Pakistan, Taliban Deal A "Victory For bin Laden And al Qaeda": US Officials

ABC News reports that some U.S. officials are calling the new peace deal between Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants a "victory for Osama bin Laden and al Qaida":

Pakistan's new government has signed a peace deal with pro-Taliban militants, in what some U.S. officials call a "victory for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda."

Under the terms of the 15-point plan, signed Wednesday in the city of Peshawar, the Pakistani army will withdraw thousands of troops deployed to the Swat Valley region, an area where officials believe local Taliban militants are hiding. The militants have promised to stop suicide bomb attacks and hand over any foreign militants, according to Bashir Bilour, a senior minister of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province.

"While the deal sounds good, it's likely to be implemented badly," said Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant and former White House counterterrorism chief. "What this means is that the United States will continue to be threatened by an al Qaeda that has a safe haven where it can attract people from around the world, be trained and equipped and sent out to the United States and other countries around the world."

A Taliban spokesman, Muslim Khan, told ABCNews.com, "We accept the writ of the state and will no longer challenge it."

This peace agreement comes only three days after a suicide bomber killed at least 13 people in the northwestern Pakistani city of Mardan, an area "which has experienced several attacks blamed on pro-Taliban Islamist militants in recent months."

Comments

[lungfish]

Oh yea, there is some foreign policy expertise by Rice and co....meanwhile Israel has decided to try to make nice with Syria regardless of the US position....
Good Job, Dubya and DICK..... more proof that we are being led by morons.....
You don't suppose bin Laden is in Swat, do you? Oh, I know... he is irrelevant according to Dubya, except when he needs him to push his fear mongering. Never mind that we invaded Afghanistan to capture Osama, and now he is irrelevant but we are there anyway....
Helluva job, Dubya. Good Job, Condi.... nice work PNAC....

[Dwaine]

Well, looks like Benazir Bhutto's assassination, probably by a member of the Taliban, has amounted to this********Al Qaeda settled in a country with nuclear weapons.**********

Bush and everyone supporting the war in Iraq is responsible for Bhutto's death, the death of over 100,000 innocent lives in Iraq, millions displaced from Iraq, the death resulting from the Kurd debacle into Turkey, what may transpire from the Pakistani-Taliban truce, and the unanticipated Iranian advantage.

This is what I call bad judgement.

[JTyroler]

I'm so glad that we are so much safer with our war on terror.

[abouttime]

So Pakistan is pulling troops out of a pakistani province in a deal with pro-Taliban militants in exchange for the release of foreign millitants. Pretty vague.
What the headline describes comes from reports from ABC News "that some U.S. officials" ...
What officials. What is going on?
This whole story needs confirmation about details. Who are the foreign millitants the pro-Taliban are holding in exchange?

[DFDoerr]

Obama said he will "get" Bin Laden, who is obviously dead.

[DFDoerr]

What is Obama's plan for Pakistan?

[BWonka]

U.S Officials (especially Bu$h and that dismal failure Condi) are the ones responsible for the return of the Taliban. The ineptitude of the members of the Bu$hCo Crime Family and the Faux Christian Party (aka GOP) have NOT made us safer in the last 7 years - in fact the opposite is true.

And John McLoser wants to continue the same FAILED policies. Meanwhile your kids are being killed in Iraq and your great-grandkids will still be paying for the costs involved in the failure.

[JeffersonState]

.....Terrorists and the countries that harbor terrorists........

Why are pakistan and Saudi Arabia our allies?

[DFDoerr]

Defeat for W.
Victory for Liberalism.

[jayburd]

This is what appeasement really is.

[Jaml3000]

This is so jacked up. Is Bin Laden protected? It was Obama who said that we shouldn't put our eggs into the Musharraf basket because he's using the aid to build up his army against India. Right on Iraq, Iran, & Pakistan...who is it that is inexperienced again?

[trollsbwild]

BKholmes79-

You call yourself an independent? No way. You sir, are a troglodyte.

How do you feel historians will report on the Bush presidency? Please. Do not try to label all of them as liberal.

What has Bush done that has been proven to have benefitted us? I realize this may take some time to respond.

He invaded the wrong country. He has allowed OBL to flourish in Pakistan and forge and alliance with their government. Don't forget- they have nukes.

He has enacted economic policies that have devalued our currency to the lowest levels in our history and presided over essentially bring back the robber baron days, i.e, he is the reverse Robin Hood- steal from the poor and give to the rich.

His actions have led to the destabilization of the ME region, which has caused energy prices to go through the roof (enriching his buddies as well in the oil companies), putting us at risk for a prolonged recession or eventual depression.

