New, More Hardline Pakistan Taliban Leader Rejects Peace Talks, As Expected

Commander who ordered hit against teenaged activist elected

Reason

Pakistan's interior minister warned last week that the killing of the leader of the Pakistani Taliban in a US strike would be the "death of all peace talks", and it looks like that's started.

From Reuters:

The Pakistani Taliban rejected the idea of peace talks with the government on Thursday after electing hardline commander Mullah Fazlullah, whose men shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai last year, as their new leader on Thursday.

The rise of Fazlullah, known for his fierce Islamist views, by the Taliban Shura council follows the Killing of Hakimullah Mehsud, the previous leader or ameer, in a U.S. drone strike on November 1.

Lessons from the failure of the drug war's "kingpin strategy" apply here. A criminal organization's leader removed by authorities tends to be replaced by a more ruthless one.

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Comments

[mr simple]

Guess we'll just have to see what the next leader says in about two weeks.

/obamadrone

[AlexInCT]

DIRKA DIRKA MOHAMMED JIHADZ!

[GILMORE]

Fazlullah seems to misunderstand what "diplomacy by other means" entails.

[BakedPenguin]

How's that 2009 choice working out for you, Nobel Selection Committee?

[Hyperion]

But how is comrade Dronebot supposed to have fun without his drone play? All work and no play makes Comrade Numero Uno a dull POTUS.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...the killing of the leader of the Pakistani Taliban in a US strike would be the "death of all peace talks", and it looks like that's started.

Two deaths for the price of one Hellfire missile. Does the drone operator get an extra medal for that?

[Lord Humungus]

Why compromise & do the diplomacy thing when all you need to do is wait out the U.S.? They (We?) won't be there forever.

[GILMORE]

FWIW, they are more-formally at war with the Pakistani government, who pretends to be upset about this shit, but who desperately wants these assholes dead.

If there were a contest for "who most on the planet really deserves drone-assassination", the Mehsud clan pretty much owns the whole 'Top 10'. I am not a fan of drone-warfare writ-large, but if there's a case to be made FOR it, these guys are the shining example.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Hekmatyar Gulbuddin - If I had a shot at him, and it meant I would get it too, I would still take it. Hell needs to welcome that bastard home as soon as possible.

[GILMORE]

Oooh, tell me about it. That dude probably wins the "one man most responsible for how fucked up Afghanistan has been for the last 20 years"-award. Which has some stiff competition - LeT, LeJ, TTP, et al

[GILMORE]

?Quien es mas macho?

Pakistanti Taliban...?

http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com....._in_crisis

...or *Charlie Daniels Band*?

http://www.billboard.com/files.....nd-617.jpg

[playa manhattan]

"I'm good at killing people."

[Cytotoxic]

Lessons from the failure of the drug war's "kingpin strategy" apply here.

No they don't. This is an insurgency not an illegal business. Christ there is no limit to peacenazi speciousness.