In an earlier post, I quoted the counterterrorism blog, which suggested that Pakistan had signed a treaty with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf recently appeared on the Daily Show with John Stewart and explained that the Taliban are made up of locals whereas the Al Qaeda are foreigners and easily recognizable. He intended to work with the former to reduce the control and influence of the latter.

In other words, as he explained, the goal is to win the loyalty or at least support of the tribal groups living in the area in order to fight against the insurgency.

This diplomatic balance must have been completely lost on the counterterrorism blog, as their report suggests that the northern region was ceded to the insurgency when in fact a treaty of unification and support had been signed.

My apologies for not researching more thoroughly earlier, and my thanks to John Stewart for his dedication to bringing another perspective to light.