US, allies should hunt down new Pakistan Taliban leader

It is now clear that the religious extremists in Pakistan have no intention of ending their bloody campaign to turn the nuclear power into a theocracy similar to Iran, which means the government in Islamabad cannot let its guard down.

Indeed, the selection of Mullah Fazlullah as the new leader of the Pakistan Taliban does not bode well for the U.S.-led war on global terrorism. Fazlullah’s reputation as a ruthless killer was confirmed last year when he ordered the murder of a schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, who openly advocated education for girls in the Swat Valley.

The Valley has long been a Taliban stronghold, where Sharia law holds sway and western ideas of equality and women’s rights are rejected.

“We had no intentions to kill her but were forced when she would not stop speaking against us,” a Taliban spokesman said last year. Two men were recruited to find her and kill her. Malala was on a school bus when the men boarded it and shot her at point-blank range. She survived, and after being treated in Pakistan was sent to Britain, where she now lives.

Malala has continued speaking out about the mistreatment of girls and women by Islamic extremists and has gained international fame.

The Taliban has said that she will be a target for assassination if she returns to her home in Pakistan.

With Fazlullah now leading the terror organization, there is a very real possibility that extremists will attempt to kill Malala while she is in Britain.

He has to show that he is as effective a commander as his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, who is credited with the deaths of many Pakistani government officials and soldiers.

Mehsud was killed in a U.S. drone strike on his compound in the remote tribal area in Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan.

The Taliban has used the mountainous region as a staging ground for attacks on American and other NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Talat Masood, an analyst and former Pakistani general, told the Independent newspaper of Britain that Fazlullah’s appointment as commander of Pakistan Taliban was designed to send a message.

“I think the message the Taliban is sending is very clear,” Masood said. “They have elected a leader who is supposed to be very aggressive. We have had a very tough experience with him. They are sending a message that there is no question of a dialogue process. They are going to launch attacks, and Pakistan will have to respond.”

Islamic republic

But it isn’t only Pakistan that needs to “respond” to Fazlullah’s new-found authority. The United States and its allies have a lot to lose if Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons, becomes an Islamic republic.

The balance of power in that part of the world will certainly change — for the worse.

The Obama administration, which has compiled an impressive record of killing leaders and other insiders of terrorist organizations, including Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, should target Fazlullah. He should not be given a chance to develop operational blueprints that would put American troops in Afghanistan in harm’s way.

The killing of the new Pakistan Taliban leader would send shock waves through the world of terror.