Khan.

This is coolbert:

"it will take at least three to five years" - - Khan.

Very good interview on National Public Radio this morning. General Khan, the Pakistani general officer in charge of the Frontier Corps, describing the situation within the Pakistani Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA]. That area along the border between Pakistan and Afghan, the sanctuary of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, possibly of course, to include the hiding place of Osama.




"Pakistan's Militia Mixes New Tactics, Ancient Rules"

Download and listen to the 7 and 1/2 minute interview. General Khan is very eloquent and seems to have a lot of confidence regarding the situation. DOES FEEL THAT A SOLUTION CAN BE ACHIEVED. BUT WARNS THAT "AMERICANS MUST HAVE PATIENCE!!"

Al Qaeda and the Taliban can be defeated, uprooted from their sanctuary in the mountainous terrain along the border between Pakistan and Afghan. But NOT something that is going to be done overnight.

The Frontier Corps at this very moment - - taking the fight to the bad guys, and slowly gaining the advantage. A para-military force, consisting of Pashtun militiamen - - themselves indigenous to the FATA!

A legacy of the Raj, from the time of British ruled India, the Frontier Corps having a long history in the area, not newcomers.

"The Frontier Corps (FC) . . . is a federal paramilitary force recruited mostly by people from the tribal areas and led by officers from the Pakistan Army . . . the force itself is part of the Interior Ministry"

"With a total manpower of approximately 80,000, the task of these forces is to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order . . . these forces have been increasingly used in military operations against insurgents . . . in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)."

Waziristan North and South, Khyber, etc. The Frontier Corps, para-militaries, locals, accustomed to the terrain, culture, the way of life, familiar with the tactics that work, can spot the enemy from among a group of civilians, etc.

Let us hope this will work. And Americans DO NEED TO HAVE PATIENCE!!

coolbert.