06 March 2009

Canada & Afghanistan

Since the Taliban regime fell in late 2001, Canada has steadily increased its military involvement in Afghanistan. By 2006, Canada deployed the Canadian Military to Kandahar (the more dangerous southern part of the country) for Peace Making rather than remaining as a Peace Keeping force close to Kabul ( the capital city in Afghanistan).

The war against the terrorists in Afghanistan cannot be won ”“ that is what Canada now believes. This is after losing many precious Canadian lives and billions of dollars in cost.

This war cannot be won as it is apparent that the replenishment for the terrorists (both in manpower and weapons) is inexhaustible from across the border ”“ well trained and primed in Pakistan. This is never ending as many of these groups seem to be supported (actively or passively) by influential Pakistani Intelligence, Military and Religious personnel along with many of the 170 million ordinary citizens .
In Pakistan, the army — the most powerful institution in the country — assumes its interests are paramount and fantasises of a war with India. In Pakistan, the state cannot control religious zealots with murder on their mind. The Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) founded Islamist terror organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba to harass Secular (with Hindu majority) India and fostered the Taliban in the hope of ensuring a sympathetic religious regime in Afghanistan.  

Recently , the US diplomats and Generals have started warning that that Pakistan posed a bigger security problem for the rest of the world than Afghanistan. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country and the instability of which is a bigger problem for the globe. It has certainly made radical Islam a part of its political life, and it now seems to be a deeply ingrained element of its political culture.

President Obama has recently ordered a deployment of additional 17,000 US troops and these are due to arrive in the country in the next few months, and between three and five thousand are expected to reinforce British forces in Helmand province.
But all those allied forces in Afghanistan would have tough time to defeat the Taliban & Al Qaeda terrorists without draining the “swamp” across the border and bringing about a paradigm change in Pakistani politics and “view of modern life”. The task of stabilizing Pakistan is beyond the means of the United States and its allies.

Only Pakistanis would have to change and rise to this challenge and show determination to bring the country back from the brink. Unfortunately, this is asking for the “pie in the sky”. The whole country is teetering on the collapse ”“ not much accomplished by continued engagement of U.S. in Pakistani politics and life since 1950s.

It is clear that without defeating the terrorist groups in Pakistan, war in Afghanistan cannot be won.   It would be a wiser move by Canada not to acquiesce to extend the military mission in Afghanistan beyond December 2010. Why remain beyond?

Pravin Shah