ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style3 { height: 69px; } .MsoNormal {} .style4 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Terror Hits Mumbai</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright November 28, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style4">&nbsp;I</span>ndia s financial capital Mumbai was struck in multiple locations by Islamic terrorists, possibly from neighboring Pakistan, continuing a cycle of violence waged since Muslim Pakistan declared its independence from British rule Aug. 14, 1947, eventually establishing an Islamic Republic March 23, 1956.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>India and Pakistan have fought several wars and ongoing skirmishes since 1947 over the disputed area of Kashmir, ceding the Northwest to Pakistan, Central and Southern to India and Northeast to China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Islamic radicals seeking to unify Kashmir into an Islamic state have battled India since the end of WW II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No one knows yet whether this week s well-planned terror attacks, killing 150 and injuring more than 300 at Mumbai s train station, Taj Mahal and Oberoi s Hotels and Chabad s Mumbai Jewish Center, were orchestrated by al-Qaida, the terrorists responsible for Sept. 11.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Teams of FBI investigators were dispatched to Mumbai to determine the precise source the terror attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Sources inside India suspect more that Kashmiri separatists unrelated to Osama bin Laden or the Taliban coordinated the attacks at Mumbai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Almost eight years after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan immediately after 9/11, Osama bin Laden and remnants of the renegade Taliban regime continue to recruit and plan terror attacks from the ungoverned tribal lands along the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>U.S. forces have made little progress in the region, despite periodic predator drone attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>During the campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told audiences, if president, he would follow Bin Laden to the  gates of hell, yet condemned President-elect Barack Obama for saying he would go after Bin Laden in his suspected hiding place near the Afghan-Pakistan border.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Indian officials, without supplying details, pointed fingers at Pakistan, though not specifically fingering al-Qaida or the Taliban.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Calling it  elements in Pakistan, Indian authorities are getting closer to making a positive ID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> My administration has been working with the Indian government and the international community as Indian authorities work to ensure the safety of those still under the threat, said Bush, dispatching a team of FBI agents to aid the investigation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>An unnamed U.S. counterterrorism official cautioned against jumping to conclusions, believing the attacks were consistent with prior attacks by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Kashmir separatists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Some of the signatures of the attacks seemed similar to militants from the Kashmir region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether that s true or not, doesn t minimize the necessity of a full-fledged U.S-Pakistani.effort to terminate Bin Laden s command.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Recent intelligence  chatter raises the terror threat level in New York City, where Pennsylvania Station has been fingered as a possible target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether or not the Mumbai massacre had any links to Bin Laden, the U.S. can no longer sit idly by while Bin Laden and his chief lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri record their next videos or plot the next terror attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While the U.S. signed a new security deal Nov. 17 with Iraq specifying Dec. 31, 2011 as a date-certain for withdrawal, Obama must move swiftly on his own exit strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Mumbai reminds the new president that Iraq s misplaced priorities have left the U.S. and its allies more vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Americans are still at risk on the ground, said the State Department, warning U.S. citizens to stay away from Mumbai until at least the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Terrorists specifically targeted U.S. and British nationals, before attacking the Chabad Jewish center.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Pakistan s new government, headed by Presient Assif Ali Zardari, the widower of the assassinated Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has no tolerance for terrorism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He s helped coordinate U.S. predator drone attacks against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban targets inside Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> His predecessor, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a once close ally of President George W. Bush, gave Islamic terrorists free reign inside Pakistan s tribal territories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Zardari watched his wife assassinated Dec. 28, 2007 by the same thugs responsible for the Mumbai massacre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While no one knows yet the exact terrorist group, they share the same ideology and vision as Bin Laden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murdering Brooklyn-based Chabab Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife Rivka at Mumbai s Jewish Center suggest the same radicals responsible for beheading Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Mumbai should remind President-elect Barack Obama that there can be no delay when it comes to ending Iraq and finishing the job in Afghanistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether or not the Mumbai terrorists turn out to be connected to Bin Laden, they re from the same ilk, targeting innocent civilians to advance their agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Pakistan s U.S. ambassador Hussain Haqqani confirmed his government s commitment to  confronting the menace of terrorism with great vigor, signaling the Zardari government plans to work to stamp out terrorism in Pakistan with the new U.S. president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It s unfair to blame Pakistan or Pakistanis for these acts of terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken, said Haqqani.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Mumbai should remind the Pakistani government they must partner with the U.S. to eradicate terror along the Afghan border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Destroying what s left of al-Qaida and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>the Taliban is a top priority.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <bAbout the Author</u><b>John M. Curtis</b> writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.&nbsp; He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <i><a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> </i>and <i><a href="books.html"> Operation Charisma</a></i>.</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>