So far, there is fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan in regards to fighting the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other Islamic insurgents. Pakistan is having an extremely difficult time fighting against the Taliban on its side of the border. It is believed that the Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is hiding out in the northwestern mountains of Pakistan.
On top of that, Pakistan’s military and police force are overwhelmed in that area. It makes things worse as Pakistan shifted its military troops towards the Indian border. Many Pakistani police officers have resigned from the force out of fear of being kidnapped and executed by the Taliban. The leader of the Taliban in Pakistan was also blamed for the death of then Pakistan People’s Party leader and former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007.
With Pakistan shifting its troops, it makes things harder for US and coalition troops who are fighting on the Afghan side of the border. Today, a recent study from the United States Institute of Peace said that US goals in Afghanistan were short-term and unrealistic. The study was released at a conference. It is said that US Army General David Petraeus attended the conference.
Petraeus said that in order to win in Afghanistan, the following things need to be recognized: the relationship with Pakistan, the neighborhoods of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan’s financial limitations.
“There has been nothing easy about Afghanistan, indeed nearly every aspect has been hard and that will continue to be the case in 2009 and the years beyond,” Petraeus said in addressing the US Institute of Peace.
Petraeus said that the problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan have merged into one single problem. However, this problem can be merged with tensions between Pakistan and India. That is due to the brutal Mumbai Massacre that took place in late-November of 2008.