"Outsiders" Af-Pak Watch (8/15/2011): Reflections...
Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to be a challenges for the United States. I have decided to launch a weekly series here in "outsiders" to focus on Af-Pak becuase of the war that continues to rage on.
A day does not pass without someone dying or some bomb goes off in some part of Pakistan. Pakistan just celebrated its' indepedence. There were claims by the Adminstration noting how there were no collateral damage as the drone attacks continue on in Pakistan. Reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalists has noted how the US launches a drone attack on an average every 4 days. What I found especially disturbing was the death of 168 Children as noted in this report:
Really Long Link
UNICEF (The United Nations Children Fund) has noted that one child dying is one child too many. What is also even more tragic about Pakistan is how the Country continues to be at the edge of the abyss. There is no functioning Government that has any sort of crediblity left. Beyond Pakistan itself, there is the continued problem in Afghanistan.
I am amazed to see all the "happy talk" coming out of Washington about how things are going well. The reality, unfortunately, is otherwise. The manifestation of it was the death of the 30 US Seal Team members and the seven Afghan Commandoes. The President noted that the war in Afghanistan was not the same as Vietnam. All indications I have seen are contrary. The war is costing the US some Ten Billion Dollars a month with no end in site despite the decision that has been made to drawn down the troops. US is winning the battles and has made inroads. This has been done at considerable cost. But when there is no credible partner in Afghanistan to pick up the slack, all of this would have been for nothing.
A day does not pass without someone dying or some bomb goes off in some part of Pakistan. Pakistan just celebrated its' indepedence. There were claims by the Adminstration noting how there were no collateral damage as the drone attacks continue on in Pakistan. Reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalists has noted how the US launches a drone attack on an average every 4 days. What I found especially disturbing was the death of 168 Children as noted in this report:
Really Long Link
UNICEF (The United Nations Children Fund) has noted that one child dying is one child too many. What is also even more tragic about Pakistan is how the Country continues to be at the edge of the abyss. There is no functioning Government that has any sort of crediblity left. Beyond Pakistan itself, there is the continued problem in Afghanistan.
I am amazed to see all the "happy talk" coming out of Washington about how things are going well. The reality, unfortunately, is otherwise. The manifestation of it was the death of the 30 US Seal Team members and the seven Afghan Commandoes. The President noted that the war in Afghanistan was not the same as Vietnam. All indications I have seen are contrary. The war is costing the US some Ten Billion Dollars a month with no end in site despite the decision that has been made to drawn down the troops. US is winning the battles and has made inroads. This has been done at considerable cost. But when there is no credible partner in Afghanistan to pick up the slack, all of this would have been for nothing.
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Mike Pouraryan
