US needs to do more

Posted on 5 months ago

A Pentagon report titled ‘Progress towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan’ presented to US Congress on Monday highlights corruption, limited Afghan capability and safe havens in Pakistan as the irritants that hinder progress in that country. The report claims that Pakistan’s continued acceptance of sanctuaries for Afghan-focused insurgents and failure to interdict (explosive) materials and components undermines the security of Afghanistan and poses an enduring threat to US, coalition and Afghan forces. The report adds that Taliban and Al-Qaeda allies still can launch a few flashy attacks in Afghanistan, and at the same time, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters in Kuwait on Tuesday General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has “indicated a willingness to try to put more pressure on safe havens.” This is not the first time Pakistan will operate against Taliban on its premises but unluckily the Americans always undermined Pakistan’s efforts rather they waged a savaged attack on Pakistan soldiers at Salala Check Post which no ally can even think of. Americans took a very long time to offer apology or condolence over the death of the soldiers. The attack soured the relations between the two states that raged Pakistan to cut off the NATO supplies. Now the relations are surely improving.
The report blames Pakistan for failing to flush out militants hiding there in the ungoverned areas along the difficult Afghan border. The report does not mention the state of affairs on there side of the border where size of poppy crop which is root cause of all the ills, has recorded 18 per cent increase. Americans are practically ruling Afghanistan for over a decade or so yet they have failed to eradicate corruption or main sources of funding for the majority warlords meaning thereby Americans too have their share of failure that they ignore perhaps it serves their interests. So is the case with limited capability of Afghans, again the Americans knew their timeframe for pullout from Afghanistan, they should have given special emphasis upon capacity or capability building of the Afghan forces to keep the country well protected from killings and kidnapping of the Afghans by the insurgents.
The report, though, claims that civilian causalities caused by the NATO forces had come down by 35 per cent but casualties in insurgents’ attacks have increased that gives the impression that foreign forces had confined their movement in well protected areas leaving a huge void for insurgents to rule the outskirts. The killing of the people recklessly as the foreign troops resorted to earlier in Afghanistan has not won many friends there rather their modus operandi irked many insiders to point their guns at their allies. Realizing the meaningful solution to the situation, the US has initiated a process of political reconciliation in Afghanistan but involving “good Taliban” of their own choosing which may not produce desired results till canvass of the process is extended to all key stakeholders in the region. Americans need to do a lot more.
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