Word: mcgirk
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...McGirk: It could have a huge impact if this resistance spreads to other tribes. And we're seeing the first inkling that this may be happening already. An army convoy rushing reinforcements to the battle in south Waziristan was attacked yesterday, in a different tribal area. And in north Waziristan, there was a raid on an army outpost today, in which a major was killed. President Musharraf is taking a huge risk here. These tribes are well-armed and they could make common cause with the Taliban and other anti-coalition elements in Afghanistan. Also, many of the soldiers...
...McGirk: President Musharraf came out earlier Thursday and said he believes Pakistani forces have a "high-value" al-Qaeda leader surrounded. That's the reason Pakistani authorities believe that the 8,000 troops currently hunting al-Qaeda fugitives in south Waziristan are encountering such ferocious resistance. Authorities believe that those who are fighting against the Pakistani military in the area are defending someone of considerable importance, and also that this person may have been wounded, which would explain why they're fighting rather than running into the mountains, the way they usually...
...McGirk: There may be other reasons that we don't know about. Unofficially, intelligence people and government officials in the region's capital, Wana, are saying they think it's Ayman al-Zawahiri...
...McGirk: It may sound mediaeval, but Pashtun culture places a higher value on honor than on life. Al-Qaeda operatives in the tribal areas are believed to be living with local families, and some - particularly Uzbeks and Chechens - are said to have married into local families. In the eyes of the tribesmen, for government troops to go in and destroy the houses and force the families off ancestral land is a big no-no. What we're seeing is that because of harsh government action, a lot of tribesmen who couldn't care less about giving sanctuary to Zawahiri...
...McGirk: Yes, although in the first instance that reward takes the form of the U.S. refraining from punishing Pakistan over the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology. Where the U.S. might have applied sanctions and cut off military aid over this issue, instead Pakistan has now been declared a major U.S. ally...