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Pakistan :: Radical Islam   ::   Print this Article
Pakistan Drops Diplomacy, Declares War On Taliban
05-08-2009 9:28 am - Saeed Shah - McClatchy Newspapers
In a defining moment for the country and one that will have far-reaching consequences for global security, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on national television that Pakistan had "reached a stage where the government believes that decisive steps have to be taken."

He said that the government had tried peaceful negotiation with Taliban entrenched in the Swat valley, which is about 100 miles from Islamabad, but the strategy hadn't worked. He said he's now asking the army to step in to "eliminate the militants and the terrorists."

The move will be warmly welcomed in Washington, which had recently accused Pakistan of "abdicating to the Taliban" and comes as President Asif Ali Zardari completes a visit to Washington for talks with President Barack Obama.

Gilani also appealed to the international community for help to care for the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who're now expected to be displaced by the fighting.

Swat is a partly urbanized area, and civilian casualties are almost certain. There are fears that the streets of its main city, Mingora, and its other towns could see a bloodbath if residents are unable to flee.

LIBERTYNEWS: You can read this article by McClatchy Newspapers special correspondent Saeed Shah, reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan, in context here:

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