THE PAKISTAN CRISIS - AT 9:45 A.M. ET:  The New York Times, I'm glad to say, does a terrific job day in reporting the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan, illustrating how the movement operates and claims its victims.  This is what The New York Times can be, but, sadly isn't these days.  Try to read the whole thing, for notes like this:

The Taliban took over Buner through both force and guile — awakening sleeping sympathizers, leveraging political allies, pretending at peace talks and then crushing what was left of their opponents, according to the politicians and the residents interviewed.

Though some of the militants have since pulled back, they still command the high points of Buner and have fanned out to districts even closer to the capital.

And...

In some places, the Taliban have entered mosques saying they had come only to preach, but in fact the strategy is to spread fear that pushes people into submission and demoralizes the police, he said.

Everywhere, they have preyed on the miseries of the poor, saying that Islamic courts would settle their complaints against the rich. “Every district is falling into their lap,” Mr. Sherpao said.

COMMENT:  The Pakistani nukes are, reportedly, spread around in different locations throughout the country.  This is not a good situation, and is potentially far more dangerous than anything happening in Afghanistan, or even Iran.  Pakistan already has nuclear weapons.  If two or three fall into Taliban hands, along with some personnel who know how they work, it's a major game changer.

April 26, 2009