Earlier today, Pakistan’s prime minister said the situation in Swat is “returning to normal,” despite the fact that four members of the security forces were kidnapped, and the cleric that the government negotiated the peace deal with called the Pakistani government illegitimate and advocated for Islamic law nation wide. As if on cue, the Taliban gave Prime Minister Gilani another reason to reconsider his statement. Muslim Khan, the spokesman for the Swat Taliban, invited Osama bin Laden and others terrorists to shelter in Swat. “Osama can come here. Sure, like a brother they can stay anywhere they want,” he said. “Yes, we will help them and protect them.” Khan also admitted to an alliance with other international and Pakistani terror groups:
The Pakistani government’s reaction was predictable: shock and outrage, and even an empty threat:
The Pakistani Taliban have been clear about their loyalties to the Taliban and al Qaeda. The government knows exactly who they are dealing with, so the charge that they are fighting the Taliban in Swat rings hollow.
