McClatchy: Why has U.S. allowed Taliban 'free rein' in Pakistan?

[babylonsister]

Why has U.S. allowed Taliban 'free rein' in Pakistan?

By Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — For seven years, the Bush administration has pursued al Qaida but done almost nothing to hunt down the Afghan Taliban leadership in its sanctuaries in Pakistan, and that's left Mullah Mohammad Omar and his deputies free to direct an escalating war against the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

The administration's decision, U.S. and NATO officials said, has allowed the Taliban to regroup, rearm and recruit at bases in southwestern Pakistan. Since the puritanical Islamic movement's resurgence began in early 2005, it's killed at least 626 U.S.-led NATO troops, 301 of them Americans, along with thousands of Afghans, and handed President-elect Barack Obama a growing guerrilla war with no end in sight.

Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest levels since 2001; the Taliban and other al Qaida-allied groups control large swaths of the south and east; NATO governments are reluctant to send more troops; and Afghan President Hamid Karzai faces an uncertain future amid fears that elections set for next year may have to be postponed.

Nevertheless, a U.S. defense official told McClatchy: "We have not seen any pressure on the Pakistanis" to crack down on Omar and his deputies and close their arms and recruiting networks. Like seven other U.S. and NATO officials who discussed the issue, he requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/55947.html

[geckosfeet]

1. Ddin't you hear. The bUsh/cheNeys paid Pakistan billions to "take care of this".

They are out allies in the war on terror. It may appear that they are allowing the Taliban free reign but in fact you simply don't understand.

on edit - One must wonder whether the administration entered into this relationship with the Pakistani government expecting that Pakistan would help to further US interests against their own interests. Didn't the billion$ dumped into Pakistan not convince them to betray their cultural and national identity? :sarcasm: Or, did the bUsh/chEney simply want a conduit of information to keep tabs on the players?

In any case, it is miserably failed policy.

[Edweird]

2. Because our current adminstration couldn't pour piss out of a boot if

the instructions were on the heel.