American Morning
Taliban 'not going anywhere'
There are new developments in Pakistan today. Taliban fighters have moved out of the contested Bruner district 60 miles west of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. It appears to be a victory for the Pakistani government. But can Taliban militants be trusted to keep their pledge to return to the Swat Valley and stay out of Bruner?
Former CIA officer Gary Bernsten says the Taliban “isn’t going anywhere.” He joined John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Friday.
John Roberts: Would you trust the Taliban to move back and play nice in the Swat Valley?
Gary Bernsten: Not at all. And clearly they may pull back just slightly for reasons of propaganda and to get the film footage. They're not going anywhere. These guys have a desire to seize control of Pakistan. That's the Taliban and other militant organizations. There are at least 25 to 30 militant organizations in Pakistan.
Roberts: Yesterday on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Pakistan of abdicating responsibility of taking care of the Taliban and other extremist elements. She also pointed some fingers at the United States.
“We're wondering why they don't just get out there and deal with these people. But the problems we face now, to some extent, we have to take responsibility for having contributed to,” Clinton said.
Bernsten: In her statement she also stated the United States created the Taliban or participated in the creation of the Taliban, which is a ridiculous statement. We created and worked with the Mujahideen a decade before that, and they were defeated by the Taliban, which were created by ISI, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate of the Pakistani military. And of course, the reason the Taliban were created was because there was a civil war going on among factions of the Mujahideen who had come to power.
Roberts: I think the broader point she was making was that the U.S. disengaged from the region.
Bernsten: The U.S. unfortunately did disengage and we're paying a price for that. One needs to be careful when talking about the forces that are arrayed on the ground there. There are former Mujahideen commanders that are working with the Taliban right now, not because they believe in the seventh-century style of Islam that the Taliban believe in, but because they're ambitious men that want to come back to power. That’s the only reason.
Roberts: She also talked about the threat of nuclear weapons falling in the hands of the Taliban. Pakistan’s prime minister said the nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of the military, but the secretary of state said they're dispersed throughout the country as opposed to being centrally located, which could present a problem. Does that heighten the danger of these weapons falling in the hands of militants?
Bernsten: I don't think you’re going to have a situation where they fall in the hands of the militants. That would only happen if the government completely collapsed and if the military collapsed. I don’t think you’re going to see a military collapse in Pakistan. I think what you're going to see is the likelihood that the civilian government won't survive over the long haul. The military may reassert itself, come back to power and have a violent suppression of the Taliban.
Roberts: You say Pakistan doesn't have the manpower to effectively fight the Taliban because they’re arrayed throughout Kashmir along the Line of Control in the decades-long standoff with India. They're in other areas along the border between Pakistan and India. If India wants to get rid of this problem too, does it bear some responsibility?
Bernsten: The Indians are going to need to assist the Pakistanis by reducing tensions. And the Indians should pull some of their forces off the Line of Control and the border, which is south of that, so that Pakistan itself can reduce its numbers and use those forces inside Pakistan to suppress the Taliban.
Roberts: So you’re saying this is everybody's problem?
Bernsten: Richard Holbrooke was named to be Afghanistan-Pakistan representative. He needs to be the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India representative; because India is going to play into this huge.
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Bernstein, her statement is not ridiculous. CIA helped build the foundation of Taliban (student or seeker) by financing Madaressahs and priniting the curriculum in American Universities. Those Mujahideen who made the most sacrifices and had most successes against the Soviets due to proper training by the CIA. They therefore had the most support of the population and thus came to power. CIA and Mullah elements went hand in hand since Pakistan came into existence while the general population ignored them and followed the socialist leadership. Can you deny that the US government was courting Taliban Government right up to 9/11? to bulid a pipeline through Afghanistan. That still is the un-stated goal and reason for Nato and US presence in Afghanistan. Balouchistan province that would take that pipeline to the Arabian Sea is the area of interest in Pakistan.
It is amazing how short (deliberate or otherwise) Gary is. Separating Taliban from ISI is right now impossible. Pullback from Buner was done explicitly to avoid more pressure from US Army without many shots being fire – does it give Gary a moment to think about who is really calling shots in Pakistan?
I hope wiser heads prevail and US makes ISI back down. Otherwise history may repeat itself.
The majority of the money and arms that we supplied in the 80s to oppose the Soviets and their Afghan allies was channeled thru the ISI. Bernsten states that the ISI created the Taliban, but we supported the Mujahideen, seems to be a "do not blame the CIA" scenario. We also recruited the "Afghan Arabs" out of Mosques and schools here in the US and had them go to Afghanistan. KSM graduated from North Carolina A&T and went to Afghanistan. My bet is that he was recruited thru the CIA, thru enough cut-outs that he does not even know it.
