Gov't agencies, NGA, and the like exist to point out areas of concern.....You cherry picking only the negatives sans any reasonable context speaks volumes about you (not well).
Furthermore, your notion that we should have completely removed AQ and their mimics in less than 5 years is absurd. You simply do not understand COIN nor DA CT OPs
Lastly, understand that certain times specific rhetoric is used for very specific reasons.....(think "safe-haven")
Reality is what has been accomplished in Stan in less than 5 years is damn impressive. We have literally removed Stan from the dark ages toward the process of joining the modern day world....with a minimal loss of life - Understand, wargammers were talking 5,000 - 15,000 min U.S. casualty figures for the removal of the Taliban Gov't...pre-war).
Our casualty figures aren't even close to those suggested numbers -
Bottom line regarding the Pak border regions (where Sr. AQ HVTs, UBL and Zawahiri have eked out their survival) is is in a sh*t part of the world and an even sh*tter area to operate in or to bring progress to....(and they know it and choose this area because of such)
Do we need the Pak Gov't to do more? Yes (where they can).
The situation can be frustrating, sure. So what! We have to be adults and deal with it....We are making progress and have been (we've killed a number of HVTs within these regions).
The concept of putting more of both (U.S. Guns and butter) into these regions is exactly the way to go. Guns at those we want dead...and butter to those who get out of our way...
It’s kind of funny that you should call my pointing out of the Al Qaeda safe haven in Pakistan “cherry picking.” The last time I checked, we attacked Afghanistan for the express purpose of REMOVING a safe haven that existed. The primary target is still active. That’s no cherry picking. It’s more like the elephant in the room.
You hire an exterminator to clean out a termite’s nest in your basement. He works for a few months and says - Hey I’ve put in a new pool table, painted the walls with your team’s colors and laid out a fresh coat of paint but you still have a nest down there.
Would you pay the fella? Neither would I.