Pakistan Not Ready to Fight Taliban Again

By: Farhan Bokhari
Topics: Obama Foreign Policy

(AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

Pakistan's army may require months to prepare for a new military offensive against the Taliban in a restive region along the country's unsettled border with Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani general on Tuesday told President Obama's envoy for the Afghanistan-Pakistan region according to senior Pakistani officials.

Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed, a widely respected army commander, met with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Mr. Obama's envoy, to brief him on Pakistan's northwest frontier province, specifically the areas at the center of Taliban activity.

It is this region which is of the most interest to the U.S. as Afghanistan heads in to Thursday's presidential elections. In the past, U.S. officials have complained about Taliban militants crossing the border with relative ease to attack Afghan and western troops in Afghanistan before returning to Pakistan's soil to reorganize.

Earlier this month, Baitullah Mehsud, the senior leader of Taliban militants in Pakistan, was killed in a missile attack which was widely believed to have been carried out by a U.S.-operated drone.

Mehsud's killing prompted speculation that the Pakistani military may attack the southern part of the Waziristan region along the country's border with Afghanistan, taking advantage of disarray among the Taliban. Mehsud's killing led to infighting among the Taliban. So far, the Pakistani Taliban have failed to rally behind a new leader who could emerge as a replacement for Mehsud.

"Once you feel that the conditions are right and you have been able to substantially dent their (the Taliban's) infrastructure and their fighting capacity, then you go in for a ground offensive," Ahmed said as reported by Pakistan's independently operated Dawn News TV after a meeting with Holbrooke. The station quoted Ahmed saying, "That (attack on South Waziristan) may happen in winter or even beyond probably."

Pakistani officials said the military will need new hardware, notably helicopters, to launch an attack in largely mountainous Waziristan region where access to different locations by road is often difficult. The U.S. is one of the larger suppliers of military equipment to Pakistan. But Pakistani officials have complained about Washington not moving fast enough at times to meet its hardware needs.

"Unless we have the hardware, how can we be expected to immediately launch an attack?" one senior Pakistani government official asked, speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity.

However, western diplomats, who also spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani military has already seized control of the main roads from Waziristan to other parts of the country, mainly to block the Taliban from fleeing out of the region. "It doesn't matter how long it takes for the Pakistani military to strike in the region," one diplomat said. "They seem to have enough control to block a large scale exodus of the Taliban."

Ahead of Thursday's presidential election in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials have said they are confident of playing an increasingly vital role in the medium to long-term security of Afghanistan. In recent months, the Pakistani military has successfully fought the Taliban in the northern Swat valley and blocked them from advancing from Swat to other parts of Pakistan.

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by babooph August 21, 2009 8:06 AM EDT: Instead of the dumb war,cell phone towers& free dish tv would likely have altered their culture VERY cheap& physically harmed no one.[ok ,so maybe the war was less damaging].; Reply to this comment


by thesevenveils August 19, 2009 10:40 PM EDT: China is Pakistan's largest trade partner and also Pakistan's largest supplier of weaponry. China and Pakistan are tied so close economically, the Prime Minister flies to China monthly to report on Pakistan's economy. Yet, despite China's close partnership with Pakistan, China has not offered any aid, be it money, weapons or anything else, to help Pakistan fight the Taliban. What's up with that?; Reply to this comment

by ratee-2009 August 18, 2009 4:51 PM EDT

Should Pakistan take USA's orders also without taking into consideration that it when it needs to evaluate its chances of success. This area has been a death kneel for all the great conquerors of the past. In this area British were defeated three times since the last 150 years when they were supposed to be the greatest power on the earth. This is the most difficult terrain and best for guerrilla warfare. Russians were also defeated as all the planning and training had been done for the mujaheddin in this area.

Pakistan has lost 2000 troops mostly in this area compared to 650 USA troops lost so far in whole of Afghanistan. Pakistan has posted 150,000 troops in this area and USA needs at least to provide them basic modern fighting equipment to fight the Taliban.

Pakistan is justified in pursuing its own interests as Pakistan has to be sure that it will succeeded when it enters this area where no conqueror has ever succeeded previously.

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by brianbwb-2009 August 18, 2009 9:59 PM EDT: Correct, Pakistan only follows the instructions of the US if the US pays for their services, and this is completely understandable. If you are to send your own people to die for someone elae, that someone else should pay for the service, is this not the way of "capitalism"?

Pakistan itself has no need to fear a Taliban invasion of it's own country from Afghanistan, Pakistan is a nuclear power, and could easily defend itself in such an event.

It is also funny that the CIA, the original de-stabilizers in Afghanistan wanted to give Russia "it's own Vietnam", and proponents of the current war with Afghanistan repeated over and over again how this would not be another Vietnam.

Now we see op-ed articles entitled "Learning from Vietnam in Afghanistan", and read reports about how scholars versed in the Vietnam debacle are now being consulted for advice.

"Blowback" and lies, the usual result of the CIA's covert operations.

by ToolMangler1 August 18, 2009 2:52 PM EDT

Well GEE!!!! why don't the pakistanis tell the Taliban to come on in and make themselves comfortable. If you know where they are, Get over the "pride' thing and ask for help as you go get them. Don't wait for somebody else to do 'your' job for you..

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by brianbwb-2009 August 18, 2009 9:49 PM EDT: There is a pattern in the creation of militant groups by the CIA and Britain, via Pakistan, in order to destabilize Afghanistan, then having to create others to clean up the mistake, then yet others, etc.

The Taliban was created, funded, trained and armed by the CIA to oust Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the madman who was previously trained, armed, and supported by the CIA. Now the US wants Pakistan to become the next fodder for the death trap that is Afghanistan.

What is really happening is a sort of reverse money laundering operation, the US takes tax money, funnels it to arms dealers, while taking kickbacks, and so more than a half billion dollars has been thusly stolen from American coffers, to end up in the pockets of arms dealers and manufacturers, and the politicians who vote to continue this farce.

That innocent people are dying from this obscene charade is a fact lost on all parties, I wish that the treachery of these people would be visited upon their own families.