The USG Open Source Center translates an article from an opposition Afghanistan newspaper alleging that Washington it deploying Pakistani tribal levies against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
‘USA trying to use Pakistani insurgents against Al-Qa’idah – Afghan paper
Cheragh (Light)
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Document Type: OSC Translated Excerpt
USA trying to use Pakistani insurgents against Al-Qa’idah – Afghan paper
Excerpt from article, “Waziristan, a base for movement of Taleban, Al-Qa’idah”, by independent Afghan newspaper Cheragh on 6 December
As insurgents in the Pakistani tribal areas increase their attacks on the Pakistani government, there have been various discussions about the relations between the White House and the extremist groups. In line with this, a number of experts believe that the White House has been secretly provoking these groups to fight Al-Qa’idah. This comes at a time when there have been close relations between Al-Qa’idah and the insurgents in the tribal areas for some time… (ellipses as published)
Waziristan has become a base for the movements of the extremists. Actually, who are these extremists? How are they explained? What are the agreements and disagreements between the extremists and Al-Qa’idah and the Taleban? A more important issue are the relations between the extremist groups and the United States of America.
When the White House attacked Afghanistan in 2001 and occupied this country, it dispersed the Taleban and Al-Qa’idah in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. In the second phase, it maintained direct contacts with the senior leaders of this group. Therefore, America has been using Al-Qa’idah as a tool since the symbolic and self-made event on 11 September 2001.
In line with a revealed document, US forces were about to discover the hideout of Usamah Bin-Ladin in 2005, Donald Rumsfeld, the former US secretary of defence, stopped them (US forces) from arresting him.
Everyone knows that Bin-Ladin, Ayman Al-Zawahiri and other Al-Qa’idah leaders manage to continue their ominous lives thanks to direct support from a number of governments. However, there is an issue which should not be forgotten. The strengthening of the Al-Qa’idah which is not part of the US-backed Al-Qa’idah, has caused panic and dissatisfied the new US conservatives. They have expressed their concerns in different ways, in particular at a time when the Taleban have been capturing important parts of Afghanistan and the NATO occupiers have failed to eliminate them. Actually, how can America untie the knot which it tied itself? The Taleban, Al-Qa’idah and the insurgents in the Pakistani tribal areas have more things in common than things that separate them.
A US newspaper has recently revealed a secret US army document, according to which America has been cooperating fully with the leaders of the tribal insurgents in Pakistan under the pretext of fighting Al-Qa’idah.
According to what the New York Times has claimed, America has relations with insurgent groups located in the tribal areas in order to make them fight the Taleban and Al-Qa’idah as part of its measures to improve security in Pakistan.
According to the officials of the Pentagon or the US Secretary of Defence, this cooperation has not been just in the financial field, America is also giving military training to the Pakistani tribes. In view of this, we will face a kind of double-standards in the policies of America in Pakistan. However, America does not have a military presence in Pakistan, but with the revelation of this document, it was specified that a number of US militarists are present in that country to train the Pakistani tribes.
This secret document was revealed at a time when, according to US officials, the Pakistani tribal areas had become a safe haven for Al-Qa’idah and the Taleban, and Al-Qa’idah has been organizing its troops in these regions to carry out terrorist activities in different countries. On the other hand, the Pakistani tribal areas cooperate with the Taleban and Al-Qa’idah. In view of this, what does the financial and military assistance of the USA to the Pakistani tribal areas mean?
This issue becomes more important if we consider the growing tension between the Musharraf administration and the Pakistani tribal areas. The Pakistani security forces have always clashed with these tribes, and the military activities of the Pakistani tribes have been counted as one of the current challenges facing security in Pakistan.
It is necessary to mention two important points regarding the New York Times report:
1. In view of the direct relations between the Taleban, Al-Qa’idah and the insurgents of the Pakistani tribal areas, the financial assistance of America to the tribal groups aimed at suppressing the Taleban is useless. As it was mentioned, we cannot design a specific boundary for the extremist groups within the Indian subcontinent. This process has developed following the collapse of the Taleban. America might be assisting the tribal areas for one reason, and this is the use of its assistance by the Taleban and Al-Qa’idah. The use of Al-Qa’idah and its allies in Iraq as a tool by America shows the huge possibility behind this.
America has been trying to eliminate Al-Qa’idah, which is not supported by Washington. Therefore, it is ready to support the forces within the strongholds of Al-Qa’idah, the Taleban and the Pakistani tribal areas against the extremist groups, which are not acting based on US demands.
2. There is a direct link between the activities of the Taleban in Afghanistan and the movement of insurgents from the Pakistani tribal areas. In line with this, movements in the tribal areas increase to the extent that Taleban activities in Afghanistan increase.
(Passage omitted: Senlis Council’s office in Afghanistan was closed because it wanted to legalize poppy cultivation; it claimed in recent report that Taleban fighters are present in more than 50 per cent of Afghanistan)
The USA is only thinking about expanding its own power. Following 9/11, George W Bush has tried to explain the relations between Al-Qa’idah and Washington. Meanwhile, the Islamabad government has become confused, because of the secret relations between the Taleban and Washington.
(Description of Source: Kabul Cheragh (Light) in Dari — Eight-page independent daily, publishes political, social and cultural articles; critical of the transitional government)
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