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At Large
The Taliban’s BFF
The U.S. well knows that the Taliban and elements in Pakistan will remain best friends forever.
It’s doubtful anyone would find objectionable a U.S. government advisory that states, “The Taliban is a movement based on strict Islamic religious beliefs that influence all aspects of societal behavior.” Yet somewhere that document should also note that if the U.S. and its NATO partners are to remain in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban, they’ll need to accept there always will be a sanctuary for Taliban leaders and fighters in Pakistani territory. That is a fact of geography as much as politics.
The Durand Line, named in 1893 after Sir Mortimer Durand, was established by the British to define the border between what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan. No reference was made regarding the existing Pashtun tribal demarcation spreading outward on both sides of the line. Some of the most famous units of the old British Indian Army fought the tribesmen for domination of the area. But it was always recognized that peace could be maintained only with the acquiescence of the tribes that made up the broad Pashtun tribal alliance. Why would any responsible intelligence assessment contemplate that the situation could be different today?
This unfortunate fact was driven home when al Qaeda and their Taliban allies escaped the hard charging U.S. forces that had driven them through the mountains of Waziristan into Pakistan in a supposed classic hammer and anvil strategy. The only problem was that the Pakistan security forces provided only a very porous anvil as bin Laden’s and Mullah Omar’s experienced irregulars slipped through with Pashtun clan cooperation.
Pakistan’s multi-faceted central intelligence instrument, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been a principal conduit for foreign contact with Pashtun tribal resistance, though American and British special operations teams have made some inroads. This is the same situation that existed during the Soviet invasion. Back then it was through ISI cut-outs and contacts that the U.S. funneled most of its support to the mujahedin. The Taliban grew as a movement out of the Pashtun clan structure and the ISI was there as an accommodating supplier of equipment and technical advice. This liaison continued after the Taliban formed their government in Kabul. All this was well known to U.S. intelligence when the Afghan expedition was launched in 2001.
There is a conspicuous disconnection of logic when commentators become apoplectic over news that Pakistani intelligence officers, businessmen, and religious leaders have had continuing contact with the Taliban. Of course such intercourse exists. It existed long before there was a Taliban as such. There are kindred tribes and clans on both sides of Sir Mortimer Durand’s artificial border. The real issue is not that such close relations continue to exist in this modern day, but rather how the U.S. copes with this fact of conflicted allegiances.
Pakistan’s ISI deals with this problem by structuring multiple levels of operational contact and support. On the far end is the Mehsud clan of fierce fighters mostly from South Waziristan, though they seek to extend their operations north in the Swat Valley. They maintain alliances with militant groups in Punjab such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taibi and lead the movement called Tehrik-y-Taliban Pakistan to counter Islamabad’s control of the federally administered tribal areas and elsewhere as suits their political interests.
In October ‘09 the newly appointed TTP leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, claimed responsibility for an attack in Rawalpindi and ISI headquarters in Lahore. This supposedly was in retaliation for an ISI-approved American drone attack that killed the previous Mehsud clan chief, Baitullah Mehsud. Obviously there is no love lost between the ISI and the Mehsud Taliban.
On the other end of the spectrum are the traditional clans of Pashtun fighters who worked closely with the ISI, and the Americans, as mujahedin during the war against the Soviets. A community of former leaders and their families continue to live under ISI protection in Quetta, Pakistan, and provide a support structure for sub-tribes all along the border. Important among these old Pakistani allies are the Haqqani of North Waziristan and the Northwest Frontier province. The appropriate sections of ISI maintain covert liaison with all these groups even though they may be active anti-U.S. and anti-Kabul government insurgents, as certainly are members of Haqqani network.
The Economist has stated that within the Pashtun nation there are 60 tribes and 400 sub-tribes and uncounted clans. Pakistan must have a special relationship with the tribal forces along the 2,640 km. border between it and Afghanistan. The highest priority for Pakistani intelligence is to maintain the traditional tribal alliances that provide the first line of defense in the northern territories against India. It is ISI’s job to make sure it has adequate penetration of and a degree of influence on the clan structure of the Pashtun tribal amalgamation — and thus where possible the various Taliban-linked forces.
Islamabad’s military leadership believes the future of the ISI — and through it, Pakistan — requires a Pashtun, and thus Taliban, entente. For the U.S. to conceive any future role relative to Afghanistan without this fact in mind is operationally illogical and ultimately self-defeating.
