October 21:
The BBC reports that, in a historic trip, a Pakistani truck has traveled across the Line of Control (LOC) into the disputed Indian-controlled territory of Kashmir. The voyage is the latest in a series of encouraging steps aimed at encouraging cross-border trade taken by the governments of India and Pakistan since they signed a peace agreement over the region in 2004. BBC News reports that the occasion was enjoyed by members on both sides of the LOC during the nostalgic moment.
October 23:
In its latest tactic aimed at combating the Taliban, Pakistan's government is planning on distributing weapons to tribal fighters in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The Washington Post reports that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has announced plans to use these local militias of anti-Taliban fighters, called Lashkars, to mimic the success of the tribal “Awakening” in Iraq. The move is in part a response to worries in the U.S. that Islamabad still possesses no ‘comprehensive strategy to deal with extremists in the long-term,’ because military success will only be sustainable if the Pakistani government maintains a presence in the war torn regions.
October 28:
North Korea has warned South Korea that it will reduce it to "debris" if Seoul continues its confrontational policies. The International Herald Tribune reports that the demarche from Pyongyang came after South Korean activists used balloons to drop 40,000 leaflets into North Korea yesterday. The propaganda denounced the policies of the DPRK and ridiculed the North's "dear leader," Kim Jong-Il. In response, Pyongyang cautioned that if the strained relations between the two countries were further aggravated, the DPRK would launch a pre-emptive devastating strike “more powerful than a nuclear weapon.”
October 29:
On October 28th, Pakistani and Afghan leaders held a jirgagai (mini-tribal council) in an effort to halt extremist violence taking place in both countries and the region. As part of the conclave, the fifty officials and tribal leaders from both countries decided to initiate negotiations with the opposition – including talks with Taliban and other militant groups. And they are not alone; according to the Washington Post, the U.S. is also keen on these talks, which officials in Washington see as essential for “the goal of peeling off more moderate insurgents from those considered irreconcilable.”
October 31:
Yet another devastating terrorist attack has rocked India's northeastern state of Assam. The coordinated bombing attack yielded seventy-seven casualties and left over 320 wounded. According to Reuters, Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI), a Bangladesh-based terrorist group, is likely responsible for the attack, with possible support from the separatist United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
[Editor’s Note: The state of Assam is predominantly composed of Hindu and tribal Indians, but Muslims from Bangladesh have been immigrating to the region, resulting in a demographic shift over the past several years that has inflamed ethnic tensions and fueled both separatist and Islamist activities.]
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