Counterterrorism at the expense of counterinsurgency will doom Afghanistan and Pakistan

The Long War Journal ^ | 24 September 2009 | Bill Roggio

[batter]

US military and intelligence officials are concerned that a proposed alternative plan to ramp up cross-border attacks in Pakistan and rapidly build the Afghan security forces in lieu of a comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy may take hold and lead to a catastrophic failure in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This alternative strategy, which was proposed by Vice President Joe Biden and reported in The New York Times, calls for reducing the US military mission in Afghanistan and ramping up airstrikes and covert raids against the al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

"Rather than trying to protect the Afghan population from the Taliban, American forces would concentrate on strikes against Qaeda cells, primarily in Pakistan, using special forces, Predator missile attacks and other surgical tactics," The New York Times reported. "The Americans would accelerate training of Afghan forces and provide support as they took the lead against the Taliban. But the emphasis would shift to Pakistan."

But US military and intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal warned that a strict focus on a counterterrorism mission concentrating on al Qaeda's leaders in Pakistan would cede the ground in Afghanistan to both the Taliban and al Qaeda and would have only a limited impact on al Qaeda's leadership.

A ramped up program of cross-border strikes into Pakistan would also likely lead to the destabilization of Pakistan's government and a possible revolt within the Pakistani military and intelligence services. And, a strategy that focuses heavily on counterterrorism tactics such as unmanned strikes and night raids would only play into the propaganda message of al Qaeda and the Taliban.

[batter]

Read the entire article. Pray Obama makes the right decision.

[2banana]

We are heading down the same path as in Vietnam...

[jwparkerjr]

re: This alternative strategy, which was proposed by Vice President Joe Biden

Well, that certainly tells me a lot about the prospect of success for the plan! Say no more.

Next idea.

[AmericanVictory]

You mean you really think that the Demorat party is selling out our allies again, even without Ted? Could that be because the Ci-cago mob only knows how to attack our people and not the other side in the actual war we are in?

[RobertoinAL]

Pakistan is the Cambodia of the Afghan War.