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The cynical logic

Florian Weigand / shsDecember 16, 2014

The brutal attack on a military-run school in Peshawar killing scores of children proves that even conservative Islamic countries like Pakistan cannot escape the threat of militant Islamism, says DW's Florian Weigand.

https://p.dw.com/p/1E5fz
A wounded child is carried away from the scene. At least 100 people, mostly children, have been killed in a Taliban assault on an army-run school, officials say
Image: picture alliance/ZUMA Press

Even those who report from crisis areas must have shuddered at the indiscriminate violence of this extent. And most likely that was the cynical plan of the attackers. By targeting a school and killing scores of children at random, the Pakistani Taliban managed to draw the maximum attention of the world. Targeting a military-run institution was a deliberate move and with their act, the Taliban wanted to hit the core of the Pakistani society.

But let's be clear: These Army-administered schools in Pakistan are not cadet schools. The children of the army officers as well as common citizens, mostly from the affluent class, go to these institutes to seek education as they belong to the best schools in the country.

By attacking this school, the Taliban have exacted their brutal revenge on both the Pakistani military as well as the government officials in Islamabad.

DW's Florian Weigand
DW's Florian WeigandImage: DW/P. Henriksen

For several months, the South Asian country's army has been operating against the militants in the country's tribal northwest bordering Afghanistan. The generals repeatedly touted the success of the offensive, but it is a fact that they have not been able to wipe out the terrorists. As a result of the operation, tens of thousands of civilians, caught in the battle between the insurgents and the military, have fled their homes.

For the Pakistani forces, there are more reasons to go after the Taliban than one. The militant groups once had a sole ambition to topple the Afghan government and fight against the international forces in Kabul while they received alleged assistance from Islamabad. Once the Pakistani authorities turned against them, a number of militant factions joined ranks against the government.

The vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence continues, and there are no simple solutions to end it. As the NATO combat troops are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan in the coming days, Pakistan needs to learn an important lesson: whoever gets an upper hand in the Hindu Kush, the terrorism won't go away. As long as the people in Pakistan's tribal areas don't get a chance to employment and economic prosperity, the Taliban will continue to attract new recruits with the promise of a better life in paradise.

Islamist terrorism is the biggest global threat of the 21st century, and even for conservative Islamic countries like Pakistan, there is no escape from it