From The L.A. Times:The U.S. and its allies squandered an opportunity to cement alliances with tribal elders they regard as key to driving Islamic extremists out of havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and now face a long and costly effort to regain influence there, counter-terrorism officials and diplomats say.
The Pashtun maliks, or elders, wield enormous political and social power, especially in Pakistan's largely ungoverned tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. But Washington and its allies in Islamabad and Kabul have not made it a priority to forge alliances with them, despite evidence that Al Qaeda and the Taliban are growing stronger in their territories, these officials say.
Read more ....
My Comment: Afghanistan's anti-insurgency campaign appears to have no overall plan for success. The multiple groups from Nato and elsewhere are probably making the situation difficult to coordinate on the ground .... especially when it comes to influencing the tribal regions and santuaries in Western Pakistan.
Bottom line .... unless we have leadership that is able to coordinate an effective response against the Taliban and its Al Qaeda supporters, we are going to be stuck in this conflict for a very long time.
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