Pakistani security forces went on the offensive Tuesday, raiding a school believed to be used by terrorists to plan attacks and train members. (Al Jazeera: Pakistani forces raid Islamic school). The raid uncovered a cache of munitions, arms, traps, and notes detailing how to make bombs.
This is a good start, however much more is needed. The South Waziristan region along the Afghanistan border is a breeding ground for terrorist training camps. While Pakistan continues to send its own troops into that region, it has thus far refused to allow entry by US troops. One of the criticisms levied early in the War on Terror claimed that troops from that region were sympathetic with the terrorists. Use of local troops to attempt to corner bin Laden in 2002 were widely criticized when the mission failed to net the figurehead.
Pressing the issue in Pakistan is essential to our eventual victory. While it's virtually impossible to eliminate every group intent on doing us harm, we certainly can make them homeless. To do that, we must apply whatever pressure is necessary to the nations that harbor these enemies of religious freedom.
The Pakistani government has been an ally in the War on Terror since the US went into Afghanistan. Support of the people in Pakistan is more dubious, however. Without a strong US presence in support of Pakistani operations in the border region, it's doubtful much progress would be made against the terror groups operating there. It's essential that the US keep up the pressure on Pakistan to eradicate the camps on their side of the border. If Pakistan is unwilling or incapable of completing that, then the we must take the initiative. Allowing camps to fester in Pakistan is not an acceptable situation.
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