Taliban Impressed By Kids Acting Like Them

When it comes to issuing denials nobody is better at it then the Taliban.

The Pakistani Taliban denied making the video, saying it was Western propaganda aimed at defaming their image in the eyes of their countrymen.

“This video has nothing to do with us,” said Ihsanullah Ihsan, one of the group’s spokesmen. “We did not ask these children to copy us in their games but it is clear that they are impressed with our cause and now want to imitate our brave fighters.”

Here is a terrorist group with a long and provable record of not only using children but also exploiting mentally handicapped people to carry out their deadly attacks but also in turn killing those who don't or forcing them to by threatening their families.

That denial doesn't sound like much of a denial and as far as defaming their image, guys you don't need any help with that. You are doing quite nicely on your own.

Now I wonder where those kids learned how to create this little skit? Could it be because they have seen this played out in real life or is there just a lot of television shows in Pakistan which depict this sort of thing and glorify it so much. There is over 5,000 years of recorded history and I don't seem to recall a lot of documentaries showing how in other cultures, you can't really call Islam a civilization, they lauded the taking of life by children.

The music in the background is a Taliban jihadi song. The lyrics are in Pashto. “Throats are cut, bombs go off and then you can go to a nice place," meaning heaven, although the word is not use.

Ahh, the wonderful Religion of Peace®

Token Christian Pakistani Parliment Member Murdered

Or in the words of "moderate" Muslims, problem solved.

Since shortly after the attacks on this country on 9/11, I have lumped the followers of Islam into nothing more then a blood thirsty cult more akin to those peaceful cultures like Incas and Aztecs, and they never fail to deliver on that image.

Assailants purportedly sent by al-Qaida and the Taliban killed the only Christian member of Pakistan's federal Cabinet Wednesday, spraying his car with bullets outside his mother's home. It was the second assassination in two months of a high-profile opponent of blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

There is no part of it that is civilized or belongs in the modern world. In fact they reject the modern world violently. There are only three rules for those who join the cult.

1) Join and volunteer to die as a suicide bomber
2) Join and die because you belong to the wrong version of Islam
3) Leave and die as a unbeliever

Islam brings nothing nothing but death and despair to all it touches. While they may lay the blame for the killing at the feet of Al Queda, in truth they were just acting as the enforcement arm of all those "moderate" Muslims who support them.

As far as all these demonstrations in Middle East, I am not very hopeful that anything good will come out of them long term because quite simply democracy as we know it and Islam are completely incompatible. The 9th century cave dwellers only believe in the rule of the jungle. The guy with the most guns wins and gets to rule the others until somebody else with more guns shows up. Human life has no meaning to them, with women used as nothing more then breeding factories for their armies and with the most fanatical amongst them rising to positions of power, holding the reins of life and death over the others. Instead of lining victims up outside of some pyramid and laying them on an altar to cut their still beating heart out of their chest they prefer to strap explosives to their bodies and carry out the sacrifices en-masse.

The killing of Shahbaz Bhatti, a 42-year-old Roman Catholic, further undermines Pakistan's shaky image as a moderate Islamic state and could deepen the political turmoil in this nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied state where militants frequently stage suicide attacks.

Don't forget, it is Muslim pirates which recently murdered 4 Americans they captured as well now seizing another boat and threatening to kill those aboard, including the children of the infidels.

The definition of a "moderate" Muslim is one which provides arms, money or sanctuary to armed terrorists, about like the differences between a moderate heart attack that doesn't kill you and a massive one which does.

Pakistan Government Worker Aided Shahzad

Our friends, the Pakistanis.

An employee at Pakistan’s state-run Islamic advisory body has been detained for allegedly playing an important role in assisting the failed New York Times Square car bomber, an intelligence officer said Thursday.

The suspect accompanied Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistan-American bomber, to Pakistan’s northwest to meet militant leaders, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the intelligence agency does not permit its operatives to be named in the media.

The suspect, identified as Faisal Abbasi, was with Shahzad throughout his time in Pakistan, the officer said.

He said Abbasi worked for the government’s Council of Islamic Ideology, which advises on Islamic affairs.

The secretary general of the council confirmed Abbasi had worked there but had been on “vacation” for the last three months.

