Pakistan: Oh, by the way, we captured the Taliban’s number two to derail peace talks with Karzai

There’s a bizarre media narrative that somehow, simultaneously, Pakistan exercises huge amounts of control over the Taliban in Afghanistan while struggling constantly to repel the Taliban’s jihadist menace in the tribal areas across the border. I can’t tell who has more leverage over whom.

Coldwarrior could do an excellent job of answering these questions.

I think the reality of “ISI control over the Taliban” has many cracks in it.The ISI is certainly in partnership with the strongest elements of the Taliban like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET),Neo Taliban (headed by Mullah Mohammad Omar),
Haqqani network,and several others.

They have been partners for decades and have supported,funded,provided intelligence and arms to many jihadist groups such as al-qaeda:

Both Sirajuddin Haqqani and his father Jalaluddin Haqqani have been long-term assets of the ISI. They are both members of the ruling council of the Taliban, headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar. More importantly, Jalaluddin Haqqani, together with the ISI, has helped Osama bin Laden’s jihadi network in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1988,

This is why it is naive for some people to imply that “al-qaeda is who we should be fighting” or “it was only al-qaeda that attacked America”…..
Al-qaeda is only part of a major jihadist network that has many different interest…but one major goal…destroy the west.
ISI and these jihadist networks have very similar goals and have found a working relationship to achieve them.

There are other Taliban that the ISI cannot control.They have some similarities but these groups also consider the ISI and Pakistani government enemies since the 2007 raid on the Red Mosque. Some of these groups include”

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was born after the Lal Masjid raid (Red Mosque).
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ), an anti-Shia terrorist organization. the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM),

They claim that they do not want to fight against the Pakistani army or ISI, but the killing of their people in the Red Mosque have made them enemies.

So with so many elements of the Taliban in Pakistan,it is no wonder that the ISI/government cannot control all of them.They basically go with the strongest and eliminate the “rouge” tribes the best they can.

One thing they all have in common though is their war against NATO forces in Afghanistan.No matter the local disputes…they are united when it comes to killing Americans.

Either we can try to eliminate Pakistani influence in the country by bringing in India and going for broke in pushing out the Taliban,

This is what should be done.It is the exact opposite of what the Obama administration is doing.They have pushed India to the side and decided not to “defeat” the Taliban,but to weaken it and then go with “peace agreements”.

or we can basically give up and hand the country over to Pakistan in hopes that they can keep their Taliban proxy in line better than we can.

This is what it looks like we are doing:

US, allies plan $500m fund to woo Taliban
By Anwar Iqbal
Wednesday, 27 Jan, 2010
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/12-announcement-to-be-made-in-london-us,-allies-plan-$500m-fund-to-woo-taliban-710–bi-08

WASHINGTON: The United States and its allies are expected to set up a $500 million integration fund at a conference in London this week to lure Taliban fighters to join the political mainstream.

“We are going to go to London to affirm our international support for it,” said US special envoy Richard Holbrooke. “Money will be forthcoming for it. I can’t say how much. The Japanese are going to take the lead.”

Don’t know exactly how this turned out but this certainly exemplifies the Obama administration’s direction concerning Afghanistan.

The White House is working in conjunction with Karzi and the defacto man in charge of Pakistan,Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani,to make peace deals and basically turn Afghanistan into Pakistan II:

New Delhi evidently recognises that Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and his ISI chief are working overtime to get the Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, now based in Pakistan, to control southern Afghanistan through a deal they appear to be negotiating with a beleaguered Afghan President Hamid Karzai,

If this is our policy….we will leave Afghanistan stronger and deadlier than it was before we entered it in 2001.

Afghanistan and Pakistan will still be funding,training,and promoting terrorism just like they did before we invaded,except they will have more money and weapons along with better training.

I think this line sums it up quite well:

For the moment, Pakistan has the upper hand, because both the UK and US need it more than ever. Pakistan is playing an adroit diplomatic game of chicken with the US – and winning. Islamabad may be hopelessly dependent on Washington’s money, but that doesn’t stop it from refusing to give visas to US officials, refusing money that comes with ‘conditions’. Pakistan has made it clear it will not stop supporting the Afghan Taliban; there is absolutely no attempt to tackle al Qaida; and Mullah Omar’s Quetta Shura functions unimpeded. In short, it holds veto power over whether the Obama surge succeeds in Afghanistan. Washington, said an Indian official scornfully, is “kowtowing to Pakistan just like they did to China.”

Smart Power??????

Baxter Greene on August 23, 2010 at 9:02 PM

Nail hit on head.

Al Qaeda, more or less, is to Islam what the SS was to the Nazis. In WWII we didn’t just go after the SS.

Tav on August 23, 2010 at 9:44 PM

Great analogy.

Funny how people who understand History and are abreast of what is going on have no problem seeing this…..Obama administration….not so much.

Baxter Greene on August 23, 2010 at 10:43 PM