Hardnews Exclusive: Is Operation Moshtarak for real?

The much hyped military operation in Helmand has seen the international forces give ample notice to the Taliban fighters to slip away and bide their time till it is time for US troops to return home
Shrinivasrao S. Sohoni

Kabul: Situated in southwest Afghanistan, with Nimroz and Farah Provinces to its west, Ghor and Daykundi to the north, Uruzgan and Kandahar to the east and Pakistan's Balochistan province to its south, Helmand is country's largest province - with an area of about 28,000 square miles and a population, mainly Pashtun, of about 1.2 millions.  Irrigated by the river Helmand flowing across it from north-east to south west, and by the Bagha, Darvishan and Shamlan canal schemes and numerous traditional distributaries, Helmand in an earlier period had a flourishing rural economy based on agriculture, horticulture and fisheries. Today Poppy is Helmand's main crop and if the province were an independent country it would be the world's largest producer of opium and heroin. Helmand supplies an estimated 90% of heroin consumed in Europe. Helmand is a crucible in which Taliban is sustained by the evil nexus that exists between narcotics, terrorism, illicit arms and Wahabi Islam. This incendiary mix has trapped the people of the entire region in an unending cycle of conflict, backwardness and degradation.

The US-led ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) equipped with awesome weaponry has the appearance of a powerful 85,795-strong armed force from 43 countries, prominent contingents being from the US (47,085), UK (9500), Germany (4415), France(3750), Italy, (3150), Canada (2830), Holland (1940), Turkey (1755), Australia (1550) and Spain (1070). However, after eight years of war, it is clear that the ISAF is far from suppressing the insurgency which intelligence analysts have assessed is growing and becoming more of a menace than ever before. In part, this failure is due to the disparate coordination and commitment in the 43 country contingents, and there being 43 different Rules of Engagement. The Turkish contingent e.g. is not to engage in active combat; Germans are to open fire only if attacked; and French avoid any risky movement.)

The main reason for failure is however the strategic, tactical, financial and logistic support that the Taliban enjoys from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the safe haven available in Pakistan, and the strategy adopted by Al Qaeda and the ISI: of indoctrination, infiltration and use of Improvised Explosive Devices, suicide bombing, and funding through the narcotics trade. Collateral casualties and damage caused by ISAF operations have also contributed to public anger and alienation and fuelled Taliban propaganda in a land where revenge is a binding matter of honor.

The base of the Taliban is in Pakistan - where the Pakistan security establishment supports Taliban recruitment, training, indoctrination, equipment, transport, operational guidance, ordnance, propaganda aid, medical cover and safe haven facility. The US is pouring billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan. Under the Kerry-Luger Bill alone, Pakistan stands to get 7.5 billion USD i.e.  Rs 300,000 crores. But even under severe pressure from US, Pakistan has refused to attack Taliban or Lashkar-e- Taiyaba - as these are its assets against Afghanistan on the one hand and India on the other. A clue to the Pakistani strategic thinking is in Pakistan's recently announced Education Policy 2010-2020 which declares full State support for madrassa education (funded mainly by Saudi Arabia) spreading Wahabi extreme fundamentalist Islam, the concept of global jehad and ambition for world domination through conquest.