Pakistan has already charged three men with assisting Shahzad while in Pakistan and sending him money in America.

Don't forget though that they hate us because of threatened Koran burnings and opposition to the Ground Zero mosque. Oh wait, this happened before those latest conflagrations?

'Is This What We Are? Savages?'

Well, if you have to ask the question. Of course we're reminded daily by our moral superiors in the media and on the left (yeah, I know, that's redundant) that we must respect cultural differences, so please don't be too harsh in any criticism, OK?

A horrifying video of a crowd watching a mob beat two teenage brothers to death has sparked mass demonstrations in Pakistan.

The video, broadcast on Pakistani news channels, shows a lynch mob taking turns to savagely beat the two boys with sticks, drawing blood from them before dragging and hanging their dead bodies from a nearby pole.

But perhaps just as shocking is that none of the dozens of people and police watching tried to stop the vicious attack.

It is now thought the boys, who were on their way to play cricket in Sialkot, an eastern Punjab province, may have been mistaken for robbers by the group who decided to deliver brutal justice for their supposed crime last Sunday.

The scenes have outraged Pakistanis, some who are questioning how their society could passively watch the shocking killings without intervening.

The News, an English-language daily newspaper, wrote: 'Is this what we are? Savages? So utterly bereft of a speck of humanity that a crowd of ordinary men are passive spectators to public murder?'

UN Condemns Stingy Pakistan Flood Relief Aid From Muslim Nations

Recall back in late 2004 a smug, sanctimonious UN official named Jan Egeland harshly criticized U.S. aid relief for the tsunami victims in Indonesia and Thailand.

Such figures were what prompted Jan Egeland - the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator and former head of the Norwegian Red Cross - to challenge the giving of rich nations.

"We were more generous when we were less rich, many of the rich countries," Egeland said. "And it is beyond me, why are we so stingy, really.... Even Christmas time should remind many Western countries at least how rich we have become."

This knee-jerk reaction came only a couple of days after the devastating floods.

So I find it curious now that in the wake of the flooding in Pakistan, why is aid so slow coming in from Muslim nations? You would think now considering we're basking in the joys of Ramadan the spirit of giving would be that much greater.

The United Nations began an appeal on Aug. 11 for $460 million to provide immediate aid to flood victims. By Wednesday, nations, organizations and individuals had sent $231 million, and had pledged an additional $40 million.

The United States was by far the largest single donor, with $82 million, according to United Nations figures, with Australia the next largest donor at $26.6 million. The United States said its total contributions amounted to $90 million, including helicopters, boats and temporary bridges, according to the State Department.

Not all the aid was flowing through the United Nations. Britain, for example, has sent more than $40 million, and the European Union said it would double its aid to more than $90 million.

Although the disaster has fallen in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when charity is considered a duty, Muslim states have donated virtually nothing via the United Nations and relatively small sums on their own. Turkey was the largest such donor, with more than $11 million, and Kuwait donated $5 million, United Nations figures show. Saudi Arabia has pledged more than $80 million, but United Nations records indicate none of it has been delivered.

They're probably diverting it to the Victory Mosque at Ground Zero.

So we see already a combined $130 million from the U.S. and Great Britain yet almost nothing from their Muslim brothers. Wait, make that $130,000, 010, thanks to this enormously generous contribution from Hillary Clinton.

Egeland, naturally, gives zero thanks to our generosity yet spares the skinflints any direct criticism.

The vast majority of funding for the U.N.-led relief operation so far has come from traditional donors -- principally the United States, Australia, Denmark and Britain. Many of Pakistan's regional allies and neighbors, including China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as other developing countries, have sent only a trickle of aid in the crucial first weeks of the crisis.

"It's been abysmal, it's been terrible. There is no relationship between the number of people in acute need of help and what has actually been provided in this first month," said Jan Egeland, a former U.N. relief coordinator who managed the international response to the tsunami in South Asia in 2004. "We got more in a single day just after the tsunami than Pakistan got in a month."

Seems all that outreach of Obama's to the Muslim world isn't exactly paying dividends.

