Border Tensions Between Afghanistan And Pakistan Results In The Border Being Closed And Troops Deployed

IBTimes: Pakistan, Afghanistan deploy tanks, troops at border crossing over fencing dispute

Tensions over fencing disputes along the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan have led to both sides deploying tanks and troops in the region in recent days. The border has remained closed for the last three days due to tensions, leaving thousands stranded on both sides, according to local media.

The dispute began when Pakistan started fencing some parts of the border to prevent illegal crossings, but Afghanistan objected to the move. Negotiators from both sides reportedly held a meeting to resolve the issue on Friday, but were unable to break the deadlock.

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WNU Editor: The border is now open .... Pakistan and Afghanistan have reopened a major border crossing that was closed for three days over Pakistan's construction of a fence near the disputed frontier (Daily Reporter) .... but if they cannot agree to where a fence should be put, how can they then work together to defeat the Taliban. It looks like they cannot.

More News On The Border Tensions Between Afghanistan And Pakistan

More troops deployed along Torkham as Pak-Afghan tensions escalates -- Khaama Press
Border fencing escalates Pakistan-Afghanistan tension -- AL Jazeera
Pakistan, Afghanistan deploy tanks as fencing dispute escalates -- DAWN
Pakistan Closes Main Border Crossing With Afghanistan -- VOA

Pakistan's Afghan Border Remains The Most Dangerous Place In The World

Photo: Mike Mullen said instability in the border region was his biggest worry.

Mullen Focuses On Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Havens -- BBC

The top US military officer has said the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan is still the world's most dangerous area, calling it the epicentre of terrorism.

In a BBC interview Adm Mike Mullen again called on Pakistan to end "safe havens" there.

Adm Mullen has been visiting US bases in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

The trip could be Adm Mullen's last to the region before he retires as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

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My Comment: More dangerous than Somalia?

Is The U.S. Sabotaging Pakistan's War Against The Taliban?

Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Tariq Majid talks with Britain’s armed forces chief Jock Stirrup. - AFP photo

Pakistan Condemns US For Abandoning Afghan Checkpoints -- The Telegraph

American military leaders have been accused of undermining Pakistan's offensive against the Taliban by abandoning Afghan border checkpoints.

Islamabad fears the move will allow Taliban fighters to cross into South Waziristan to fight against them.

Gen Ashfaq Kayani, Pakistan's chief of army staff, complained about the lack of co-operation when he met General David Petraeus, the United States' chief of Central Command on Monday it has emerged.

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Update: Pakistan urges Nato to seal Afghan border -- Dawn

My Comment: I doubt that the U.S./Nato alliance is undermining Pakistan's offensive against the Taliban, but I do find it strange that U.S. and allied forces withdrew from the border area a few weeks before Pakistan started this offensive. My "spidey" sense is telling me that there is a lot more happening here than what they are telling us.

Afghan, U.S., Pakistan Cooperation On The Border

Pakistan plans to seal parts of its border in an effort to stem incursions into Afghanistan by Taliban militants. Anjum Naveed/Associated Press (Photo from New York Times)

Afghanistan, Pakistan, US Military Forces Cooperate
In Border Region -- Voice Of America

Mutual distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan has hampered efforts to combat terrorism along their common border. That has led to calls for joint patrols, along with international troops. While that has yet to happen, Afghan and Pakistani soldiers, along with U.S. forces, are working and living alongside each other in a new military facility in the Khyber Pass on the Afghan side of the border. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman was given a rare look inside the first Joint Border Coordination Center and files this report.

It is one of the world's most strategically important and porous borders. Smugglers and terrorists can cross it at more than 250 points - some in rugged mountainous terrain, virtually impossible for Afghanistan or Pakistan to adequately monitor.

This lawless area, for years, has been home to al-Qaida, Taliban and other insurgents intent on undermining the governments on both sides of the border, as well as attacking the 70,000 international troops in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: Both countries are suffering from the cancer of The Taliban and Al Qaeda.They are now focused on who the more dangerous enemy is.

Pakistan Afghanistan Relations -- Pakistan's Zardari Starts Presidency With Karzai Olive Branch

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari (R), accompanied by his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, holds a news conference after his swearing-in ceremony in Islamabad September 9, 2008. (Mian Khursheed/Reuters)

From The Guardian:

Asif Ali Zardari put the "war on terror" at the top of his agenda and signalled a thaw in relations with Afghanistan by having its leader, Hamid Karzai, at his inauguration yesterday as president of Pakistan.

In a short but emotional ceremony in the presidential palace in Islamabad, Zardari took the oath of office with a portrait of his assassinated wife, Benazir Bhutto, on one side and a picture of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first elected leader, on the other. Their three children - Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asifa - had flown into the country for the event and sat in the front row.

Following Pervez Musharraf's resignation last month, Zardari's swearing-in ceremony formally ended nine years of military rule. It raised hopes among investors and foreign allies led by the United States that it would bring a degree of stability after months of political turmoil and militant violence.

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My Comment: Pakistan will now have to convert words into action. This meeting is a good start .... I am also receiving the impression that a green light has been given for more Predator and special ops involvement for the hunt of Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists in Pakistan itself. I guess time will tell.

Heavy Fighting In The Tribal Regions Of Pakistan

Pakistan Says 460 Militants, 22 Troops Killed In Fighting-- Yahoo News/AFP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - Pakistan's interior ministry chief said Friday that over 460 Islamic militants and 22 soldiers have been killed in more than a week of fighting in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

More than 3,000 armed militants, most of them foreigners, are taking part in the clashes in the troubled Bajaur tribal region, said Rehman Malik, the prime minister's advisor on interior matters.

