Via LGF


OpinionJournal - The Other Front -- Pakistan: Friend or foe?

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan--Lest we forget the other front, pay heed to this: For the past few weeks, American B-1 heavy bombers and helicopter gunships have been fighting the largest force of Afghan rebels to have surfaced in nearly a year in southern Afghanistan. The battle, which began on Jan. 27, now involves some 400 U.S. and Afghan government troops, who are looking for the remainder of a force of 80 rebels. At least 18 rebels have been killed so far.


The ominous issue is not that they are there, but that they assembled in Pakistan with heavy weapons, sophisticated communications equipment for a clandestine radio station, posters and pamphlets announcing a jihad against U.S. forces and the government of President Hamid Karzai, and enough supplies to set up a base camp (and a medical clinic) in the mountains south of Spin Baldak just 15 miles from the Pakistan border. Their objective was clearly to harass the 82nd Airborne division camp near Kandahar--some 120 miles to the west.[...]

What bothers me about the piece is this part:

Russia has promised to deliver $100 million worth of weapons to Mr. Fahim's army, which is outside the U.S.-led initiative to build a new multi-ethnic Afghan national army that will be loyal to the central government. Several U.S. demarches to Moscow to stop such arms deliveries have met with no response from the Russians.

So, while we try to get the central government up on its feet and create a cohesive, multi-ethnic central army, we have the funamentalist Pakistani military helping the ex-Taliban types, and the Russians giving major weapons grants to an independent warlord. None of this is going to do any good for the future of Afghanistan. Instead of considering Afghanistan's long-term good, and getting on board with American initiatives, other countries are, as per usual, looking after and cultivating their own spheres of influence. In the end, who will be blamed should Afghanistan fall apart? Do I have to say? That's right...as per usual.