"It is really sad that even our brother Islamic countries provide very little aid in this hardest time," Mohammad Usman, 58, said recently as he sat outside his badly damaged home in the northwestern town of Charsadda. "We expected more, but what we are hearing is nothing."

The United Nations has been struggling for years to convince Islamic countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and other wealthy gulf states, to direct relief money through U.N. programs in order to ensure a coordinated response. Some of the U.N. appeals have paid off. Kuwait, for instance, recently committed to put 10 percent of its giving to international organizations. But much of the Islamic world remains reluctant.

But we're not supposed to criticize them since that would be bigoted or something.

Imagine if we'd given virtually nothing and Muslim nations the bulk of relief aid. Would the UN spare the criticism of us? Why are they so quiet now?

Smart Power: Mrs. Clinton Still Whining About Bush Administration While Handing Over Money to Pakis

Good grief, can anyone let me know what the statute of limitations is on blaming Bush? Here you have a story about Queen Smart Power over in Pakistan handing over $500 million of our tax money and she's still bitching about about the Bush administration.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought Monday to convince skeptical Pakistanis that American interest in their country extends beyond the fight against Islamist militants by announcing a raft of new aid projects worth $500 million.

The projects, which include hospitals and new dams for badly needed electricity, are part of a $7.5 billion aid effort to win over Pakistanis suspicious about Washington's goals here and in neighboring Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are being killed in ever greater numbers in an insurgency with roots in Pakistan.

Mistrust over U.S. intentions in Pakistan is in part due to Washington's decision to turn away from the nuclear-armed country after enlisting its support to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

"Of course there is a legacy of suspicion that we inherited. It is not going to be eliminated overnight," said Clinton following talks in Islamabad.

So we're killing more jihadis there than before but there's still a "legacy of suspicion"? What, Bush didn't give them enough freebies or something?

"We're trying to escape the bonds of gravity, leave behind an era of mistrust and launch a new period of cooperation," she said during a town hall meeting attended by several hundred Pakistanis.

Escape the bonds of gravity?

What the hell is she talking about?

Meanwhile, as if we're not strapped enough for cash, her boss is going to the well to hand out money to people he put on the unemployment line.

Coming Soon: Paki Fatwa on Google

Let's face it. When people find out you folks in Pakistan are the world's leading purveyors of the art of donkey sex, world travels fast and lots of face is lost. Oh, and searching for child sex and camel sex isn't quite going to help your street cred with all that "Land of the Pure" nonsense.

THEY may call it the "Land of the Pure", but Pakistan turns out to be anything but.

The Muslim country, which has banned content on at least 17 websites to block offensive and blasphemous material, is the world's leader in online searches for pornographic material.

Google ranks Pakistan No.1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in searches per person for certain sex-related content, FOXNews.com said.

Pakistan has ranked No.1 in searches per-person for "horse sex" since 2004, "donkey sex" since 2007, "rape pictures" between 2004 and 2009, "rape sex" since 2004, "child sex" between 2004 and 2007 and since 2009, "animal sex" since 2004 and "dog sex" since 2005, according to Google Trends and Google Insights, features of Google that generate data based on popular search terms.

The country has also been No.1 in searches for "sex", "camel sex", "rape video" and "child sex video".

Google Trends generates data of popular search terms in geographic locations during specific time frames. Google Insights is a more advanced version that allows users to filter a search to geographic locations, time frames and the nature of a search, including web, images, products and news.

"We do our best to provide accurate data and to provide insights into broad search patterns, but the results for a given query may contain inaccuracies due to data sampling issues, approximations, or incomplete data for the terms entered," Google said in a statement, when asked about the accuracy of its reports.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan did not reply to a request for an interview.

Pakistan Army Officer Linked to Shahzad

The plot deepens. Although this news shouldn't come as a great shock considering how infested the Pakistan army and intelligence services are with Taliban and/or their sympathizers.

Investigators have arrested a Pakistani army major linked to the prime suspect in the botched attempt to bomb New York City's Times Square early this month, Pakistani law enforcement sources said Tuesday.

The major's involvement with suspect Faisal Shahzad, who was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to fly to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, remains unclear. Law enforcement sources said the major had met Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, in Islamabad and was in cellphone contact with him.

