The Hunt For Bin Laden
 |
James Joyner | Monday, May 3, 2004 |
U.S. News has an interesting feature length piece called “The Hunt For Bin Laden,” which details the enormity of the challenge faced by our forces in tracking down the al Qaeda leader. The authors make a reasonable case that bin Laden is probably holed up in Pakistan in some rather primitive conditions and, indeed, a positively medieval cultural environment:
Complicating the challenge for President Musharraf is not just the fierceness of the Pashtuns, who also inhabit much of southern and eastern Afghanistan, but the implacable tribal laws by which they govern themselves. The four key laws are known, collectively, as the Pashtunwali. The first is the law of the jirga, submission to the rule of a summoned council. The second, and perhaps most important in the current situation, is melmastia. This is the rule of hospitality, which forbids harming or dishonoring a guest. Tor demands extreme physical punishment for violations of a woman’s chastity, and badal is the obligation of revenge, which can be–and often is–handed down from one generation to another. U.S. intelligence officials believe there are between 400 and 600 al Qaeda, Taliban, and other foreign fighters in the tribal lands. Pakistani officials place the number slightly higher but say many have fled to Afghanistan and Iran.
The piece goes on at great length describing this tradition and its implications for counter-terrror and counter-insurgency operations. Overall, as one might expect, it’s a rather bleak picture. Our special forces are apparently adapting to their environment quite well in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
Related Stories:
- None Found
Recent Stories:
- McCain Outs Obama Iraq Trip, Trying to Get Him Killed
- OTB Latenight - The Clash
- 100 Most Influential Slogans
- McCain Working for Dollars, Not Votes?
- Hillary Clinton Buys 2012 Website!!
- Conservatives for Obama II
- McCain Collects Social Security
- Heller Denied D.C. Gun Permit
- Caption Contest Winners
- Bob Barr Conference Call
Comments
Comments are Closed