Pakistan sent security forces backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets into Bajaur last week amid intense pressure from the United States to curb militants launching attacks in Afghanistan.

"Extremists wanted to establish their hold in Bajaur and the government had to take action," Malik told a news conference in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

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More News On Pakistan's Tribal Regions

Official: 460 militants, 22 troops die in Pakistan -- Yahoo News/AP
460 Insurgents Killed in 10 Days of Pakistan Fighting -- FOX News
Taliban, Pakistan Army Battle Over Swat Valley -- NPR
Taliban leader in Bajaur rumored killed in Pakistani strikes -- Long War Journal
al-Qaeda Fighting Alongside Taliban In Bajaur, May Indicate A Prime al-Qaeda Enclave Has Been Discovered -- Strata-Shere
Exodus In Mohmand Agency Might Indicate al-Qaeda Presence -- Strata-Sphere
Violence in NW Pakistan triggers exodus -- Reuters
Thousands flee Pakistan tribal belt -- MWC News
Taliban, Al Qaeda Unchecked in Pakistan -- Washington Independent
Al-Qaeda Said to Use Regional Strife to Tighten Grip in Pakistan -- Washington Post
Pakistan's Musharraf to resign as president: reports -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Pakistan rupee falls to new low -- BBC News

My Comment: Judging by the heavy fighting and a large body count (so they say) of foreign fighters, this area must be a crucial and important area for Al Qaeda. The fact that the civilian population is now fleeing out of the region will make targeting these individuals easier. Last month's visit to Washington by the new Pakistan PM is now producing dividends. More importantly there is now a recognition from the Pak Gov't that the Al Qaeda and Taliban groups who are in this region are a strategic threat to Pakistan..

Will the Pakistani Army keep up with this intensity of attack .... I guess we will know in the next few weeks.

U.S. Mulls Bigger Military Forays Into Pakistan

In this April 19, 2008 file photo, U.S. soldiers of 101st Airborne Division patrol in Mandozai, in Khost province, Afghanistan. Top officials in the Bush administration are pressing the president to direct U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be more aggressive in pursuing militants into Pakistan on foot as part of a proposed radical shift in its regional Counterterrorism strategy, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

From MSNBC:

Plan aims to let troops hit al-Qaida, Taliban fighters near Afghan border

WASHINGTON - Top Bush administration officials are urging the president to direct U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be more aggressive in pursuing militants into Pakistan on foot as part of a proposed radical shift in its regional counterterrorism strategy, The Associated Press has learned.

Senior intelligence and military aides want President Bush to give American soldiers greater flexibility to operate against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters who cross the border from Pakistan's lawless tribal border area to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan, officials say.

The plan could include sending U.S. special forces teams, temporarily assigned to the CIA, into the tribal areas to hit high-value targets, according to an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the plan.

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More News On The War In The Pakistan Tribal Areas

US weighs stepped-up military forays into Pakistan -- AP
US strategy would let troops chase militants into Pakistan -- The Herald
US weighs military forays into Pakistan -- Daily Times
U.S. weighs stepped-up military forays into Pakistan -- USA Today
US Weighs Stepped-up Military Forays Into Pakistan -- ABC News
US Considers New Pakistan Effort -- Time Magazine

My Comment: I am just trying to figure out why it has taken Nato and U.S. forces this long to make the decision to go in ands take out enemies. This is where Al Qaeda's leadership is mostly hiding .... I ma sure the American public wants these murderers to be brought to justice.
If another country is dragging their feet .... it has to be made clear that this is unacceptable to us, and instead of providing funds and weapon systems .... an alternative means of persuasion must be applied.

Unfortunately, our political leadership have no desire to rock this boat.

Is the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Becoming a Free-Fire Zone?

A 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment Soldier provides overwatch on an Afghan
valley during Operation Verendrye near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

From World Politics Review:

In recent months, Pakistan's new leaders have been insisting that U.S. forces were not conducting covert operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan and that their government would never allow such missions. They have insisted that Pakistani regular troops and paramilitary forces could adequately deal with the insurgents and any high-value terrorist targets.

According to a variety of sources, however, U.S. military forces, though not permanently based in Pakistan, continue to conduct military attacks from Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan's loosely governed northwestern territories.

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My Comment: The hierarchy and the support structures for the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies resides in these regions. They will be a target regardless of what anyone may say or think.

War Heating Up On The Pakistan/Afghan Boder Region

From Strata-Sphere:

Something is definitely still brewing or boiling in the lawless regions of Pakistan along the Afghan border. It seems fighting has broken out in the Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) between Islamo Fascist militants and local tribes along a key transportation line between Afghanistan and Pakistan:

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As for NATO and the West, indecision and a lack of direction are still plaguing our forces and allies in Afghanistan:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - More than six years after the September 11 attacks, the United States still does not have a coherent plan to destroy a key staging area for terrorist attacks into the country, according to an independent government watchdog.

There is "no comprehensive plan" to destroy the terrorist threat and close down the safe haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), said the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The vast, impoverished, mountainous and unpoliced FATA belt shares a border with Afghanistan and is regarded by Washington as a key sanctuary for top terrorists who masterminded the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

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My Comment: This is where many of the leaders of Al Qaeda are probably hiding. As the war in Iraq starts to tone down, expect a shift in involvement and participation of Western governments and forces to this part of the world.

Update: “U.S. Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy Terrorist Threat and Close Safe Haven in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas” - New Congressional report

Update 2: GAO: Terrorists operating freely on Pakistan border -- Yahoo News