The major's arrest marks the first time someone in Pakistan's military establishment has been directly linked to the case. The sources would not say when the alleged meeting and phone calls between Shahzad and the major took place, or what was discussed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.

The twist in the case comes as Pakistani authorities have learned more about the 30-year-old Shahzad's links with the Pakistani Taliban, the militant group suspected of helping him carry out the attempted bombing.

Another suspect being held by Pakistani authorities is a Pakistani Taliban member who appeared to play the role of liaison between Shahzad and the militant group. The Taliban member has told Pakistani intelligence agents that he met Shahzad three times last summer, Pakistani law enforcement sources said.

At one of those meetings, the Taliban member gave Shahzad an undisclosed amount of money because Shahzad had said he was running out of cash, according to the sources. U.S. officials familiar with the case have said that the Taliban gave Shahzad roughly $15,000 to pay for the attempted bombing.

The Taliban member's account appears to corroborate assertions by U.S. investigators that the Pakistani Taliban played a significant role in the events that led up to Shahzad's attempt to detonate an SUV loaded with propane tanks and fertilizer in Times Square on May 1.

Pakistani authorities at first had been skeptical of Shahzad's claims of Taliban assistance, saying their investigators had uncovered no link between the militant group and Shahzad, now in custody in the U.S. And although U.S. officials have thought the idea for the attack was likely Shahzad's, evidence is mounting that the Taliban was deeply involved in the plot.

Curious how all the buffoons who were so quick to call this a "one-off" two weeks ago are noticeably silent these days.

More Islamic Candidates For Family of the Year

These contestants hail from Pakistan. She is a 13 year year old girl who shirked her duties, as desired by her brother, and refused to join her 9 year old sister in paradise. Mom is a devout "moderate" Muslim woman living up to the Muslim standards of feminism.



If the previous story of a family burying a girl alive for socializing with boys wasn't enough.

Pakistan Charging U.S. Suspects, Will Seek Life Sentences

Looks like these charming young men won't be repatriated to the United States any time soon. If ever. So much for their future careers as ACORN community organizers.

Pakistani police say they plan to ask a court to charge five Americans arrested in early December with terrorism, and will seek life imprisonment sentences against them.

The young Muslim men, who are from the Washington, D.C., area, were captured in the eastern Pakistani city of Sargodha. The case spurred fears that Westerners are traveling to Pakistan to join militant groups.

Tahir Gujar, a senior police investigator in Sargodha, said Thursday that the men would appear in an anti-terrorist court on Jan. 4. He said police had almost concluded their investigation and that they were "certain that these five Americans wanted to carry out attacks in Pakistan."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whereabouts unknown the past week, was unavailable for comment.

Merry Christmas, Paki Style

When Mr. Wonderful gets back from Hawaii, maybe his Teleprompter can deliver another speech to the "Muslim world" and remind them that "tolerance" goes both ways. Maybe send a special shout-out to his peeps in Pakistan.

No Christmas decorations brighten the tent camp sheltering Christians left homeless by the worst violence against minorities in Pakistan this year. Instead, there is a pervasive sense of fear.

The Christians have received cell phone text messages warning them to expect a “special Christmas present,” they say, and are terrified of their tents being torched or their church services being bombed.

“Last year, I celebrated Christmas full of joy,” said Irfan Masih, cradling his young son among the canvas shelters and open ditches of the camp. But now, he said, “The fear that we may again be attacked is in our hearts.

“They are threatening us, [saying], 'We will again attack you and will not let you out of homes. We will burn you inside this time,' ” Masih said.

It was the fires that most traumatized Gojra’s Christian Colony, a neighborhood in the heart of this Punjabi city about 220 miles southwest of Islamabad. In early August, hundreds of Muslims rampaged through the dirt streets, looting and torching homes as panicked residents tried to flee and thick, black smoke rose into the air.

Eight Christians died — seven of them from one family trapped in a burning home.

“We are going to celebrate Christmas in sorrow because the whole family is hurt by this,” said Almas Hameed, whose father was shot dead during the riots. His wife, two of his children and members of his brother’s family all burned to death.

