The Winds Of War

The South Asian Katzenjammer kids appear to be moving a step closer to all-out war one month after the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, as intelligence reports indicate Pakistan is redeploying forces from the Northwest portion of the country to the eastern border with India.

Pakistan has signaled to India that it does not want war, but will defend itself if attacked. This statement comes in response to increased pressure from India and the United States for Pakistan to hand over members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist cell suspected in organizing the bloody three day siege in Mumbai last November.

Meanwhile, over in the Middle East, Israeli war planes and attack helicopters raided Hamas strongholds in Gaza, killing or wounding at least 150 people. The Israeli strike comes after Palestinian rocket attacks over the past few weeks have strained a shaky truce in the region. Arab reaction was not surprising - Egypt condemned the attacks and held Israel responsible for the killed and wounded, and called on Israel to restore the truce with Hamas. Strangely enough, the Egyptians did not call on Hamas to make similar gestures after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza prior to the Israeli attack apparently misfired and struck a house in the strip, killing two Palestinian girls aged five and 13.

Happy New Year.