Why is Pakistan and the rest of the world losing war against Islamism?

One of the biggest challenges faced by Pakistan and the world at the moment is Islamist militancy.

However the overwhelming majority of the general public and a significant number of policy-makers are clueless about the nature of the conflict. The reasons are many including: a general lack of interest, inability to analyse rationally, narratives based on conspiracy theories, political correctness, the tendency to follow fashionable dominant narratives, state-sponsored propaganda narratives, as well as sectarian, political and other ideological biases.

Natrually, there can be no solution when the problem is misunderstood.

In the coming days, I intend to start a series to explore the undercurrents - particularly the theological and strategic aspects driving Islamist militancy and sectarian conflict.

‪#‎AlQaeda‬ ‪#‎Taliban‬ ‪#‎IS‬ ‪#‎Pakistan‬ ‪#‎Syria‬ ‪#‎Iraq‬ ‪#‎Terrorism‬ ‪#‎PolicyFailure‬

Watch this space...

Swat TTP claims it carried out Dir attack

By Hasan Abdullah

LAHORE: The Swat chapter of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the killing on Sept 15 of a major general, a lieutenant colonel and an army soldier. The two officers and the soldier lost their lives when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Upper Dir.

The claim was made in a 20-minute video, which is exclusively available with Dawn.

It purports to show a military jeep driving up a mountainous track while a Taliban cameraman tracks the shot. Suspected militants can be heard in the background praying for “success”.