The attack, which officials said was incited by a banned radical Islamist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, followed rumors that Christians had torn pages of a Koran, an act considered sacrilegious by Muslims. The ensuing carnage drew condemnation from the Pope and Pakistan’s prime minister and highlighted how religious extremism has left the country’s minority groups increasingly vulnerable.

When Muslims perpetrate mass murder in this country we're always tut-tutted by the media about a pending "backlash" that nevers occurs. Funny how the media isn't concerned about the "image" of people who are rampaging and causing carnage against innocent Christians.

Pakistani Hero Buried In Garbage Strewn Grave

This guy is being hailed as a national hero in Pakistan, yet he is buried in, according to the reporters account, a garbage strewn grave and his family is behind on paying their rent after paying for his funeral.

Why such contradictions?

It's the religion. You see the hero is a Christian. He managed to prevent a Muslim suicide bomber from attacking a Muslim woman's university cafeteria.



Any questions?

Feel The Love, Paki Style

Well, how is that smart diplomacy going? Barry O and his merry band of Chicago progressives are starting to find out it is harder to govern then it is to campaign.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is over in Pakistan and they are showing her the love. Love that in the past was reserved for President Bush. Gee, you think they will ever get the hint that they hate us because we are Americans?

Animosity towards the U.S. seems to have increased since a new bill - widely known as the Kerry-Lugar bill - was passed by Congress.

It promises a massive injection of aid to Pakistan, but with conditions attached which many Pakistanis feel give the U.S. too much control over their country's affairs.

"They say they are our friends," says Mr Mir. "But through the Kerry-Lugar bill they are trying to convert all of Pakistan into their slave. This is the feeling in Pakistan."

John Kerry. That name is familiar for some reason.

Obama 'Reaches Out' to Enemies

No, silly, not Republicans. They're just too evil, brimming with hatred and fomenting all those raucous mobs opposed to his divine plan to bestow health care upon the huddled masses.

No, reaching out to the GOP would just be going too far for his supporters, especially his buddies at the Daily Kos.

Rather than making peace with his fellow Americans, our fearless leader is looking to get cozy with the enemies of America.

U.S. President Barack Obama has started reaching out to some of Pakistan's most fervent Islamist and anti-American parties, including one that helped give rise to the Taliban, trying to improve Washington's image in the nuclear-armed state.

Obama's special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, is initiating dialogue between the United States and religious parties previous administrations had largely shunned, both sides said.

"The purpose is to broaden the base of American relations in Pakistan beyond the relatively narrow circle of leaders Washington has previously dealt with," explained Vali Nasr, senior adviser to Holbrooke.

John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Bush presidency, questioned Holbrooke's timing for trying to engage Taliban sympathizers on the eve of elections in neighboring Afghanistan, where U.S. forces are battling the hardline Islamic group.

"As a general proposition, democracy in Pakistan is fragile enough now that negotiating with people that some on the democratic side of the Pakistani spectrum would think themselves are terrorists strikes me as fairly risky," Bolton said.

"What we ought to be doing is making sure that our ties with the military are strong because the gravest risk is radical penetration of the military."

At one of this week's sessions, Liaqat Baloch, a top member of the religious, right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, told Holbrooke he welcomed the new administration's public change in tone toward Muslims around the world.

But Baloch said he was disturbed to see "no change in practice" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Obama has stepped up military operations against the Taliban on both sides of the border.

Holbrooke invited Jamaat-e-Islami, whom some U.S. officials compare to the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, to visit the heavily guarded American embassy compound in Islamabad, seeking to dispel long-running rumors that thousands of U.S. Marines would be based there.

Holbrooke rejected the party's complaints about a Western "assault" on Islam, saying "that could not be further from the truth" with Obama, who has roots in the religion, now in the White House.

Fazl-ur-Rehman, whose Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Islam party was active in rousing support for the Taliban in 1990s, also got an audience with Holbrooke and his team.

Rehman denies al Qaeda's responsibility for the September 11, 2001, attacks, and once warned that if U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan, no American in Pakistan would be safe.

This is change? Having dialogue with 9/11 deniers?

Good grief. I would suggest if this gets the proper coverage it deserves Obama's sinking poll numbers will drop even more precipitously.

