US review of Afghan strategy and Pakistan
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Foreign office of Pakistan has communicated to the US that Pakistan should be taken on board while US reviews and formulates Afghan strategy afresh. By all logic, US ought to take Pakistan's point of view. However, there has been no response on the issue from the US government. Any increase or decrease in troops is going to have a direct bearing on Pakistan. Even other aspects of the strategy related to use of force or negotiations, or a combination thereof, too, will directly or indirectly affect Pakistan's efforts in the war on terror. Obama has repeatedly asked the planners to review the strategy from the beginning till end to include the time frame and methodology of withdrawal of troops from the region. This, too, is relevant to Pakistan as to how Pakistan should plan its strategy once US and NATO troops leave the region.
On one hand US considers Pakistan to be the front line state on the US and NATO allies' war on terror. US has also, in the recent past, grouped Pakistan with Afghanistan to fight its war against terror and calls it as its AF-Pak strategy. Isn't it then surprising that Pakistan is not being taken on board? There must be reasons for the same. Pakistan government needs to look into the matter seriously and take appropriate diplomatic and other measures. Learning from this, Pakistan should understand that, in the eyes of America, Pakistan's role has been and will remain reactive and not pro active despite the latter being so called non NATO ally of US.
Labels: US Invasion of Afghanistan, US Pakistan Relations, War on Terror
posted @ 8:10 PM,
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Obama's Afghanistan Dilemma
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
It has been over eight years, soon after 9/11, that America invaded Afghanistan. America has over hundred thousand troops and Britain has over fifteen thousand. Other NATO countries have also contributed troops in single digit thousands. The invasion was undertaken as the perpetrators of 9/11, Al Qaeda organization, led by Osama Bin Laden was in hiding in Afghanistan. Prior to invasion America had demanded the handing over of Osama Bin Laden and his accomplices from Mulla Omar led government of Taliban. Mulla Omar denied the said demand. Despite a lapse of eight years, NATO forces have neither been able to capture Osama Bin Laden or Mulla Omar nor have they been able to neutralize Al Qaeda. Only a few months ago Obama sent around seventeen thousand troops to Afghanistan. The present American military commander has been demanding reinforcement by another forty four thousand troops for last few weeks.
Thousands of innocent Afghan nationals have been killed so far, some say the number to be over hundred thousand. A large number of Afghanis have been disabled. Many of them become homeless. Over one thousand NATO troops have also been killed. However, neither the NATO troops nor the present Afghan government have been able to establish their control over Afghanistan to root out Al Qaeda and Taliban. Whether the induction of another forty four thousand American troops will be able to achieve what has not been achieved in last eight years or not is the question before Obama. There is another school of thought. It advocates buying of Taliban rather than chasing and killing them. Let's see which of the two options is followed by Obama.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Taliban, US Invasion of Afghanistan, War on Terror
posted @ 3:10 PM,
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