Posted on 05/06/2006 8:18:51 AM PDT by Saberwielder
Pakistan not doing enough on terrorism, U.S. says
Sat May 6, 2006 7:08 PM IST
By Yousuf Azimy
KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistan is not doing enough to help root out Taliban and al Qaeda leaders who have found safe haven in its lawless tribal lands along the Afghan border, a senior U.S. security official said on Saturday.
Most al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, and while the United States did not know where Osama bin Laden was hiding, he was probably on the Pakistan side of the border, said Henry Crumpton, State Department coordinator for counterterrorism.
Pakistan, a vital U.S. security ally, has arrested hundreds of al Qaeda members and lost hundreds of its troops battling militants. But Afghan officials have complained insurgents were able to gather support and launch raids from the safety of Pakistani territory.
Violence has intensified in parts of Afghanistan in recent months to its worst level since U.S. and Afghan opposition forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.
"Has Pakistan done enough? I think the answer is 'no'," Crumpton told a news briefing in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
"Not only al Qaeda, but Taliban leadership are primarily in Pakistan, and the Pakistanis know that," Crumpton added.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan deteriorated sharply this year when Afghanistan again said Taliban leaders were operating from Pakistan.
Pakistan rejects accusations it helps the Taliban.
Crumpton said eliminating militant safe havens in Pakistan's tribal lands was crucial.
"It's something we have to help the Pakistanis work through because it cannot remain a safe haven for enemy forces," he said.
"Right now, parts of Pakistan are, indeed, that."
The militants are fighting to oust foreign troops and the government. They have launched a wave of roadside and suicide bombings, attacks and assassinations in recent months.
"We are concerned by the increase in violence in the south and east," Crumpton said.
"We see the alliance of al Qaeda and elements of the Taliban, and, increasingly, narco-traffickers -- a confluence of allies -- is a cause for concern," he said.
More than 7,000 NATO troops, most from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, are in, or soon arriving in, the dangerous Afghan south.
NATO will take command there from a separate U.S.-led force in July. The deployments will let the United States cut its Afghan force by several thousand, to about 16,500.
Critics say the NATO troops risk getting bogged down in a relentless insurgency, funded in part by the huge opium trade and sustained by havens in Pakistan.
Ping!
In light of the overwhelming illegal alien immigration problems of the US, they shouldn't be talking like the problems of Pakistan are so simple.
Muslim nations not helping out? I'm shocked, no really.
Musharraf expends as much blood and treasure extending the writ of Islamabad to the frontier as he deems prudent, and no more.
Good correlation! These are standard pressure tactics to force Musharraf to do what we want. In the last few days we have seen President Bush, a few State Dept officials and Gen. Abizaid meeting Mush. The man has a tendency to not act unless pushed hard. This should get us some "al Qaeda #3s" and a few random terrorist/Talibs bombed.
My guess is that the next person to be ... is Hekmatyar.
So reality begins to seep in? Better late than never.
I am waiting for the pro-Paks on this forum to turn up and tell us how much Musharraf has done for us on WOT.
No one ever says there isn't a need for Pak forces to do more...the question is usually under the understanding that to a large degree they simply don't have the capabilities to do more effectively - (though that is changing over the past 2 years).
But as always, the more the Pak forces can do effectively...the better it is for us. No one has ever suggested anything different.
However, that is completely different then suggesting the Pak forces could capture / kill UBL and Zawahiri any time they want...they simply just haven't done some. That line of thinking is completely BS!
Lastly, people from State have a long history of saying all sorts of BS when in actuality they know very little about what is actually occurring on the ground regarding the region or conflict they are spouting off about -
It's a long way from Karachi to Kandahar. If Mushy has done nothing else for us, he has kept that line of communications open. For that reason alone he gets cut a lot of slack.
the question is usually under the understanding that to a large degree they simply don't have the capabilities to do more effectively
I can understand. You cant possibly operate inside Waziristan without the AMRAAMs, E2 Hawkeyes, PACs 3 Patriot, Phalanx, Perry class frigates and F-16s. Pakistan of course lack the capabilities. (/sarc.)
However, that is completely different then suggesting the Pak forces could capture / kill UBL and Zawahiri any time they want...they simply just haven't done some. That line of thinking is completely BS!
THAT is the only correct line of thinking and anything else is BS.
Lastly, people from State have a long history of saying all sorts of BS when in actuality they know very little about what is actually occurring on the ground regarding the region or conflict they are spouting off about -
In this case their words echo exactly whatever the Indians are saying. Now tell me India has very little knowledge about what is actually occurring on the ground regarding the region or conflict.
Kandahar is just a few kilometers away from Quetta, Pakistan's main military base.
Perhaps the dumbest retort I have ever seen posted on FR (with all due respect).
Not worth my time, I shouldn't have bothered -
And for that reason alone Mushy will do nothing except indefinitely keeping the line of communications open.
I was just going to post the same article!
Thats the list of weapon systems America is giving to Pakistan for their "cooperation" on WOT. The reason given was that Pakistan needs these weapons to fight the terrorists.
Pakistan isn't doing enough, as I have said repeatedly on this forum and elsewhere. However, they are doing all that the factionalism (including the presence of a Muslim anti-American faction) willl allow them to do, and in some cases their help has been extremely valuable.
If President Musharraf does any more than he is doing, he faces a real possibility of being overthrown and likely killed, and what replaces him will most likely be a lot worse, as happened in China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, and other countries.
And we've gotten more from Pakistan inthe WOT than we have from our supposed "natural ally" India. They have given a lot of lip service, but little or no help.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.