ISLAMABAD - After a month of operations against militants in the South Waziristan tribal area on the border with Afghanistan, Pakistan's military establishment realizes it is chasing shadows; the adversary has simply melted into the vastness of the inhospitable surrounding territory.
Unlike in previous operations in other troubled tribal areas, though, there is unlikely to be any peace agreement. The militants, headed by the Pakistani Taliban - the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - are bent on a long-term insurgency against the security apparatus, which they now see as heretic as the United States forces in Afghanistan.
In the past, the militants viewed the military as "firing friendly fire" under duress, mostly from the United States. In a fundamental shift, this is no longer the case and the militants will step up their activities.
The implications for Pakistan are profound. The civilian government headed by President Asif Ali Zardari is under relentless pressure from the US to crack down on militants, which includes al-Qaeda. If the militants carry through with their new attitude towards the military, and if the government steps up its efforts, ever-bloodier and broadening clashes are inevitable.
read more @ asia times
2. 'proxy war' likely to erupt between Saudi, Iran
By Habib Trabelsi - PARIS
Traded accusations between Saudi Arabia and Iran threaten to fuel a “proxy war” between the two nations while Riyadh continues to pound Yemen’s Shiite rebels to “cleanse” its border from “Huthi infiltrators”.
Following the attack of the head of Iran’s Shura Council (parliament) on Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti accused Tehran "of cooperating with the Huthis on sin and aggression" and interfering in Yemen’s affairs of Yemen.
The first direct accusation from the highest religious authority in remarks published in "Al-Watan" daily, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, said that the Iranian cooperation with Huthis was a cooperation on sin and aggression.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz called on Iranians to "protect Sunnis in Iran from injustice and aggression."
read more @ middle east online
3. Sarkozy urges ME talks ahead of Riyadh visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Tuesday of an extremist backlash if Middle East peace talks do not commence soon, as he headed to Riyadh for a one-day stay with Saudi King Abdullah. "The priority is to restart as soon as possible the peace process," Sarkozy told the Saudi newspaper Ar-Riyadh in the interview published Tuesday.
"It is urgent because the current deadlock plays into the hands of extremists and each day the chance of peace is slipping away a little," the French president said.
Sarkozy arrives in the Saudi capital late Tuesday to spend the night at King Abdullah's desert ranch outside of Riyadh, in what officials described as a mostly personal visit aimed at tightening the bonds between the two leaders.
read more @ al manar tv
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