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Counterterrorism: need for broad strategy
| 11/5/2012 12:00:00 AM
situation is deteriorating which can be seen by a gross increase in fatalities of civilians and Afghan security forces.
According to a study, only 30 per cent of the army and the three per cent existing police force in Afghanistan can be ranked in the top two tiers of combat readiness, which is surely a sorry state considering the heightened lawlessness in the country.Taliban still possess the ability to disrupt law and order in and across the border from Afghanistan. Insurgents have repeatedly fanned ethnic, linguistic and religious frictions.
Furthermore, opium production in Afghanistan is said to have doubled in the past few years that led to a further empowering of the drug mafia and COUNTERTERRORISM is not a linear process that can tackle terrorism in its entirety, it is rather a complex and multilayer phenomenon. Military operations, as obvious from previous episodes, do not guarantee absolute cleansing but are instrumental in partial eradication of the menace that may then be buttressed by a political solution.
Just like an insufficient dose of antibiotics may lead to a recurrence of an infection that requires an even higher dose than the one initially prescribed, a partial counter-insurgency operation not only reverses the progress but increases insurgent resilience and aggravates the situation.
Considering the geographical aspects ofthe current war, terrorist havens need to be targeted on both sides of the border in order to make substantial war gains.Despite a full-fledged military offensive in Swat and adjacent areas, terrorist attacks continue to take place, albeit on a much smaller scale.Mullah Fazlullah, the perpetrator of terror in Swat, now enjoys safe havens in Afghanistan from where he operates against all anti-terrorist elements, including Pakistan`s security forces. As a result, innocent citizens like Malala and many more suffer.
Peace in South Asia is inextricably linked to the situation in Afghanistan where decades of war has led to a weakened political structure, while the securitywarlordism, thus bearing negative impact on the measures taken to counter the insurgency.The absence ofa peace plan and longterm post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation strategy in Afghanistan has led to great ambiguity towards the future.
An operation in North Waziristan Agency would hardly bear results if sanctuaries and networks inside Afghanistan are not dismantled. There is a dire need for a comprehensive strategy to be employed at all levels and on the entire canvas of the war scenery. Tackling a patch here and a patch there will only prolong our agony and protract the war indefinitely.
LUBNA HAMEED Rawapindi
DAWN
| 11/5/2012 12:00:00 AM
situation is deteriorating which can be seen by a gross increase in fatalities of civilians and Afghan security forces.
According to a study, only 30 per cent of the army and the three per cent existing police force in Afghanistan can be ranked in the top two tiers of combat readiness, which is surely a sorry state considering the heightened lawlessness in the country.Taliban still possess the ability to disrupt law and order in and across the border from Afghanistan. Insurgents have repeatedly fanned ethnic, linguistic and religious frictions.
Furthermore, opium production in Afghanistan is said to have doubled in the past few years that led to a further empowering of the drug mafia and COUNTERTERRORISM is not a linear process that can tackle terrorism in its entirety, it is rather a complex and multilayer phenomenon. Military operations, as obvious from previous episodes, do not guarantee absolute cleansing but are instrumental in partial eradication of the menace that may then be buttressed by a political solution.
Just like an insufficient dose of antibiotics may lead to a recurrence of an infection that requires an even higher dose than the one initially prescribed, a partial counter-insurgency operation not only reverses the progress but increases insurgent resilience and aggravates the situation.
Considering the geographical aspects ofthe current war, terrorist havens need to be targeted on both sides of the border in order to make substantial war gains.Despite a full-fledged military offensive in Swat and adjacent areas, terrorist attacks continue to take place, albeit on a much smaller scale.Mullah Fazlullah, the perpetrator of terror in Swat, now enjoys safe havens in Afghanistan from where he operates against all anti-terrorist elements, including Pakistan`s security forces. As a result, innocent citizens like Malala and many more suffer.
Peace in South Asia is inextricably linked to the situation in Afghanistan where decades of war has led to a weakened political structure, while the securitywarlordism, thus bearing negative impact on the measures taken to counter the insurgency.The absence ofa peace plan and longterm post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation strategy in Afghanistan has led to great ambiguity towards the future.
An operation in North Waziristan Agency would hardly bear results if sanctuaries and networks inside Afghanistan are not dismantled. There is a dire need for a comprehensive strategy to be employed at all levels and on the entire canvas of the war scenery. Tackling a patch here and a patch there will only prolong our agony and protract the war indefinitely.
LUBNA HAMEED Rawapindi
DAWN
