Pakistan Army needs more help for counterinsurgency efforts: Britain
Pakistan Friday, March 20th, 2009LAHORE: Britain on Thursday said that the top military goals in Afghanistan over the next three to five years must include attacking command-and-control structure of Al Qaeda and other extremist groups in Pakistan.
The Washington Post quoted British Defense Minister John Hutton as saying that the focus must also be on stemming the flow of the Taliban from Pakistan across the border into Afghanistan.
“The Taliban and Al Qaeda have got to know there is no safe haven. Pakistan’s military needs more help developing capabilities in intelligence-gathering, thwarting roadside bombs and building counterinsurgency efforts,” Hutton was quoted.
He said the Taliban and insurgents allegedly coming from Pakistan were focusing their attacks in southern Afghan province of Helmand, where around 9,000 British troops are deployed. Hutton said the result had been a stalemate in Helmand, which he termed “not good enough”.
The British minister said the insurgents looked “to outlast us” by awaiting the departure of foreign troops, but said new United Sates deployments would make “a very significant difference”.
He said British forces in Helmand would continue to focus on population centers, while the additional US troops would extend the reach of the coalition throughout the province, which borders Pakistan, Washington Times reported.
On a question on initiatives to expand Afghan police forces rapidly by providing training to local militias drawn from tribes, Hutton said the work must be undertaken carefully.
“Generating more local police is vital to providing an alternative to insurgents, because in some areas the Taliban actually do provide security,” the British minister said.
Hutton said efforts to negotiate a reconciliation deal with the Taliban were important, but stressed the need for negotiating from a “position of strength”. – Daily Times
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on Mar 20 2009. Filed under