Problems in Pakistan as militants move into Punjab

The front page of the New York Times contains another worrying development form the tribal heartlands of Pakistan.

The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March in Lahore was only the most spectacular so far of the consequences of what the paper says is

Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab, the province that is home to more than half of Pakistanis, reinvigorating an alliance that Pakistani and American authorities say poses a serious risk to the stability of the country.

If the government does not take action on this incursion then it faces losing a large area of the country to Islamic terrorism.

Attacks in Mumbai have all the hallmarks of Al Qaeda operation

This morning's news from Bombay brings the harsh realities of the continuing conflict between the Western world and a minority of the Muslim population.

It seems the attacks which have left over 100 dead were meant to target Western interests in the Indian city with hoders of US and British passports singled out.

Hostages were taken at both the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident hotels as well as at an office block in the city's financial district.

The Deccan Mujahideen group ahve claimed responsibilty.Their actions seem to have all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda operation

According to the Independent

The attacks were bound to spook investors in one of Asia's largest and fastest-growing economies. Mumbai has seen several major bomb attacks in the past, but never anything so obviously targeted at foreigners.

Terror will remain a threat whilst Al Qaeda play on American disarray in Pakistan

Two interesting articles on terrorism today.

Take a look at the New York Times which claims that American policy in Pakistan is leading to an increase in Al Qaeda activity.

A plan that was meant to make it easier for special operations units to operate in the trbal areas

has been held up in Washington by the very disagreements it was meant to eliminate. A senior Defense Department official said there was “mounting frustration” in the Pentagon at the continued delay.

and according to the report

increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world.

Meanwhile The Telegraph maintains that a report will show that terrorism will remain a major threat in the UK for three decades.

The author of the report,former Met chief Lord Stevens says

There is no doubt more attacks will be attempted against the UK and those involved are again likely to travel abroad for preparation. Others may travel to the UK for the sole purpose of carrying out attacks

adding

There is "no indication that the threat level will reduce significantly" for "at least 20 to 30 years,"

Just when you've finished one thing.......

Just when you've finished one thing along comes another must be a motto for the Brown government.

As the media were waiting for the results of the vote,the story breaks that a top security document had been left on a train.The official,who has since been suspended,was lucky in that it was handed to the BBC and made its way to security correspondant Frank Gardiner.

He has just been interviewed on the today programme and tells that there were two documents,one an assessment of security in Iraq and a second,far more important which detailed strategy over tackling Al Qaeda.

Another embarassment for the government which has had,by all accounts to grovel to its allies who had contributed to the document.

Gordon Brown is due in front of the press this morning.The purpose was to detail measures to tackle rising fuel prices.Guess what the questions will be about now?

Wounded maybe but not defeated

Is Al Qaeda on the way out?

Reading some of the reports this morning,you might think that it is the case.The Observer reports that

The death two weeks ago of Abu Suleiman al-Jazairi, a highly experienced Algerian militant, has been confirmed only in the last few days, intelligence sources in Pakistan and Western Europe told The Observer. Al-Jazairi, thought to have been 45, died along with at least 15 others when the house in which he was staying in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal district was hit by a missile fired from a Predator, an American pilotless drone

The comments of CIA chief Michael Hayden last week that the organisation had been srategically defeated seem rather premature though.The very nature of Al Queda is not that of an organisation,it is more of an ideology and seemingly the ideology is along way off defeat.

For the alternative version read Robert Fisk in the Independent this morning

Near strategic defeat for al-Qa'ida in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qa'ida globally – and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' – as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam." Well, you could have fooled me

adding

Six thousand dead in Afghanistan, tens of thousands dead in Iraq, a suicide bombing a day in Mesopotamia, the highest level of suicides ever in the US military

Brown wants Clinton,Osama wants McCain

James Forsyth over at Coffee house suggests that Gordon Brown should be taking a close look at the Democratic Primary race

a defeat for Hillary Clinton, would be bad news for him. First, it would remove any chance of Brown getting some easy opportunities to play

statesman.and

Second, the British political class are obsessed with the US elections and in most people’s minds Hillary Clinton is the Gordon Brown candidate. The failure of her campaign would lead to a slew of articles about how Gordon shares Hillary’s shortcomings

The British Prime Minister has, by tradition and protocol,kept out of the political battle,but prudence dictates that it is not a bad idea to court the favorite candidates through diplomatic channels.The climate has changed dramatically in the last few months.Brown will have assummed that a Clinton,Guilani contest would have taken place less than a couple of months ago.

Perhaps rather more worrying for the world is this report from the BBC's American correspondent Justin Webb who suggests that Al Qaeda may be gunning for Republican candidate John McCain.

He writes that

Islamic terrorists want war.They want suffering amongst others an amongst their own people alike and will surely surmise that McCain will give them what they want

.