Little choice but to depend on Pakistan's help in Afghanistan
By David Ignatius
WashPost
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
In the almost nine years the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan, any thoughtful person who follows the war has had a recurring worry: Can America rely on Pakistan? Can our allies in that turbulent country close the Taliban's havens along the border? And, for that matter, are the Pakistanis really trying?
The massive disclosure of war-related documents this week by Wikileaks raised a number of questions, but none more important than the Pakistan conundrum. Although the Obama administration has played down the leaks in general, senior officials agree that Pakistan's ability to close the sanctuaries is an absolutely crucial issue.
"These safe havens are a big question mark in terms of our success rate," Gen. Jim Jones, the national security adviser, said in an interview Tuesday at the White House. He noted that the Taliban and its affiliates have used these havens to arm, train, regroup and gather intelligence -- confounding U.S. strategy.
The Pakistanis have denied that their intelligence service is aiding the Taliban, and they have noted the raw and fragmentary nature of the Wikileaks information.
(More here.)
WashPost
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
In the almost nine years the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan, any thoughtful person who follows the war has had a recurring worry: Can America rely on Pakistan? Can our allies in that turbulent country close the Taliban's havens along the border? And, for that matter, are the Pakistanis really trying?
The massive disclosure of war-related documents this week by Wikileaks raised a number of questions, but none more important than the Pakistan conundrum. Although the Obama administration has played down the leaks in general, senior officials agree that Pakistan's ability to close the sanctuaries is an absolutely crucial issue.
"These safe havens are a big question mark in terms of our success rate," Gen. Jim Jones, the national security adviser, said in an interview Tuesday at the White House. He noted that the Taliban and its affiliates have used these havens to arm, train, regroup and gather intelligence -- confounding U.S. strategy.
The Pakistanis have denied that their intelligence service is aiding the Taliban, and they have noted the raw and fragmentary nature of the Wikileaks information.
(More here.)
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