Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Children of the Taliban

I'm watching right now on PBS a program that is possibly the most informative I have ever seen in regard to what is actually happening on the ground in the tribal areas of Swat and other Taliban controlled areas in Pakistan. A Pakistani lady named Sharmeen Obaid narrrates the documentary. One of the situations interviews two boys who are friends from the same village. One wants to be a Pakistani soldier a captain and the other wants to be a Taliban to avenge his cousin who was killed in a Madrasa by an American missile in 2006. The boys were asked if they would kill each other if asked even though they are now friends. Both said "yes!" if their jobs as soldiers required it.
Sharmeen also spoke of how there are about 1 million refugees from the battles between the Taliban and the Pakistan Army right now in Pakistan. She spoke of how this war is creating a civil war in Pakistan over time. American and Taliban policies the way they are now will take Pakistan to civil war she believes.

I found this disturbing because of the human cost but also because of Pakistani Nuclear weapons possibly falling into the wrong hands as well.

If you want to be more educated on what is actually happening in Northern Pakistan watch this program on PBS Frontline/World. There might be information about it online as well.

This might be the single most dangerous situation the United States and Europe and the world have to deal with over the next 10 years.

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