Swat | The Insider Brief

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US must fulfil its side of the bargain, say officials | Dawn
“What we need is air mobility and NVDs for night operations, and not any training programmes. For two years, we have been putting our battalion through six months’ rigorous counter-insurgency training programme before we send them into Fata,” the official said.

Troubled Pakistan Economy Compounds Leaders' Woes | WSJ
Above all, the government needs to boost investor confidence so capital starts returning to the country, according to Mohsin S. Khan, director of the Middle East and Central Asia at the IMF, a portfolio that includes Pakistan. The capital is needed not just to repay overseas debts , but to spur fast enough growth to earn the government the political support it needs to wage a war within its borders, he says. "If the economy tanks," he says, "you can forget about the rest."

HOUSE OF GRAFT: Tracing the Bhutto Millions - NYT (1998)
Years later, many Pakistanis still speak of the mesmeric effect she had at that moment, as the daughter who had avenged her father and the politician who had restored democracy ... In the bazaars, traders soon dubbed Mr. Zardari ''Mr. 10 Percent.''

Situation Room in a Minute: Yousuf Gilani
Yousuf Gilani's clip starts 00:20; hilarious.

U.S. Says Pakistan Intelligence Service Aided Attack on India's Embassy | WSJ
"The Indians are absolutely convinced it's true, and they're right," said a U.S. official who's worked extensively on South Asia inside the Bush administration.

In Pakistan Mountains, Jihadis Train for War | WSJ
"Here in the remote mountains of Pakistan, a deep, mostly dry riverbed has been turned into a training camp where about two dozen young men, most in their teens, receive rigorous training for the war against NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan."

Power Rising, Taliban Besiege Pakistani Shiites | NYT
"Now the area, around the town of Parachinar, is near the center of the new kind of struggle. The Taliban have inflamed and exploited a long-running sectarian conflict that has left the town under siege."

Coalition parties oppose use of force in Fata: Kayani, security chiefs brief leaders on strategy | DAWN
"The unqualified assertion came after a meeting on Wednesday of heads of political parties at which the Chief of Army Staff and security chiefs took the politicians into confidence on the military operation in tribal areas."

Pakistani Bear Market Has Investors Raging in the Streets | NYT
"The benchmark index fell for the 15th consecutive trading day, the worst losing run in at least 18 years. Angry investors also protested in Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistani newspapers reported."

Pakistan Marble Helps Taliban Stay in Business | NYT
The takeover of the Ziarat marble quarry, a coveted national asset, is one of the boldest examples of how the Taliban have made Pakistan’s tribal areas far more than a base for training camps or a launching pad for sending fighters into Afghanistan.

Entries Tagged as 'Swat'

Waziristan: The Downing of an Army Helicopter?

February 6th, 2008 · 7 Comments

A military helicopter went down in South Waziristan today. All eight on board were killed including Major General Javed Sultan, the recently promoted commanding officer of Kohat garrison as well as two brigadiers. The official explanation from Islamabad is that the crash was due to “technical reasons.”
However, sources report that the helicopter was […]

Islamabad Intrigues: The Army Edition

January 25th, 2008 · 5 Comments

THE ARMY ADVANCES …
Hot off its relative success in sweeping Swat of militants led by Maulana Fazlullah, sources report that the Pakistan Army has set its sights on Baitullah Mehsud, the purported mastermind behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
In addition to military action, sources also report that a major facet of the newfound campaign involves […]

IB Exclusive: Video Footage of Swat Operations

December 9th, 2007 · 11 Comments

As Pakistani military operations in Swat wrap up and displaced residents begin to return home, we would like to proudly present our readers with another Insider Brief exclusive — video footage of army operations in Swat. (Also make sure to check out our newly updated Multimedia section for other audio/video clips.)
Part I: AH1 Cobra Attack […]

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Tags: AH1 Cobra · Afghanistan · FATA · Frontier Corps · Maulana Fazlullah · Pakistan Army · Pervez Musharraf · Swat · Video · War on Terror · Waziristan

The Insider Brief in the News, on the Web and on the Radio

December 3rd, 2007 · 2 Comments

We’d like to thank all our readers for making this blog as successful as it is. Your readership and support has earned the Insider Brief exposure and recognition in multiple venues -
The News: Reuters
With Gen. Ashfaq Kayani’s ascendancy to the role of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Reuters published an article on Nov. 28th […]

Musharraf & Kayani: Pakistan’s Top Tag Team?

December 2nd, 2007 · 4 Comments

President Pervez Musharraf has been sworn in for another 5-year term as president of Pakistan — out of uniform. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has taken command of Pakistan’s all-powerful army. Emergency rule is to end on December 16th. Elections will be held on January 8th. Anti-insurgency operations continue full swing in Swat.
In short: […]

The Real Crisis: Taming the Tribal Belt

November 26th, 2007 · 2 Comments

Casuistic Crisis
The world is fixated on the “crisis” in Pakistan spawned by Pres. Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s imposition of emergency rule. The media is bombarding us with news that the regime is unstable, the nation is “plunging into chaos” and that the country’s nuclear weapons are at risk — frankly, nothing could be further from […]

Day 6 of Emergency Rule: Of America, the Army, and Arrests

November 9th, 2007 · 3 Comments

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s gamble appears to be paying off. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry stands sidelined along with some of his recalcitrant colleagues, much of the fractured opposition is either detained or under arrest, and protests have been manageable. Though Benazir Bhutto appears to have entered the fray (now under house arrest), her actions […]

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