Khar is headquarters of Bajaur agency which houses government offices and the headquarters of the Bajaur Rifles. Hundreds of militants and their supporters managed to dig bunkers and took position around Khar along the main highway. 

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In the recent past, militants have let loose a reign of terror in Lower and Upper Dir to establish their influence. These once-peaceful districts are slipping into the hands of the Taliban with the government apparently sitting by and watching like an uninterested spectator.

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Now that the president is out of the picture, there can be no more dilly-dallying on this very important matter. Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif both need to direct their energies on putting up a joint fight against militancy. 

Musharraf, the very useful punching bag and all around excuse, is now out of the picture.  There is no one to pass the blame onto anymore. Either the Pak leaders take action or the people will select news ones.

Tags: Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, Bajaur Agency, FATA, Human Shields, Iraq, Pakistan, Petraeus, Taliban