I don’t think that killing scores of school children belonging to Pakistan’s military elite is going to deter Pakistan’s military from going after the Taliban and other extremist groups. But it might be the last straw that gets Pakistan’s government, military and intelligence services to stop trying to play both sides of the game.
This monster was created a long time ago, largely during the effort to kick the Soviets out of Afghanistan. It grew so powerful that dealing with it came to require a commitment to wage a civil war to the finish. Understandably, it has been preferable to try to use the extremists where they can be helpful, to placate them when possible, and to fight them only when absolutely necessary. But this event could convince Pakistan’s elite to finally get serious about the civil war they’ve been trying to avoid.
I don’t doubt that the extremists would ultimately lose this civil war, but it would not be pretty if it actually happens. Maybe it won’t be Syria-ugly, if only because one side will eventually prevail, but it will rip Pakistan apart and create a massive death toll.
Of course, Pakistan has been here before.
Today is also the 43rd anniversary of Pakistan’s surrender to India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which may be why this attack was carried out today.
This monster has been nurtured within the Pakistani state. How long did bin Laden live in that compound? Who knew about him? If we could figure out where he was, and when he was home, certainly the Pakistanis knew as well. Yet they let him live there.
Now the serpent has bitten them in the butt. Quelle suprise, n’est pas?
It has also been nurtured by the Saudis who funded these schools. The word Talib means student. The schools churned out helicopter gunship fodder for the Afghan-Soviet War because the Soviets were atheists. The USA loved this strategy until it came back to bite us, and the same is true of Pakistan’s elite.
Proving again that the enemy of your enemy is not your friend. He’s just another of your enemy’s enemies.
Two things to note. (1) The school was in Peshawar, whose cottage industry is madrassas of all persuations. (2) The school apparently was co-educational.
One could also add that the perpetrators were targets of US drone strikes. If you can’t strike Americans, kill girls (and boys) seeking to learn. Yes. monstrous.
And the part of the Pakistani government that is actually fighting the various Pakistani elements of the Taliban will undoubtably retaliate with force.