I'm gonna spare you the damage he has done to our constitution and our bill of rights, the spying on us, and stealing of not one, but two elections.

[bonnieschultz]

Yeah, good job GOP. And I'm sure not talking to any of these people would do wonders to improve the situation...
Will someone please impeach? Or instead, just make sure the SMART guy gets in the White House this time?

[frappe]

What this story illustrates is that Republicans can make no claim whatsoever as being "tough on terror" or good for national security. Quite the contrary. They can however lay claim to being "dumb on terror" and weak on national security. Just look at the record. It speaks for itself.

If I were Barack, I wouldn't worry about foreign policy or national security experience. The Republicans have been total failures in this regard by virtue of their enthusiastic rubber-stamping of everything that Bush ever wanted from Congress to fight his "war on terror". Remember, it was the Republicans who said that those who didn't go along with their anti-terror policies and programs, including the war in Iraq, were unpatriotic. (And it usually coincided with an upcoming election when major White House proposals were introduced, making it politically difficult for incumbent Democrats to fight the Republican tide and their campaign rhetoric heavily laced with fear mongering of one sort or another.)

[Mogamboguru]

Keith Olberman: "U.S.-Officials - this Pakistan-Taliban-deal is not about you! So SHUT-THE-HELL-UP! Good night, and good luck."

[RonNYC]

I am disappointed with the comments in this section so far.
Obama at least has some sort of plan.
Where was Bush and that loser Condi while all this was going on?

[trollsbwild]

Pakistan and the Taliban. Lebanon and Hezbollah. If anyone is keeping score, it appears these events indicate a repudiation of the Bush WH foreign policy.
Congrats to Bush, Cheney, Condi, John Bolton, and others in this WH-you remind me of the 1962 Mets.

[jayburd]

Hey! Casey Stengel could run the country better than Bush, pal! Don't diss my Metsies!

[Mogamboguru]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JE21Ak02.html

Bush's Middle East policy in tatters

...It would have been unthinkable five or six years ago that a visiting US president would receive such an open rebuff in the Middle East. Last weekend's exchanges revealed the extent of decline in the US's dominance of the Middle East through the present Bush administration. No doubt, oil lies at the very center of the decline of the American dominion. The cascading rise in oil prices has led to a massive transfer of resources to the energy exporting countries. Iran is one principal beneficiary.

U.S.-citizens: Meet your best-paid, most ignorant idiots at work.

[mono]

Stab in Bush's back ???

[bkholmes79]

Frappe--I'm an independent who's just sick and tired of all the bush bashing. He didn't cause 9/11, he just responded to it. Wait until the U.S. is attacked again and Obambi is forced to make a critical decision that might send Americans into harm's way. America has not dug itself a hole that will take years to get us out of. Who are you kidding? I know in your mind Bush is the root cause of all evil in the world but sadly that's just not the case. To answer your question about who i voted for...I will admit that I voted for Bush because i didn't want a man like Kerry running this country.I guess that makes me an "evil" person who should just die, right?

[joebaggadonuts]

"i didn't want a man like Kerry running this country.I guess that makes me an "evil" person who should just die, right?"

No. What it makes us all is fools. I don't trust Kerry either, but at least he was not a Republican and not an oil man. Bush was elected to restore respect for the presidency. Face facts, you made a very poor choice in voting for him and move on. To put this knowledge to work for you is how you escape your fate of being a fool for voting for him. Fools are not evil, but they become tools for evil. Keep being independent, but make wise choices. For all of us, as well as for your self.

Thanks for your candor and for all you do.

[jayburd]

What exactly is "a man like Kerry " and why...?

[Strywever]

Hogwash! If you will do just a little research, you will discover that Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld KNEW Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 (it was Saudis. The bin Laden family are Saudis. Bush arranged special flights to ferry bin Laden family members out of the U.S. right after 9/11, when the rest of us were grounded. All factually verifiable if you care to research it -- you might want to start with the 9/11 Commission's report.) And they clearly wanted an excuse to go to war with Iraq. And largely because of their war, our relations with Middle Eastern countries are in terrible shape, as are our relations with countries all over the world. And terrorist cells are finding it easier to attract recruits, thanks to our unwelcome presence in Middle Eastern countries. And Iraq became a haven for terrorists due to the upheaval Bush's war has caused. And Bush's pals in Pakistan's government continue to thumb their noses at the U.S. by cutting deals with the Taliban.

So he may not be the root of all evil in the world, but he sure seems to like cultivating some of those roots!

[trollsbwild]

An idnependent who voted for Bush TWICE I'll bet? bull. You sir are a troglodyte!

