The Third Front
OK, Afghanistan had no air force to speak of and Iraq was reeling militarily from it’s defeat in the first Gulf War and ten years of sanctions. It put up zero planes in it’s defense during the invasion in 2003. It was a paper tiger and we shredded it. Now we are moving into Pakistan and spreading our War on Tair into three countries. The thing is…Pakistan has an airforce, a well funded military, thanks to us….oh yeah, and nuclear weapons.
Pakistan has ordered its jet fighters to confront any attack by the US-led coalition forces on the tribal belt near the Afghan border.
Air force fighters have carried out sorties in the tribal region for the first time after US missiles attacks killed dozens of civilians, sources said on Saturday.
Air Force Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood, meanwhile, said that the Air Force could respond to violation of the country’s air space by the US forces if the government issued orders.
I wonder how this stepped up militarism will work out for us. Antiwar.com reports:
“The Gloves Have Come Off”- US Attack In Pakistan No Isolated Incident
An early morning attack on a South Waziristan village by US helicopters and ground forces on September 3rd may have been unprecedented, but according to a report by National Public Radio, this was no isolated incident but rather “phase one” of a three stage plan to escalate attacks in Pakistani tribal regions aimed at targeting al-Qaeda safe havens. NPR quotes one source as saying “the gloves have come off”.
Though neither the Pentagon nor the Bush Administration would discuss the report, it is in keeping with other reports received in the past few days regarding a secret directive by the Bush Administration which came to light last week. The directive came entirely without approval from Pakistan’s recently elected civilian government or its military, according to officials.
Interesting that now that our Pakistani Puppet is gone that we are using aggressive military action in that country. I wonder what we were waiting for all of those years of Musharraf’s dictatorship? It seems as if Pakistan may just take their money and…well, stay home.
Pakistan’s populace and government have both reacted quite negatively to the attacks. Both houses of Pakistan’s parliament passed resolutions condemning the South Waziristan attack, and the opposition has called for the government to withdraw from the war on terror if the US strikes don’t cease.
I am not sure exactly how Pakistan was helping us in the War on Tair under Musharraf. The tribal border areas with Afghanistan seem to have been a refuge for the Taliban that entire period. It seems NATO does not share our passion for these attacks:
NATO seems to appreciate the palpable danger in attacking targets inside Pakistan over the objections of its government, and has announced that it will not participate in any US strikes. The Bush Administration appears not to feel the same way, the agreed to rules of engagement with Pakistan notwithstanding. But with sentiment towards to US government already suffering severe harm from “phase one,” can the alliance possibly survive the next two phases, whatever they may be?
“Rules?” We don’t need no stinkin rules. It does seem that there are voices in the US that recognize that the effect of these assaults might be detrimental to the long term goals of our War on Tair. In fact, it may make things worse. The News reports:
An American foreign policy expert has cautioned the US administration against repeating the cross-border attacks inside Pakistan as, according to him, the approach is not a long-term solution to terrorism.
“We need to get the Pakistanis to see this as their war. And that is going to require some major new initiatives on the American side. Commando raids and Predator strikes are not a long-term solution to this problem,” said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank.
In an interview with CFR.org, a website publication of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Riedel, a former high-ranking CIA and Pentagon official, who helped shape US policy in South Asia in previous administrations, said the recent US cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan were risky given the anti-Americanism in Pakistan. “In that kind of charged political atmosphere, these kinds of operations can easily incite even further anti-Americanism,” he added.
It seems that this administration is determined to put the following one in as precarious a position as possible in regard our relations in that region. Especially as we sat by and did nothing during Pakistan’s dictatorship, which we called a “democracy,” Now with a true democracy in power we are engaging in regular and soon to be stepped up assaults on their country. I would imagine this might cause a significant negative response from the new government and the people of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, back in Afghanistan….The Daily Times reports:
At least 23 people were killed when Taliban ambushed a United States security firm convoy in southwestern Afghanistan on Friday. Provincial officials said it was the second attack on the firm in recent days. Provincial Police Chief Khalilullah Rahmani said 15 of the dead were Taliban killed in the fighting that broke out following the ambush.
Rahmani said US Protection and Investigations, a firm involved in escorting supplies for coalition forces, also suffered casualties, but gave no details. “The Taliban attacked the convoy with machineguns. Four vehicles were set on fire,” said a provincial official requesting anonymity. He said four Afghan guards and four civilians had been killed in the ambush that took place when the convoy was passing through Bakwa district in Farah province. Another convoy of the security firm had been attacked on Thursday in Kandahar city. Two people had been killed in the attack
It seems as if we have accomplished virtually nothing since our invasion of Afghanistan seven years ago. It seems as if we are about to give a recruiting boost to the groups we are “fighting” in Pakistan. It seems as if maybe we should try something different because what we are doing has completely failed. I am betting we will not.
