After months of mounting frustration with Pakistan over its unwillingness to crack down on Afghan Taliban leaders finding sanctuary on its soil, Pakistan appears to be coming through with cooperation that could help turn the tide in the war in Afghanistan.
Following last week’s revelation that the number two Taliban leader, Mullah Baradar, was captured in Pakistan earlier this month, fresh reports indicate that at least three other senior Taliban leaders have also recently been arrested in Pakistan. These include Mullah Abdul Kabir, a deputy prime minister in the former Taliban regime and a member of the Quetta Shura (Taliban leadership Council) as well as two “shadow governors” of provinces in Afghanistan.
Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar has said he hoped these arrests represent the beginning of a “large-scale” Pakistani operation against the Taliban. Afghan officials have also claimed that Pakistan has agreed to turn over Baradar to Afghan authorities, although Pakistani officials say he will be tried in Pakistan first. If Pakistan does indeed hand over Baradar to the Afghans, that would be a promising sign of new Pakistan-Afghanistan cooperation at a critical time in the Afghanistan war.
U.S. and NATO forces launched a key offensive two weeks ago to oust the Taliban from one of their strongholds in the southern Helmand province. After the area is secured, the U.S. will help the Afghan government establish its writ over the area through an infusion of development aid and assistance with institutional capacity building. The Afghan Taliban leadership based in Pakistan coordinates the insurgency across the border in southern Afghanistan and thus convincing Pakistan to disrupt their sanctuary is critical to coalition forces gaining the upper hand against the insurgents.
It is unclear why Pakistan is stepping up to the plate now on cracking down on the Afghan Taliban. Most observers believe Islamabad may be seeking to ensure it has a role in determining any potential settlement of the conflict. Others say it is partly a response to building U.S. pressure. President Obama appealed directly to the Pakistanis to crack down on the Afghan Taliban through a letter hand-delivered by National Security Advisor Gen. Jones to Pakistani President Zardari last fall. The letter coincided with revelations from the arrest of David C. Headley, a Pakistani-American who worked with the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in Pakistan to scout sites for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Headley was arrested by U.S. authorities in early October and a former Pakistani Army major was named in the U.S. affidavit as serving as Headley’s handler for the Mumbai terror attacks. Since then, the U.S. has repeatedly made the case to Pakistan that facilitating some terrorist groups while fighting others is counterproductive. It is possible this message is finally beginning to sink in.
But given Pakistan’s long track record of support to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan and India, it is too early to determine whether the most recent arrests signal a permanent reversal of its past policies, or merely a tactical shift to demonstrate its leverage in the region.
Earlier this month President Obama announced his plans for a new way forward in Afghanistan. He laid out clear objectives for a troop level increase, underscored the importance of strengthening Afghan security forces and outlined the strategic necessity of success in the region. I believe the President made a very compelling case for why it is absolutely critical that America defeat al Qaeda and prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies.
The most significant aspect of the President’s announcement was his call for a deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. forces and additional troops to be provided by our NATO partners and other international allies. While I would have been more comfortable with the original recommendation of General McChrystal to increase troops by 40,000, I am still pleased with the decision to bolster our presence in the region. The men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting a tough battle on multiple fronts against an increasingly sophisticated enemy. Providing additional manpower and resources to our troops is vitally important as we move forward.
I am, however, deeply troubled by the President’s suggestion that our troops be withdrawn after 18 months. While I have tremendous faith in the ability of the United States soldier to accomplish his or her mission, wars are not fought on timelines. Conditions on the ground and well-defined benchmarks should be the measure used when deciding if troops should come home - not arbitrary timelines.
By telegraphing our intention to abandon the battlefield based on the calendar rather than the progress of our mission, we simply embolden the terrorists to wait us out. Not only does this put our soldiers at greater risk, it also undermines the long term authority of the legitimate Afghan government. The bottom line is this: the terrorists must be defeated and if that takes longer than 18 months, and I strongly suspect it will, then we have to stay until the job is done.
The American public deserves political leadership that is as committed to winning this war as our soldiers are. After committing an additional 30,000 troops, the President has a responsibility to fully embrace his role as the Commander in Chief. This will entail rallying the public to support our troops, and building a genuine bi-partisan coalition in Congress to continue the hard work that lies ahead.
There is no doubt that the President has committed our nation more deeply to Afghanistan. It is my belief that we must move forward with determination and a will to win by dismissing arbitrary timelines that undermine the efforts of our forces and our allies. Our soldiers have shown both these qualities on the battlefield and now the President needs to follow their example.