The Taliban's Atomic Threat -- A Commentary

From The Wall Street Journal:

The extremists who harbored al Qaeda could get control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

At his press conference Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama endorsed Pakistan's official position that it has secure control over its nuclear-weapons arsenal. Mr. Obama said he was "gravely concerned" about the situation there, but "confident that the nuclear arsenal will remain out of militant hands."

His words are not reassuring in light of the Taliban's military and political gains throughout Pakistan. Our security, and that of friends and allies world-wide, depends critically on preventing more adversaries, especially ones with otherworldly ideologies, from acquiring nuclear weapons. Unless there is swift, decisive action against the Islamic radicals there, Pakistan faces two very worrisome scenarios.

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My Comment: President Obama's "reassuring" words on what is happening in Pakistan does not give me one iota of confidence.

Contrary to what the Pakistani Government is saying, the Taliban have made enormous strides in securing strategic footholds throughout Pakistan. Their soldiers and followers are confident of victory, and they hold enormous support among many of the population itself. The Pakistani military itself is demoralized, and (I suspect) a good portion of them (if not the majority) are sympathetic with the overall objectives of the Taliban themselves.

The strategic prize in Pakistan is its nuclear stockpile. A Taliban victory that would enable it to seize such an arsenal would not only affirm their position and status in Pakistan itself, but it will be a direct challenge and affirmation of radical Islam to the rest of the world.

Are we prepared to counter that .... my guess is no.