Pak Taliban threaten winners

Reuters/NY Times:

Pakistan militants linked to al-Qaeda warned any incoming civilian government on Sunday that they would strike even more viciously if President Pervez Musharraf's war on terror was continued in tribal areas.

Following last week's inconclusive election, several political parties are in talks to form a coalition big enough for a ruling majority in the National Assembly. How they deal with the militants will be one of their most pressing challenges.

In northwest Pakistan on Sunday, militants attacked a security post and killed a policeman and two paramilitary servicemen and wounded six others, officials said.

Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that any new operation against militants in tribal areas would lead to violence.

"Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear to them we don't want fighting. We want peace, but if they impose war on us, we will not spare them," he said.

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Their bravado rings hollow. Note this "brave" threat comes from a guy who is not willing to disclose his location. If he were as powerful as he claims he should not be afraid to disclose where he is located.

It should also be noted that the Islamic religious bigots in the territory claimed by the Taliban suffered a bigger defeat than Musharraf's party did in the recent election. They are being rejected and the violence they are threatening will not endear them to the people of Pakistan any more than al Qaeda's violence increased its popularity in Iraq.

The fact is that the Taliban are in decline in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The more violent they become the greater will be their decline.