About the Author
George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.
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Ret. Marine| 8.6.10 @ 6:38AM
" For the U.S. to conceive any futher role relative to Afghanistan without this fact in mind is operationally illogical and ultimately self defeating."
Who has ever claimed anyone in the "regime" had any sort of logic in the first place. I find it humorious to even ponder the likelythood of "sane actors" within it's tentacles. These afterall, are the smartest dumbass's this country has ever witnessed.
Remember it is not the intentions of this pretender-n-thief, otherwise known as barry sorreto, aka, baraq hussein obama, aka, the "won" to deliver the final solution to the terrorist, also known as the islamist, or muslims of the extreme, which it to defeat them in such a manner they think twice about ever having the ambition to attack this Country and or it's interest in a manner befitting them with the death they so richly want and deserve. Always remember their primary spokesperson, usama bin-Laden, said it is they who glorify death, while we life. obama, the pretender-n-theif is a muslim, always has been, always will be. Why would we expect anything short of it's goals as a sane policy?
Alan Brooks| 8.6.10 @ 8:55PM
Iraq can be salvaged, though.
Gerald Stephens| 8.7.10 @ 3:14PM
Semper Fi Marines - one for you.
FLASH…KAGAN CHALLENGED for PERJURY
Larry Klayman, constitutional scholar, attorney, and author of WHORES: Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment acted in the matter of Elena Kagan by filing a complaint before the U.S. Supreme Court.
July 28, 2010
Clerk of the Court
U.S. Supreme Court
1 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20543
R: COMPLAINT TO DISBAR ELENA KAGAN FROM PRACTICE BEFORE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT AND FOR REFERRAL TO THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND FOR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
The full complaint is found at www FreedomWatchUSA.org If ever there was an apple cart overturned, this is the BIG ONE!
Mimi| 8.6.10 @ 7:38AM
The question is: Are we in it to win it? Its been 9 years. Seems like " Political Correct" war is dragging it out. The enemy needs an ultimatum.....Lay down your arms now or.....The mighty armaments are coming from a war and nonsence weary U.S.A. To entice them....money talks...offer them the expertise to go and dig up all that GOLD & LITHIUM ! And , oh yeah bomb the heck out of the " POPPY" fields. Enough already with this war stuff....they haven't showed us they deserve all this attention!!!
Alan Brooks| 8.6.10 @ 9:00PM
The ultimate culpability is the Politburo's-- they decided to invade Afghanistan in '78, they opened this can of worms that can't be closed.
And guess who was POTUS then? you don't need a history book to figure that one.
The Politburo said:
"Leonid, there is a fag in the White House..."
Alan Brooks| 8.6.10 @ 9:04PM
..that is, they invaded in '79; they decided to invade in '78, or possibly in '77,
not long after that thing was inaugurated POTUS.
Louis Jenkins| 8.6.10 @ 8:24AM
A swirl of mish mash political configurations and alliances. Makes my head swim. It is time to stop pussy footin' around and get down to brass tacks, or leave the hell hole that our troops must deal with. Pakistani borders or otherwise, let them feel the cold steel of death, or just plain leave.
Alan Brooks| 8.6.10 @ 9:13PM
"that is, they invaded in '79; they decided to invade in '78, or possibly in '77."
It sounds farfetched, but would it surprise you to discover that the seed of invading Afghanistan was, perhaps, planted not long after Carter was sworn into office? the Politburo thought, "this opens up new opportunities in Central Asia..."
For Afghanistan, I don't blame Bush-- I blame JIMBO.
ncatty| 8.6.10 @ 10:05AM
We gave "stay" a good shot, now lets try "leave."
Alan Brooks| 8.7.10 @ 7:22PM
What I hate is,
somewhere around 80- 90 percent of those I tell of how I was sitting on the fence concerning Israel-- but no longer-- usually reply: "neocon"even though Israel is the one nation in the region which
a) treats women as second, rather than 3rd, class citizens;
b) doesn't regularly use cruel and usual punishment (even Eichmann had a decent execution in Israel).
c) would be self-sufficient if they didn't have to spend billions on defense every year even though Israel is a small state;
d) is only truly authoritarian in that it has to conscript servicemen, while its enemies are downright feudalistic.
e) contains (this ought to be a rather than e) the most hated people in history, who are considering the pressures on them perhaps the most peaceful people this side of Denmark?
