Taliban Uses Threat of Abduction to Deter Opposition

By: Brett Hulett

This latest ploy by a Taliban group in Pakistan further shows that the extremist group will stop at nothing when it comes to steering away opposing forces. This latest incident involved the abduction of 12 young Pakistani boys. Suspected of spying for the Pakistani military, the boys were kidnapped one day at school, and were only returned once they were able to confirm the boys were not in fact acting as spies.
The boys were accused of giving intelligence to the Pakistani military as to the whereabouts of certain Taliban officials--something that obviously posed a great threat to the Taliban in the region. One source feels that this was an effort by the Taliban that spying would not be tolerated by anyone, even children.
For me, this just further proves that terrorists really are a different breed. The kidnapping of children is about as socially unaccepted as any committed act in a society, yet this group showed no hesitation in kidnapping a large group from a high school in broad daylight. One would be hard pressed to find another individual or group who could do this with as little thought of consequence or retribution. But, this also shows just how much power the Taliban ultimately holds in the Middle East. Although all know it is wrong, none can be blamed for their fear of retaliating.