Peshawar Pakistan Exploding Today

I know a lot of folks like to poo poo Twitter, but when it comes to keeping in touch which things going on around the world that doesn't make out news it can't be beat.

I follow one of the Fox reporters David MacDougall and right now he is in Pakistan. So far today there have been 3 separate attacks carried out in the Peshawar district, and I received his updates via Twitter.

PAKISTAN: Death tolls vary in double Peshawar bomb attack. Local media says 2 dead, 60 wounded. My colleague is hearing 16 dead. Confusion.

PAKISTAN: 90 minutes after double bomb blasts in Peshawar market, local TV still showing a lot of chaos at scene, fires burning, smoke.

PAKISTAN: Ominous text. "God saved [name of cameraman] in the cross fire" Grateful my colleague is alive to bring video of Peshawar bombings

PAKISTAN: Local TV now reporting gunmen taken positions in a building, possible stand-off with police. Bring on those RPGs now boys!

PAKISTAN: New reports from Peshawar - another explosion? An attack on a checkpoint? No law & order

PAKISTAN: Latest attack is on a police post in Kohat Road in Peshawar. Explosion, gunfire reported from teams on the ground.

PAKISTAN: Local TV reports gunfire at main Peshawar hospital. My guy outside building says there WAS shooting, but all quiet now.

There is more. For those with Twitter accounts you can follow David here.

His last response to me was telling also.

@Just_A_Grunt I know, a series of attacks, right at the end of the work day on Thursday. Will any of it make TV news in the US? Let me know!

Polish Engineer Beheaded by Paki Taliban

Naturally the Associated Press managed to obtain a copy of the video. Funny how well-connected they are.

A shocking new video that appears to show Pakistani militants beheading a kidnapped Polish engineer has emerged.

The seven-minute video appears to show the Polish hostage, Piotr Stanczak, sitting on the floor flanked by two masked men.

Off camera, a militant briefly engages him in conversation before three others behead him.

The video is so horrifying that some news wire agencies chose not to distribute the images.

One of the hooded men then addresses the camera, blaming Pakistan for the killing for not agreeing to their demands to release Taliban prisoners.

If confirmed, Stanczak's death would appear to be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl was beheaded in 2002.

The video was given to an Associated Press reporter yesterday in north-western Pakistan on a flash drive by an intermediary who said he obtained it from the Taliban.

Jacek Cichocki, Polish minister for security services, said he saw the full video and in his opinion 'that is the Pole and the film is authentic.'

'I can say that watching the film last night, it is a terrible thing,' he told Poland's TVN24 television, adding final confirmation would have to wait until diplomatic and consular services receive the body.

Warmonger Obama Murders Seven Innocent Villagers

The blood-drenched legacy of Barack Obama continues unabated. What happened to hope and change, peace and love?

Missiles fired from a suspected U.S. spy plane killed seven people Friday on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border, a lawless region where al-Qaida militants are known to hide out, officials said.

The strike was the first on Pakistani territory since the inauguration of President Barrack Obama.

Pakistani leaders had expressed hope Obama would halt the attacks, more than 30 of which have been launched since the middle of last year, reportedly killing several senior militants.

The pro-U.S. government routinely protests them as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but most observers speculate it has an unwritten agreement allowing them to take place.

One drone fired three missiles into the village of Zharki in North Waziristan, hitting two buildings, the intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

At least seven people were killed, but there identities were not immediately known.

Somehow I suspect the left will now be cheering these attacks. Just a hunch.

Taliban: Entertainment a 'Source of Mental Agony for Pious People'

I can understand it being mental agony if you're forced to listen to Celine Dion or certain kinds of rap. Still, I wouldn't go to such extremes as they promise to.

Bus drivers in northwest Pakistan have begun removing audio and video equipment from their vehicles after Taliban militants threatened suicide attacks against those who played music or movies for their passengers, an industry official said Tuesday.

Transport workers in Mardan town received letters this week from militants saying that buses offering such entertainment were guilty of spreading "vulgarity and obscenity," Walid Mir, general secretary of the town's transport union, told The Associated Press.

The militants said they would check the buses and that suicide attacks would be carried out against vehicles that still had audio and video equipment — prompting union members to act quickly, Mir said.

