It is a delicate moment in the political history of Pakistan. The U.S. must tread carefully in dealing with terrorist threats in the region if there is to be any hope of ultimately neutralizing them.
The recent U.S. cross-border strikes into Pakistan’s territory have ignited anger and threats of reprisal from the fragile democracy.
The raids are intended to root out insurgents destabilizing the region who are, at the very least, sympathetic to those behind the 9/11 attacks. However, the effect may be to create more turbulence in a country that cannot sustain it.
The U.S. must work harder to forge cooperative alliances with the newly formed Pakistani government and better use proposed U.S. aid as leverage for such cooperation.
Controlling the lawless border region, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, is crucial to tamping down terrorist activity in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The devastating truck bombing last Saturday of a Marriott hotel in Islamabad, which claimed 60 lives, is thought to have been carried out by insurgents retaliating against military action in the tribal area.
It’s encouraging that Pakistani politicians and the military have stood firm in the wake of the bombing, vowing to continue to apply pressure in the FATA.
It’s crucial that the U.S. be wise and subtle in how it supports these efforts and others, since U.S. aggression in the region is perceived by the Pakistani public as being as much a threat as Islamic militants.
A highly publicized U.S. raid into Pakistani territory earlier this month that claimed as many as 20 civilian lives served to focus Pakistani anger over U.S. operations in the region.
Three helicopters carrying U.S. Special Operations forces and Afghan troops flew into a village and soldiers are said to have opened fire on villagers. The governor of the region called the attack a “direct assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty” and called for retaliation.
U.S. officials have declined to comment about the raid, but the Bush administration has become increasingly concerned about what appears to be a reluctance on the part of the Pakistani government to squelch the Taliban in the tribal region.
That region, which borders Afghanistan, is strategically important because it harbors a growing number of insurgents who use it as a home base for attacks against Afghanistan. There has long been speculation that Osama bin Laden is hiding there.
Afghan government leaders have proposed a joint military force — coalition and Pakistani — that would have the power to work on both sides of the border in the tribal region. Although it has received an initial cool reception in Pakistan, it’s an idea that is worth exploring.
It’s important that the U.S. work hard to convince Pakistani leaders that the fight against terrorism isn’t just a U.S. mission, but one that is necessary for the survival of Pakistan’s democracy.
