ALJAZEERA: The massacre of more than 100 children at an army-run school in Peshawar has highlighted the continued vulnerability of Pakistan’s civilians to ruthless acts by the local Taliban in retaliation to military operations against the extremist group. An attack that may well rank as the most distressing, even by the morbid standards of a country scarred by repeated extremist atrocities over the past decade, has exposed not only security weaknesses, but also a Pakistani political leadership distracted by partisan infighting.
Responsibility for the attack was immediately claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, also known by the acronym TTP — an umbrella organization of local extremist groups inspired by, but separate from, its Afghan allies of the same name…
Although the Pakistani military has at various points over the past decade negotiated cease-fires with the group, it has also been engaged in a long-term counterinsurgency campaign to contain the extremists. The TTP said Friday’s attack was a response to the Pakistan army’s offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal area along the Afghan border notorious for its heavy concentration of radical fighters from all parts of the world, and a leading contender for the most dangerous place on the planet… (more)