This blog is on Afghanistan; however up until a couple years ago I did not realize that 80 or 90 percent of the discussions regarding the Mideast or Afghanistan will somehow work itself eventually over to the subject of Israel. At one time I thought Israel couldn't possibly be hated more than those universal hate-objects, the Jews.
WRONG.
Alan Brooks| 8.7.10 @ 7:40PM
pardon the grammar "did not realize that 80 or 90 percent of the discussions regarding the Mideast or Afghanistan will somehow work itself eventually over to the subject of Israel", it should be 'themselves' rather than 'itself'.
But boy do people hate Israel: though it carefully camouflaged, it is an open secret. So in that one sense Israel's enemies are correct: Israel is not indirectly related to the situation in Afghanistan, it is directly related; no question IMO about that whatsoever.
Because some of those same enemies would risk even destroying the region to destroy Israel--
even if Mecca and Medina were wiped out. They naturally do not want to destroy Mecca and Medina,
but yet they would still take the risk?
So when bin Laden said he prefers death to life he is not kidding around.
T1Brit| 8.6.10 @ 1:37PM
America could rule the Pashtun reagion and the rest of Afghanistan from now till the end of time if it wanted. All it would have to do is the following two things :
One, pick the strongest tribal leaders and pay them. The ISI could never hope to match the US for generosity.
Two, buy the annual opium crop in Afgahnistan and provide security forces for those farmers that want it, on a permanent basis.
Game over.
Alan Brooks| 8.6.10 @ 11:58PM
"Game over."
You got that right. The one piece of really good news is Iran is mistrusted in the Mideast & Central Asia, residents don't want a nuke race.
Louis Jenkins| 8.6.10 @ 4:58PM
General Paetraus (spl) has enforced McCrystal's rules of engagement toady. Only stricter. That ought to win over the Taliban and Al Quada.
gene hauber| 8.6.10 @ 5:37PM
I don't think we can do what we are trying to do in afghantown; that is, win the hearts and minds of the people. for one thing, i don't think they have any.
what we should do is the following:
destroy as much taliban personnel and infrastructure as quickly and as viciously as we can; damn the ROE, then tell them and their friends that if afghantown is ever used as a base of operation against the USA or its allies, WE will turn afghantown into a large glass ashtray, no kidding.
We are losing good men, our kids, trying to win the hearts and minds of cockroaches.
I have nothing against war, but this is insanity, trying to shovel s**t against the tide
Alan Brooks| 8.7.10 @ 12:02AM
"destroy as much taliban personnel and infrastructure as quickly and as viciously as we can; damn the ROE, then tell them and their friends that if afghantown is ever used as a base of operation against the USA or its allies, WE will turn afghantown into a large glass ashtray, no kidding."
This is harsh, but I agree: the enemy has too much to gain and we have too much to lose. They are at least as dangerous as any of our enemies of yesteryear.
Roy| 8.8.10 @ 7:39PM
This is an interesting article. I have a few questions(although I doubt they'll get answered).
1. Is it really that important to maintain the tribes' loyalty "as a defense against India" when the border regions are on the opposite side of Pakistan from India?
2. More to the point, if India decided to pull out all the stops and attack, Pakistan would get stomped flatter than a pancake. India's population is what, 10 times Pakistan's? The government of Pakistan must know this, since it keeps on happening(eg, the Bangladesh War of Independence) so all this anti-India posturing is just hot air. If US policy could gently bring this reality into focus - and thereby cause Pakistan to realize that a policy based around the idea of "defending" against India which doesn't want to attack them anyway is ridiculous, it might do more than anything else to bring Pakistan around to really fighting the jihadis.
Or, if they decide to throw in their lot with the jihadis the country could always just go away. Punjabi provinces back to India, Pashtun provinces back to Afghanistan, problem solved.
3. Even granted they want to keep the Pashtun tribes as allies, what is the reason for the Pashtun tribes to side with the Taliban? As the majority population of Afghanistan, they'll end up in charge under democracy anyway.
Joanna | 6.6.11 @ 3:44AM
This is an actionable situation. Why cant it be sorted out?UTI Treatment