[getoffthecross]

I'm sick and tired of the Bush bashing too. Like when people call Bush the next Hitler? That's not only stupid but insulting. After all, Hitler was an OUTSTANDING public speaker.

Are you evil for voting for Bush? Depends on your rationale. Should you just die? We're all going to die eventually, but people would mourn your passing more if you showed yourself to have a conscience, admit when you have (or your "leader" has) made a mistake, and prove you're capable of growth. As it is, live or die, I don't care what happens to you. Just stop being an obstructionist to progress.

[1differentdrummer]

No, he did not cause 9/11, but he sure as heck avoided and ignored all warnings of the impending attack, even when Osama was named and the means of attack specified. If you are an independent, let's see some critical thinking. Check your history. How much clearer could the warnings have been and why did the Neocons absolutely turn a blind eye and a deaf ear?

[trollsbwild]

No. Bush did not cause 9/11- he merely igonored the PDB of 8/6/01 stating Bin Laden determined to attack US.
His response to 9/11- allow OBL to still be alive and forge alliances with countires like Pakistan, who have nuclear weapons. Additionally, he invaded the wrong country based on intelligence that he cooked up, only to now try to blame the intelligence community for getting the facts wrong. He handed Iran the ability to be the main power broker in the region.
He has spent like a drunken sailor, is now spending $13bil a month in Iraq, when the money could be put to better use for our security, let alone invest in our sagging infastructure.
He has made economic policies that have led to lowering our dollar against any known currency, and been part of an orchestrated effort to bring back the robber barron days, essentially a reverse Robin Hood- steal from the poor and give to the rich. His destabilization of the ME region has led to energy prices going through the roof and putting our entire economy at risk of a prolonged recession if not an enventual depression.
In other words, the man is the clusterF of all time. TELL ME ONE THING HE HAS DONE TO BE PROVEN RIGHT OVER ANY PERIOD OF TIME? What do you think historians will write about this administration? They are not all liberals.
You sir are no independent. Bet you voted for Bush TWICE.

[cdnnewsjunky]

"I'm an independent who's just sick and tired of all the bush bashing. He didn't cause 9/11, he just responded to it. " - bkholmes79

Oh he responded all right, by illegally invading the wrong country! How hard is that to get your head around? Your country is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent women and children, and Bush is still the right man for the job eh? Is that you Kevin?

[abouttime]

I agree cdnnewsjunky
Bush and the Republican administration let our country be attcked on 911and were incompetent in not stopping it. They had plenty of warnings and it happened on their watch!
Bush's response was the biggest blunder in the history of US foreign policy! He and his punk neocons may yet face charges - crimes against humanity!

[cdnnewsjunky]

There is always hope.

[Paul]

Too bad were bogged down in Iraq.

If our military was in top condition and at full combat readiness and strength, maybe we could occupy the tribal frontier provinces of Pakistan. This would protect the Pakistanis, impose law and order, help the people there.

Oh yeah, and get Osama.

[Chavez08]

Don't forget the parade, roses, the hand kissing....

This should have been a "cake-walk". People around the world can't wait to have Capitalism shoved down their throats.

[kkuate]

Many US presidents have unsuccesfully lobbied for a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine only to learn that with all our good intentions and economic incentives offered, peace can not be attained until the parties involved realize peace benefits outweigh the war conflicts. It seems the Pakistani government and the Taliban militants have reached an accord that benefits both.

With Washington's current leadership's close-mindedness and its holier-than-thou attitude, I do not foresee a solution to the USA-Radical Islamists conflict.... Bush does not want the mantle of appeasser upon him; rather, he wants to leave his legacy as a war president..... "Bring them on" -

[Gary47]

The incompetence of the right-wing and its neocon bedfellows is beyond measure.

[cdnnewsjunky]

"The incompetence of the right-wing and its neocon bedfellows is beyond measure." - Gary47

Yep! First they hand Iran to Iraq and now they hand Pakistan to Al Qaeda. They couldn't screw up better if they tried.

[ewj1]

$7 billion of which $5 Billion are Presidential earmarks. Should we feel safer, NOT.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Why would the Casa Blanca deal with such appeasers as the Pakistani Government?

[MarkieBee]

I hope Bush and McSame denounce Israel for appeasing Syria...sheesh, our current leadership is so screwed up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7413254.stm

[Bluedog12]

Not to worry this is all in Project for a New American Century's playbook. This is supposed to happen. Although I'd better call Pearl, no wait he's gone, Wolfowitz, nah, Fife! No dammit where is Rummy? Get me Krauthammer, Kristol someone!!