A Continuing Dilemma


Written by Abdulhadi Hairan • Region • February 2011

Exactly at the time when a debate over whether the U.S. will withdraw its forces in 2011 was still going on, the international media reported that the Pentagon was going to send about 1400 additional Marines to war-torn Afghanistan.

The immediate thought that comes to mind is troop surge an effective solution to the Afghan conundrum? Last year President Obama ordered the deployment of additional 30,000 troops but so far the result is only an increase in casualties, both military and civilian.

Nearly one year after that huge surge, the United Nations has predicted in a detailed assessment of the situation that 2011 is unlikely to see any improvements. And the latest tension between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and American officials over the issue of security companies only pushes problems into a more complicated spin.

During the past few months many so-called political experts had been emphasizing on a peace deal with the insurgent groups. To put this plan into a practical framework, President Karzai formed a peace council which from the very start was seen as a useless tool because majority of the council members were former warlords and jihadi commanders who still get benefited from the violence, the drug business and the widespread corruption in the government.

The latest development came as an announcement by the council members that they have met with high level Pakistani officials including the Army Chief General Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani to find an effective solution to the insurgency and extremism in Afghanistan.

However, this announcement came at the very moment when an extremist man from inside the Pakistani government circles brutally murdered Salman Taseer, a high profile governor whose sin was supporting a poor Christian woman and criticizing the often misused blasphemy laws. The incident highlighted how deeply and firmly extremism is rooted within the Pakistani society, government and security system.

Consequently it seems difficult that an extremism-gripped Pakistan will be able to do anything good to contain extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan. Many secret reports, for example the ones leaked by wikileaks.org, suggesting that some elements within the Pakistani establishment provide direct or indirect support to the terrorists in Afghanistan only makes this issue worse.

Then what is the solution?

The international community needs to pour in its resources, and focus on two very important aspects of its Afghanistan reconstruction plan: train and equip the Afghan forces to the extent they are able to provide security in the cities and secure borders and develop a comprehensive anti-corruption and oversight strategy.

The absence of an effective anti-corruption and oversight strategy puts certain people of black and bleak backgrounds in power which alienates the masses from the government. It also leads to political crises, like the controversial Parliamentarian elections. In many ways these problems help the insurgent groups to increase their support among the people and attract more recruits and resources. When things go to that extent, the outcome is brutal violence and any number of troops will not be able to contain it.