Crossfire War – TEHRAN WATCH – Central Asia Theatre: Tehran – Kabul – Islamabad – London/Brussels; Britain’s “go it alone policies” Undermine Allied Effort in Combating Taliban – Major Taliban Offensive Expected Next Month
Night Watch: MUSA QALA – “Even though British troops in Helmand are facing attacks from Pakistan based Taliban, London is willing to sacrifice that issue in exchange for getting ISI help on its home-based terrorist problem.” That is a quote from a senior European official based in Kabul and reflects the view of diplomats and Allies from NATO countries, which have contributed units in a desperate attempt to defeat a stronger Taliban that emerged last year after its initial in November 2001. After that defeat an article then mentioned Tehran may have found some of them useful and their reason is obvious, to make Afghanistan as much of a trap for NATO as Iraq has become for the lost alliance of London-Washington. [IRNA]
The ISI is Pakistan’s Interservices Intelligence and they have been assisting Britain in detecting terrorist plots by Pakistanis in Britain. That was the reason British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Islamabad in November and praised Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf. But European – US diplomats in Kabul have informed the Daily Telegraph that London’s MI6 cooperative relationship with the ISI has undermined NATO’s effort to confront the Taliban. London has been engaging in what has been termed its “go it alone policies” by making arbitrary peace deals with the Taliban and has refused to pressure Islamabad into no longer providing sanctuary for the Taliban’s leadership.
The town of Musa Qala, in Helmand province, 300 miles southwest of the capital Kabul, is the center of the latest truce arrangement that ended heavy fighting. But the Taliban are using the truce to recruit thousands of men in the next few weeks and to rearm for their expected major offensive next month and into the spring. Currently British Lt. General David Richards lead the 32,000 NATO force but he is to be replaced next month by U. S. Lt. General Dan MacNeil. General MacNeil is expected to end the truce arrangements that have been made by Gen. Richards.
London’s conflicting policy is leading the West into a defeat in an area that is a crossroads of strategic energy investments and projects.
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