Word: askari
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...sensationalism" for "domestic use" is what political campaigns are usually all about. During more than a week in Iran, I interviewed as many people who admired Ahmadinejad as were appalled by him. On election day at the Hossein Ershad Mosque in north Tehran, I spoke with Ismail Askari, the head of the taxi drivers' union in the city of Malard, just west of Tehran. He was a Mousavi supporter, but he admitted, "Most of the people in my cab have been happy with the present government...
...Military analysts say that the fighting in South Waziristan will not be easy and that the government must be prepared to handle the potential fallout. The harsh, rugged terrain has found much favor with hardened guerrillas. "It will be more difficult [than the Swat-valley operation]," says Hasan Askari-Rizvi, a military analyst. "The Taliban are more deeply entrenched, and they are going to put up a fight. They will avoid head-on battles but will try to harass the army by other means, including ambushes." There is also the possibility that Mehsud's ranks have been fortified by some...
...drone targets across the tribal belt. The day before the drone strike, Pakistani air-force jets were pounding the same area in retaliation for the recent terrorist attacks in the northwest and Lahore. "Pakistan and the U.S. and NATO troops will have to cooperate with each other," says Askari-Rizvi. "If the army goes in with full force, some of the militants will definitely cross over to Afghanistan." Troops positioned across the border in Afghanistan could squeeze the retreating militants. "There is a need for both sides to closely monitor the border to see where the crossings are taking place...
...brutality and vowing revenge for the murder of his relatives. Zainuddin and another group, led by Turkistan Bhittani, enjoy the covert backing of Pakistan's security services. "In the past, these guys were afraid to confront Baitullah Mehsud, because there was no one there to protect them," says Askari-Rizvi. The army could now provide that support as the government uses political means to divide subtribes aligned to Mehsud...
...however, a highly controversial and risky course. A previous peace deal failed within months - and gave the militants the space to regroup and sweep away earlier military gains. "It is an attempt on the part of the government to win over a section of religious extremists," says Hasan Askari-Rizvi, a military analyst. "The idea is that if they are pulled out of the struggle, they will cooperate with the government and help isolate the militants. It may have been a good idea if the Taliban were on the run, but they're well entrenched...