Pakistan’s 9/11

[Valin]

National Review:

Will its leaders at last end their dalliance with terrorists?

Tom Rogan

Dec. 17 2014

 

Someone screamed at us to get down and hide below the desks,” he said, adding that the gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire. “Then one of them shouted, ‘There are so many children beneath the benches, go and get them.’ I saw a pair of big black boots coming toward me.”

— Shahrukh Khan, 16, a victim of the Peshawar school attack, speaking to Agence-France Presse

 

Welcome to the world of the Pakistani Taliban: Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP).

 

Blending Deobandi fanaticism with warped Pashtunwali traditionalism, despising individual freedom and intellectual curiosity, these fanatics found an Army school in Peshawar to be a tempting target. Some might be shocked by this attack, but I am not. This kind of rampage has been coming.

 

This summer, I warned that Pakistani politicians and security officials were juggling with fire in their flirtation with the TTP. Led by Fazlullah, an unrepentant psychopath, the TTP has escalated its atrocities. Attacking Christian and Shia Muslim religious sites, cafés, and women (Fazlullah directed the attack on the now-famous schoolgirl Malala), the TTP, like the Islamic State, seeks a return to medieval authoritarianism.So now Pakistan has its 9/11 moment. Facing the loss of more than 140 children, will it end its dalliance with terrorists?

 

So now Pakistan has its 9/11 moment. Facing the loss of more than 140 children, will it end its dalliance with terrorists? The early signs are somewhat hopeful.......(Snip)