Pakistan & Afghanistan

Earlier this year, Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, pointed out that NATO members were not carrying their weight or keeping their promises. For example, all 28 members of NATO voted to support the Libyan missions but only 1/3 participated and US taxpayers at the beginning were bearing more than 75% of the cost. He also said that in Afghanistan NATO has at times struggled to maintain the 25-40,000 troops promised and the caveats of assistance such as Spain’s troops not being able to fire a weapon unless in self-defense or not being able to fight at night puts more of a burden on US troops.

Ambassador Eikenberry to Afghanistan President Karzai said – When we hear ourselves being called occupiers and worse and our generous aid programs being dismissed as totally ineffective and the source of all corruption, our pride is offended and we begin to lose our inspiration to carry on. Militants from Afghanistan stormed Pakistani security checkpoints killing at least 15 soldiers. In the September 5, 2011 issue of Time magazine it was reported that outraged villagers stoned a Taliban commander and his bodyguard to death after they had killed a 60 year old farmer accused of working with the Afghan government. The Taliban launched an assassination campaign. They’ve killed Mayor Hamidi and President Karzai‘s brother and recently an unsearched Taliban messenger with a bomb in his turban killed Former President Rabbani, a co-leader in the effort to convince the Taliban to leave the battle field, as well as seriously injured Stanekzai, Secretary of the Afghan High Peace Council.

Whether the South Asian countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan were our allies when they allowed us to fight the Taliban on their soil doesn’t matter. The fact is that they allowed us there, I’m assuming because they also wanted the Taliban removed from their soil, and we obviously gave them something in return. The US has given Pakistan about $2 billion a year in military aide. Yet Pakistan was ticked off because we got Osama Bin Laden on their soil. Pakistan locked up the informants that helped us get him and their Army Chief is fighting to keep his job. And Bin Laden’s courier’s cell phone showed it was linked to a militant group tied to Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency. I don’t know if we would be less duped if we had a contract but at least we’d have proof of our and their commitment. Additionally, Pakistan sold North Korea nuclear weapons technology and allowed Chinese engineers to photograph the US top secret helicopter that was used in the Bin Laden mission. I would think that the UN, NATO or some group we belong to would forbid such action and have some kind of penalty. In early September the Pakistan military killed 3 leaders of Al Qaeda so it appeared that they were working with the CIA. 

In the President’s October 6, 2011 speech he said Pakistan’s confusion over Afghanistan is related to Pakistan’s feud with India and their concern is that if Afghanistan becomes stable that they may ally with India. I think Pakistan needs to get to the 21^st century and realize that it would be in the best interest of the world, including their own, to find an end to the feud; the same can be said of the Palestinians and the Israelites. The US hopes to leave behind an independent Democratic Afghan government that is mindful of human rights. Pakistan is not all accepting of this effort. He said we will constantly be reevaluating our relationship with Pakistan. But, he would not want to have the people suffer (wouldn’t quit giving aide to flood victims) because of a few militia.

On October 20^th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Afghanistan pushing for cooperation with Pakistan. On October 21^st, she was in Pakistan making it clear to its President that if they drag their feet on reigning in extremists that we believe destabilize Afghanistan we will act unilaterally to end the threat. In other words, she said stop your militants from hindering cooperation with Afghanistan.

A US report, dated April 2010, came out heralding the progress in Afghanistan. On October 29, 2011 it was reported that a Taliban suicide bomber hit a NATO convoy killing 17 including 10 Americans for the worst hit in 10 years. It’s now being said that the Taliban are getting more aggressive. The UN says violence has risen 40% in the last year with more attacks in urban areas.