The results on the poll on Geert Wilders (Do you agree with the English decision of declaring Wilders “persona non grata”?) are:

• A total and absolute error: freedom of speech must be preserved 94% (15 votes).
• While I think that freedom of speech is important, I believe that religious sensitivities must be respected 6% (1 votes)
• Who is Geert Wilders? 0% (0 votes)

This week poll is about the agreement between the Talibans and the Pakistani Government in Swat’s valley. Fareed Zakaria discusses it and says that while the Talibans are “bad guys”, we don’t have to worry about them as they don’t want to achieve the Global Caliphate:

The groups that advocate these policies are ugly, reactionary forces that will stunt their countries and bring dishonor to their religion. But not all these Islamists advocate global jihad, host terrorists, or launch operations against the outside world — in fact, most do not. Consider, for example, the most difficult example, the Taliban. The Taliban have done all kinds of terrible things in Afghanistan. But so far, no Afghan Taliban has participated at any significant level in a global terrorist attack over the last ten years–including 9/11. There are certainly elements of the Taliban that are closely associated with Al Qaeda. But the Taliban is large and many factions have little connection to Osama bin Laden. Most Taliban want Islamic rule locally, not violent jihad globally.

Of course, the help they can give the Global Caliphate’s supporters or the pledge of alliegance to Bin Laden are for me significant.

These two videos can also be of help (2nd one seen on Incognito’s blog):

So what do you think?

[polldaddy poll="1410267"]

Pakistani Taliban militants announced on Tuesday an indefinite ceasefire in the Swat valley in the northwest of the country, a day after the army said it was ceasing operations in the region.

In the neighboring Bajaur region on the Afghan border, the government announced a four-day ceasefire in response to a unilateral truce called by militants there on Monday.

The ceasefires are likely to compound concerns among Western countries which fear truces allow militants to create sanctuaries in Pakistan where they can regroup and intensify their insurgency against Western forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

via Pakistani Taliban announce indefinite truce in Swat.

Well, I am not only concerned about the terrorists militants‘ building sanctuaries (that yes, it’s a great danger…). I am more concerned about:

a) for how long this truce will actually exist (that is, for how long this people has sold their own citizens’s peace), and

b) what would happen with the girls and boys who want to go to school to receive an education?

Thomas Ricks, who actually was not a pro-Bush author, has said this to Newsweek:

You recently said NEWSWEEK might have gotten it wrong when we said that Afghanistan could be Obama’s Vietnam. Why?
We could lose Afghanistan, and it would be bad but it would not present an existential threat to this country. If you “lose Pakistan”—and by that I mean if Pakistan collapses or is taken over by Islamic extremists—you face the prospect of Islamic extremists having nuclear weapons. That’s Al Qaeda’s dream. It’s our nightmare. That’s why Pakistan is Obama’s potential Vietnam. There’s no clear solution there. What you may try to do for several years is simply manage it. Kicking the can down the road in both Iraq and Pakistan is not an emotionally satisfying outcome, but it may be the most mature and even best scenario we can come up with.

For me, one of the failures of Bush Administration was an actual lack of logic and of real understanding of what IS going on. The necessary confrontation with Iran was not followed by an also necessary confrontation with Saudi Arabia and its funding of both terrorism and wahabbism. US support for Musharraf was also not very logical, specially taking into account the ISI’s support to the Talibans.

What’s more: the Talibans have already announced Osama Bin Laden is their role model and Mullah Omar their supreme leader:

Days after the Pakistan government and the Taliban inked a peace deal in Swat following a failed military operation in the picturesque valley, three major Taliban groups in Pakistan have formed a new alliance – Shura Ittihadul Mujahideen (Council for Unity of Holy Warriors) – in the twin agencies of North and South Waziristan after burying the hatchet, declaring the ameer of the Afghan Taliban Mullah Omar as their supreme leader and al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as their role model.

(…) “As Jews, Christians and Hindu infidels stand united against the Muslims particularly Mujahideen under the leadership of United States, Mujahideen have set aside internal differences and have joined hands, the Taliban announcement said, adding: “In order to make happy the Muslims in general and Mujahideen in particular, the three Taliban groups have formed a 13-member advisory council to run the affairs of the new alliance which would be led by the three Taliban commanders on rotation basis.

Bill Roggio adds:

The three senior-most Taliban leaders in North and South Waziristan have joined forces to wage jihad against Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US…

…The new alliance further stated it was waging war “in an organized manner’” to “stop the infidels from carrying out acts of barbarism against innocent people” just as Omar and bin Laden were waging war against Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US.

The creation of the Council of United Mujahideen and the Council’s open support of al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban has finally put to rest the Pakistani government’s claim that Bahadar and Nazir are “pro-government” Taliban. While Bahadar and Nazir opposed fighting the government for tactical reason they had openly supported al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.

So what has been Afghan UN-NATO operation for?

Related posts: Pakistan: Talibans want more, Pakistan: dealing with the Taliban, Pakistan: Talibans ask for Shariah and obtain it.

Looks like that’s the case:

One of Al-Qaida’s founders, Sayyid Imam al-Sharif, has waged a harsh verbal attack on the terrorist organization’s leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Sharif’s criticism of the Al-Qaida ideology and the failures of its leadership have unleashed a heated debate within the global Jihad movement and it has been publicized in several western media outlets.

Sharif, who is serving a life sentence in a Cairo prison, recently wrote a book in which he said, “every drop of blood that was shed or is being shed in Afghanistan and Iraq is the responsibility of bin Laden and Zawahiri and their followers.”

via Qaida founder blasts successor bin Laden for ‘immoral terror’ – Haaretz – Israel News.

Al-Zawahiri has already said that al-Sharif /Dr. Said is really working for Egyptian intelligence

Related links: The Rebellion from Within. A truly interesting reading. I am not surprised they are really worried of this book seeing the light as Al-Sharif/Dr. Said wrote “The Essential Guide for Preparation”, a guide for Jihadists in the Afghan war and was released on 1988:

The “Guide” begins with the premise that jihad is the natural state of Islam. Muslims must always be in conflict with nonbelievers, Fadl asserts, resorting to peace only in moments of abject weakness. Because jihad is, above all, a religious exercise, there are divine rewards to be gained. He who gives money for jihad will be compensated in Heaven, but not as much as the person who acts. The greatest prize goes to the martyr. Every able-bodied believer is obligated to engage in jihad, since most Muslim countries are ruled by infidels who must be forcibly removed, in order to bring about an Islamic state. “The way to bring an end to the rulers’ unbelief is armed rebellion,” the “Guide” states. Some Arab governments regarded the book as so dangerous that anyone caught with a copy was subject to arrest.

The ideologic transformation is surely very interesting. We will see what direction Al-Qaeda takes from now on.

Three members of a suspected terror cell with links to al-Qaeda are on the run in the Midlands.

The alleged jihadists, who all have joint Libyan/British citizenship, have been placed on Interpol’s Most Wanted list over claims they funded terror plots for Osama Bin Laden.

The international police force has made the men subject to a Red Notice – the highest level of arrest warrant – and have traced them to areas in and around Birmingham.

via News From Islam: Terrorist Alert: Osama Bin Laden Associates On Run In Midlands.

Just in case…