Washington to help Pak army fight threat of IEDs
In a bid to counter improvised explosive devices (IED) blasts, the US Department of Defence’s Joint Improvised Explosives Devices Defeat Organisation (JIEDDO) Director Lt Gen Michael Barbero announced that the US has agreed to develop a framework of cooperation with the Pakistani military.
Speaking at an event at the Atlantic Council, Gen Barbero said that after Afghanistan, Pakistan has witnessed the most IED blasts. The director added that in the past two years there has been a substantial increase in IED blasts, with 16,000 just taking place in 2011, whereas June 2012 has seen a record surge compared to previous years. He said, however, that casualties from IEDs have decreased.
The related graph explains the number of IED blasts in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Interestingly, there is a marginal difference between the number of blasts and the death toll in Pakistan. On the other hand, the gap between the death toll and the number of blasts in Afghanistan is substantially large.
When commenting on Pakistan, Gen Barbero said that the US is prepared to provide training and equipment to Pakistan to help counter IEDs, adding that some equipment has already been transferred to the country.
The JIEDDO director, who met Interior Minister Rehman Malik in Washington last month, said that Pakistan has developed a national strategy to counter IEDs, but it needs resources for effective implementation of the plan.
“This (IEDs) is a mutual threat,” said Gen Barbero. “We must cooperate to go after both, the money and networks in Pakistan that threaten the Pakistani military and Nato.”
He added that there is a dire need for the US and Pakistan to move beyond mere discussion and to co-operate over the issue.
Chemical composition
“[Up to] 84% of IEDs in Afghanistan are homemade,” the JIEDDO Director pointed out, adding that more than 59% are ammonium nitrate-based.
Gen Barbero said that the US has also seen potassium chlorate, used in manufacturing matches, being used by the Haqqani network in Regional Command East in Afghanistan for IEDs, a material that comes
from Pakistan.
He informed that the US is also talking to the fertilizer industry on the issue of IEDs.
In response to a question, he said that even though Pakistan had taken steps like changing bags and adding numbers to them, it didn’t bring a change in the amount of fertiliser entering Afghanistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2012.
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The U.S. and Pakistan are two partner nations that are committed to bringing and peace and stability to the region. We’ve always said that we cannot have a stable region without a stable Pakistan. Pakistan has suffered greatly in recent times due to terrorism. We have common enemies that are working against our efforts to stabilize the region. It’s important for us to build on our improving relationship and work together to negate the common threat. We echo what George E. Little, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said recently: “We believe that the Pakistani government shares our view that terrorists threaten both countries, both Pakistan and the United States. Scores of Pakistanis have regrettably been killed by terrorists inside Pakistan. We, of course, have suffered losses as well, inside Pakistan and elsewhere, from al-Qaeda and from other terrorist groups operating along the Afghan-Pakistan border. So we have common cause with the Pakistanis. We're working closely with the Pakistanis on the counterterrorism issue, and we will continue to do so.”
everything shud be solved through mutual cooperation
Superficial article which ignores the longstanding dispute between the USA and Pakistan over Pakistan's persistent refusal to do anything to place control over Pakistani fertilizer which is the primary ingredient in IED's used in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan needs to work closely with the Americans, and try to obtain their technology and expertise. No matter how hypocritical Western policies might be, they are the lesser evil when compared to fundamentalists.
We cannot afford to trust america in any thing.
We should not be convinced into Waziristan because fighting people there only increases terrorism there. Like drone strikes, it would be counter productive. Baitullah Masud once said I can go into a village and get 10-12 people on my side, but one drone strike and I get the whole village on my side. No one likes being attacked, whether or not it's from their own army, because they are the ones who are displaced.
Pakistan can do 3 things:
1) Launch the offensive now so that this area will be under control of Pakistan before 2014 when the US withdraws of Af-Pak. This way Pak can get benefits from the US and get a lot of help from the entire world.
2) Wait for the Taliban wound to fester and blow up in Pakistan's face. By the time Pakistan launches an offensive US would have long gone and the world couldn't care less. Besides the chances of failure is much greater.
3) Do nothing, Pakistan loses the Territory forever. Taliban and a cohort of militants get a safe haven. US won't be here forever to target them via Drones.