Pakistani Army Losing Friends in Taliban Fight

In an effort to control the Taliban influence and presence in Buner, in northwest Pakistan, the Pakistani army

is flattening villages, killing civilians and sending thousands of farmers and villagers fleeing from their homes, residents escaping the fighting said Monday.

No friends are being won by this action. In fact

the Pakistani military appears to be losing public support in a stridently anti-Taliban district whose residents had raised their own militia to defend themselves against the militants.

Long ago the Romans used similar tactics during their invasion of Mediterranean territory. We all know the end result of that empire.

Even the Taliban know how to win the hearts and minds of locals.

Taliban forces then seized the nearby Shamozai and Gujjar Killi mines and initiated mining and trading processes on their own, employing a large number of local laborers. Locals are eager to work for the Taliban, who take one-third of the profits and distribute the rest to the workers.

Violence is never the solution. Violence begets violence. The sooner nations around the world begin to learn that lesson the better for all.

Peace.