Thaindian News

Islamabad, Nov 15 (IANS) Using a donkey cart for a bombing indicates that the Pakistani Taliban is becoming inventive and it “is about time authorities proved themselves capable of matching the innovativeness of terrorists”, a leading daily said Tuesday.

The Pakistani Taliban is becoming increasingly inventive and “what they lack in funds and technology, they make up for in innovation”, The News International said in an editorial.

Militants Sunday attached an explosive device to a donkey cart, the main source of transportation in Tirah Valley in northwest Pakistan. Five tribesmen from the Akakhel tribe and three from the Zakhakhel tribe were killed in the blast.

“The use of explosive material connected to a donkey cart shows terrorist groups are coming up with new ways to launch attacks and are making a focused effort to execute those attacks on specific targets,” the editorial said.

“On the other hand, the government and security forces have debated, reviewed, paused and scratched their heads but not yet found a way to abolish in full these revolting attacks,” it added.

The editorial went on to say that it was “about time authorities proved themselves capable of matching the innovativeness of terrorists”.

“One of the essential issues of counterterrorism is the trade-off between killing, arresting, and otherwise prevailing over terrorists and the risks of alienating swathes of the population the terrorists seek to lead.”

Calling for a change of strategy, it said: “We have to make would-be terrorists want to live and live constructively. This will require improving the economic lot of the populations terrorists target, creating better educational opportunities and conceiving and putting into practice a comprehensive de-radicalisation programme.”