Thursday, March 26, 2009

Pakistan's friends in low places...

According to both American officials and Afghanistan's intelligence sources, it appears that Pakistan is still directly supporting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

Apparently, the support provided by Pakistan's foreign intelligence agency includes money, supplies, and some good old-fashioned know-how to help the Taliban wreak havoc on stability in the region. A prime example of this havoc, of course, is the attack that killed 10 police officers today.

Americans have been saying for a long time that the Pakistani government hasn't exactly been fully upfront about its ties with the Taliban. Still, this report comes at a pretty inopportune time for President Obama, as he is about to announce a new plan for the war in Afghanistan that features heightened cooperation with the Pakistan.

Let's see if President Obama can find a way to pressure Pakistani leaders into stopping support for insurgents without making them angry and jeopardizing our entire mission. Maybe it's pessimistic, but I expect that the United States will just have to keep fighting the war and hoping that Pakistani support isn't enough to make much of a difference.

No comments: