 The Pakistan government, Western and Pakistani security officials are quoted as saying, is losing the war against “emboldened insurgent forces.” A report filed from Peshawar and appearing in the Washington Post on Wednesday claims that the depth of the problem has become clear only in recent months, as regional peace deals have collapsed and the government has deferred developing a new strategy to defeat insurgents until the political crisis involving President Pervez Musharraf is resolved.
| I wouldn't say it's only become clear in recent months. We've been aware of it all along here at Rantburg, and as far as I know none of us is psychic except for Frank G. Though I think RD can levitate, so I might be wrong... |
Military officials say the insurgents have enhanced their ability to threaten not only Pakistan, but the US and Europe as well.
| Pakistain's been providing the muscle for AQ from the first. What surprises me is how much of the brains they're supplying. For the most part, it's not top quality gray matter, which accounts for the amount of success we in the West have had. |
Military pulling back: “They’ve had a chance to regroup and reorganise,” according to an unnamed Western military official in Pakistan. “They’re well equipped. They’re clearly getting training from somewhere.
| AQ is capable of training the locals, mostly to one-shot standards, but I'm sure the actual bright boys — there will be a few, despite the locals' love of inbreeding — are being brought along for more complicated tasks, too. |
"And they’re using more and more advanced tactics.” The Pakistan military is said to be considering pulling back from the fight, at least partially, because of mounting losses.
| I think the Pak military's been demonstrated to be not very good at much besides feathering their own nests. Certainly they're not up to the standards of the Afghan army. By this point the Indians probably have them so far outclassed as to rule out any real contest not involving nukes. |
A Pakistani official told the newspaper, “[Pakistani security forces] are not trained for a counterinsurgency. It’s not their number one priority. It’s not even their number two priority. These are the reasons things aren’t going their way.”
| This, despite the fact that their country's crawling with insurgents of one stripe or another. That tells me the Pak officer corps is pretty useless. I know they don't feel shame like we do - they've demonstrated that often enough, too - but apparently they don't feel it at all, under any circumstances. |
New strategy unlikely: Pakistani military officials concede they are scratching their turbans and searching for a new strategy now that the old one has gone awry. But with Gen Musharraf struggling to stay in office and expected to soon step down as army chief, no decisions are likely until the question of who is to rule Pakistan is settled.
| It's really important that the right person's standing at the helm when the ship goes down. |
The main criticism of the deals, both in Pakistan and in the West, had been that they gave Al Qaeda and the Taliban sanctuary in which to train, plot and launch attacks.
| No! Reeeeeeeally? Who'da ever guessed that? Never saw that one coming, did we? |
Now, security experts say Pakistan is paying the price for not confronting the problem head-on, with insurgent groups capitalising on their newfound strength.
| We may have mentioned the principle of "pay me now, pay me later" here a time or two in the past... |
The surrender of 250 troops to the insurgents without firing a bullet has called into question the armyÂ’s commitment to fighting an unpopular war that requires Pakistanis to kill their countrymen.
| ... but allows their countrymen to kill Pakistanis. My mind's not built for that sort of logic. |
It has also exposed the army to ridicule, says the report.
| Really? You mean they do feel shame? Or do they just accept the ridicule as their due and kind of vaguely regret being ridiculous? |
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