The Taliban letter complained that traveling in buses that provide audiovisual entertainment was a "source of mental agony for pious people," according to a text obtained by AP.

"It is obligatory on us to stop such violations. We request you to remove the vulgar systems ... otherwise suicide bombers are ready," the letter said.

Great News: Islamic Militants 'Beheading and Burning Their Way Through Pakistan's Picturesque Swat Valley'

Sounds like a lovely time is being had by all.

Taliban militants are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan's picturesque Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region outside the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive.

The deteriorating situation in the former tourist haven comes despite an army offensive that began in 2007 and an attempted peace deal. It is especially worrisome to Pakistani officials because the valley lies away from the areas where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have traditionally operated and where the military is staging a separate offensive.

"You can't imagine how bad it is," said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a federal lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bomb-toting assailants in mid-December, weeks after he left. "It's worse day by day."

The Taliban activity in northwest Pakistan also comes as the country shifts forces east to the Indian border because of tensions over last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, potentially giving insurgents more space to maneuver along the Afghan frontier.

Militants began preying on Swat's lush mountain ranges about two years ago, and it is now too dangerous for foreign and Pakistani journalists to visit. Interviews with residents, lawmakers and officials who have fled the region paint a dire picture.

A suicide blast killed 40 people Sunday at a polling station in Buner, an area bordering Swat that had been relatively peaceful. The attack underscored fears that even so-called "settled" regions presumptively under government control are increasingly unsafe.

The 3,500-square-mile Swat Valley lies less than 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.

A senior government official said he feared there could be a spillover effect if the government lost control of Swat and allowed the insurgency to infect other areas. Like nearly everyone interviewed, the official requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by militants.

Officials estimate that up to a third of Swat's 1.5 million people have left the area. Salah-ud-Din, who oversees relief efforts in Swat for the International Committee of the Red Cross, estimated that 80 percent of the valley is now under Taliban control.

Swat's militants are led by Maulana Fazlullah, a cleric who rose to prominence through radio broadcasts demanding the imposition of a harsh brand of Islamic law. His appeal tapped into widespread frustration with the area's inefficient judicial system.

Most of the insurgents are easy to spot with long hair, beards, rifles, camouflage vests and running shoes. They number at most 2,000, according to people who were interviewed.

In some places, just a handful of insurgents can control a village. They rule by fear: beheading government sympathizers, blowing up bridges and demanding women wear all-encompassing burqas.

They have also set up a parallel administration with courts, taxes, patrols and checkpoints, according to lawmakers and officials. And they are suspected of burning scores of girls' schools.

Such a charming bunch. They'll love the Obama administration.

India IDs 'Suspected Militants'

Suspected militants, also known as dead terrorists. In a stunning development, Indian authorities reveal they're all Muslims from Pakistan. But remember, Islam is a peaceful religion.

Police in India said Tuesday they had identified the nine suspected Islamic militants killed during the three-day siege of Mumbai and uncovered new details about them — including their hometowns in Pakistan.

The new information, which included three gruesome photos of maimed faces, appeared to bolster India's claims that all the attackers were from Pakistan.

The chief police investigator into the attacks also showed photos of eight of the men — some from identity cards, while others were gruesome shots of the dead attackers. The body of the ninth, he said, was too badly burned.

Aww, so sad.

At Tuesday's briefing, Mumbai's chief police investigator Rakesh Maria gave the names and the aliases used by the attackers. He also showed photographs of eight of the men and gave details of what he said were their hometowns in Pakistan. He did not say how police had tracked down their hometowns, although they have been interrogating the lone surviving gunman.

Maria said the leader of the group was Ismail Khan, 25, from Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, who he called veteran of other Lashkar attacks. He did not provide details.

Khan led the assault on Mumbai's busy railway station.

Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on Lashkar-e-Taiba by arresting 20 more people but said Tuesday it will not hand any of its citizens over to India.
...
The United States also is pressing Pakistan to help catch those behind the attack, and avert a crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbors that would harm efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaida.

However, for some of the gunmen police only had first names and aliases. Maria said the men had been introduced to each other by their aliases, but during the operation had told each other there [sic] real names.