US President Donald Trump’s decision to intensify US involvement in Afghanistan has been met with frustration in Pakistan but officials in Afghanistan widely welcomed the new war plan and see it as a step in the right direction.
Afghan officials feel this will put more pressure on militant groups and countries that government believes are harboring insurgents, particularly the Taliban.
But a number of Pakistani military officials have said that the new war strategy is not something new.
These officials claimed that Pakistan is not providing safe havens to terrorists and have implied that Trump needs to provide evidence to this effect.
“We realized that negotiations with the terrorists will not yield an outcome, therefore we preferred to launch operations in tribal areas. Today no terrorists are present anywhere in Pakistan,” said former Pakistani military officer Assad Munir.
“If Trump and his aides believe that terrorists have hideouts here (in Pakistan), then he should bring evidence to prove it.”
2014 US Troop Withdrawal Was a Mistake
During a TOLOnews debate with Pakistani analysts on Tuesday, former Afghan army chief of staff Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi said the withdrawal of international troops in 2014 from Afghanistan fueled the enemy’s war machine and led to them intensifying the war.
“The US decision of evacuating its troops from Afghanistan in 2014 was wrong, because the Afghan soldiers were continuing their military training in those days and the American forces were supporting Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism,” Karimi said.
“The withdrawal of the international community from Afghanistan was followed by some disappointments. The Afghan security forces were ready to defend the country but the enemy’s morale was strengthening because of the withdrawal.”
Other Pakistani politician said in the debate that in the new strategy, President Trump has not designated Pakistan officially as state sponsor of terrorism and that the he did not announce a possible aid cut to Islamabad.
“We failed to defeat terrorism in our country. We failed to bring reforms in our madrasas (religious schools). We should be realistic,” said Afrasyab Khatak, chairman of Pakistan’s Awami Milli Party. “I think Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy is not working properly and the support to the Taliban is not right; it was wrong even if Trump had not mention it.”
On the ground, Trump’s announcement of adding to the number of US forces in Afghanistan within the framework of the new war strategy has sparked hope and optimism among Afghans who are paying heavy prices on a daily basis in the campaign against insurgency.