31 December 2009

Pakistan arrests Taliban commander - how many of these guys are there?

Yet another Taliban commander is in Pakistani handcuffs.
Authorities arrested a senior Pakistani Taliban commander who led the group's network in the key central province of Punjab, where violence has been increasing in recent months, police said Thursday.
The arrest strikes a blow as militants have stepped up their efforts to wage attacks far from their sanctuary in Pakistan's lawless tribal area near the Afghan border in response to a major military offensive there.
Khalil Ullah, whose arrest was announced Thursday, was the mastermind of a market bombing in Punjab's provincial capital, Lahore, on Dec. 7 that killed 49 people, said senior police investigator Chaudhry Shafiq. He declined to say where or when Ullah was arrested.

Two questions:
1. How many of these "Taliban commanders" are there? Are they like USMC platoon commanders, where there are a 10000 or so? Or are we just rounding up the important ones?
2. How long do you think he stays under arrest before some ISI "patriot" sneaks him out a back door?

By: Brant

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