Pakistan needs better propaganda

Pakistan needs better propaganda


On Page 8A, Washington Post October 30, 2009, is a photograph of Pakistani soldiers stacking captured "Taliban" arms. There are some ATGM launchers of indeterminate age plus MBRL rounds, Unless Pakistan gave these items to the Mesud Taliban when all was love and kisses, they date from the Soviet era and their usefulness can be debated.

But - fair enough. ATGM launchers and MBRL rounds are not carried around by ordinary people, even if this is the NWFP.

But the array of rifles is highly problematical. About two dozen rifles are visible, along with what may be an LMG and a rather decrepit barrel of what might be a dismounted AFV machinegun. Of the rifles, 2+ are AK-47s. The rest are bolt action rifles, carbines, possibly a single-barrel shotgun, and at least one, possibly two of what look like flintlocks, the long barrel jezzails of the late 19th Century.

We may be from Iowa, but we do know the Taliban does not carry bolt-action rifles, carbines, and jezzails. These are the weapons of the poorest civilian tribals, who cannot afford the Wal-Mart priced knocked-off AK-47s from the Frontier's indigenous armories, let alone real AK-47s.

We have no clue what the Pakistan ISPR thought when it handed out the photograph, but generally, when you are making a huge hoo-ha about bitter battles against harden Taliban fighters, it's not a good idea to display weapons taken from poor tribals, possibly after you have killed them.

Moreover, that Pakistan was unable to stage a good show of modern weapons leads us to believe it is not killing Taliban in any noteworthy number.