The elections are coming and al Qaeda and the Taliban hate freedom. They despise democracy.

They want control and plenty of it, no matter what measure they have to take. The Pakistani military has been exceptionally successful against the militants within their borders and now it is taking down the Taliban infrastructure that provides a platform for al Qaeda.

The people are either victim to their violence or they are victim to their oppression. Either we stand with the governments and provide a means to defeat their violent attacks while the people deliver themselves from oppression or the region will have Western figureheads bringing in monies that will be used against civilization.

There really isn't a choice, either the countries of Pakistan or Afghanistan are stabilized with 'legitimate' governments or they become dangerous countries with the capacity of nuclear armaments. If Europe is to have security the violence has to stop and stable governments and economies have to succeed.

The attack in Pakistan practically took place in the Frontier Region which is an interesting reality in the face of this tragedy. If the Taliban are 'trapped' and can only minimally enter the civilized areas of the country to carry out their violence, it speaks a great deal to the control the Pakistani military has been able to exert.

This was al Qaeda's ability.

I hate to make predictions, but, in Pakistan I believe the violent culture of the Taliban is coming under control. They haven't been able to stop the country's military. They don't have the ability, all they can do is act against the Geneva Conventions and kill unarmed civilians. I believe Pakistan will stop them, especially if they are able to harness the influence and power of the local militias to aid the military.

Car Bomb in Northwest Pakistan Kills 80 (click here)
By VOA News
28 October 2009
A car bomb in the main city in Pakistan's troubled northwest has killed at least 80 people and wounded some 100 others.
Witnesses said the afternoon explosion ripped through a crowded market in Peshawar Wednesday afternoon, killing mostly women.
Television images show rescue workers digging through gutted shops and battling fires as a cloud of gray smoke hangs over downtown. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Peshawar is the most populous city in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and a gateway to the country's lawless tribal areas, where security forces are battling Taliban militants.
The blast occurred a short time after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, for three days of talks with senior officials....