Lee Armstrong, your comments are factually wrong. As an example, "obviously there are no arm factories in Afghanistan or Pakistan.". There are at least 14 arms factories and atleast 9 subsidiaries in Pakistan. Here is their official website http://www.pof.gov.pk/. Please read through it so that you may know spread wrong information.
Just the other day, the Taliban leader in Pakistan envisioned Bin Laden roaming the streets of Islamabad, free-as-can be. This should be a concern for everyone, everywhere. As we have seen, terrorism has no borders. This is not a Pakistan, India problem, it is a global problem. What we need is a broad coalition of states who recognize this danger and will stamp it out. The U.S can't do it alone. As we saw with the invasion of Afghanistan and the failure to capture Bin Laden, this is a problem that needs to be answered now, instead of 8 years from now. It will need to take a global community to not only stop the Taliban but the Islamic militancy that has spread around the world.
this comment is in response to lee armstrong,
dude the taliban are the terrorist who have killed alot of people in India through kashmir. get the facts straight the taliban are created by ISI in pakistan and are funded by them.so before posting your views without reading history and current affairs of the world learn to read the facts first.
India has suffered a lot at the hands of tailban terrorists.
Bernstein, her statement is not ridiculous. CIA helped build the foundation of Taliban (student or seeker) by financing Madaressahs and priniting the curriculum in American Universities. Those Mujahideen who made the most sacrifices and had most successes against the Soviets due to proper training by the CIA. They therefore had the most support of the population and thus came to power. CIA and Mullah elements went hand in hand since Pakistan came into existence while the general population ignored them and followed the socialist leadership. Can you deny that the US government was courting Taliban Government right up to 9/11? to bulid a pipeline through Afghanistan. That still is the un-stated goal and reason for Nato and US presence in Afghanistan. Baouchistan province that would take that pipeline is the area of interest in Pakistan.
Lee, whoe are you kidding. Yeah whoever thinks India is arming them, get real. India's got its own internal issues and trying to combat the Taliban sympathizers within its own borders and keep those Taliban nutcases away from India's borders. Its bad enough the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been hellbent for the last 6 decades trying to destabilize India (as witnessed in Kashmir, India's northeastern States especially Assam, and the rise of infiltration from Bangladesh with the blessings of ISI, pakistan intelligence, to create havoc within India). India never recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan while Pakistan did. Did you not notice President Obama has given Pakistan several billion dollars in aid, while the Taliban continue to grow stronger. You're right the cloak is over your eyes, but India is not the enemy. In fact it will be India and Israel that will save the west, but the west continues to think India and Israel are demons, as it is these 2 countries that maintain some sanity in the Muslim world.
The more unstable Pakistan is the more funding the country will receive from the US. With the extremely corrupt politicians in the country, they have no reason to eliminate terrorism since they are only interested in receiving more foreign aid that they can keep to themselves.
The president of Pakistan's nickname in the country is Mr. 10%, because he takes at least 10% of all funding coming into the country.
India did not raise the tensions. Cross border terrorism into India from Pakistan means that India is going to keep the troops along the LOC. Indian goverrments duty is to protect Indians not save Pakistan from a monster it created itself and has been used to stage terrorists attacks against India itself.
India does not want hostilities but how can they justify not protecting their border. Just an FYI, India has never captured territory or attacked Pakistan. Also where is the guarrantee that if India relaxes its posture pakistan won't use the taliban to attack India again. Please study the incursion into kargil in 1999 by pakistani army and mujahiddin.
The only solution I see is that if the Pakistani state collapses then India might have to pre-emptively take out the nuclear installations there with or without the west's help.
You want India's co-operation well how about assuring them that Pakistani territory will not be used to stage attacks on India. So far that has not happened. The world might have forgotten 26/11 in Mumbai not Indians. India has already shown way too much restraint.
Pakistan must stop bombing Indian cities and give back the Kashmir that it occupied then only India can support them. U.S must not fund Pakistan military as everybody in the region knows how the money is going to spent (fund ISI to support militants in Kashmir, to bomb Indian cities and Indian embassies)...
I agree with Lee. India is playing a big role in destabilizing situation in that area especially in Pakistan. Just look at one fact, they have so many consulates in Afghanistan where even other countries are not ready to send their diplomatic missions. Ar these for Afghan development, I don't think so. And activities of these consulates near the Pakistani border are also questionable. That's why Pakistan's advisor of interior also said in the national assembly that boht Afghanistan and India are involved in destabilizing Pakistan.
India is suffering too at the hands of Taliban. There have been numerous attacks on various Indian cities co-ordinated by Taliban. To suggest that India is arming Taliban is ridiculous. In fact India and Pakistan should work together to resolve this issue.
US should play neutral player not biased player !! India is play havoc
to pakistan by supplying money and support to BLA and some of the
Talebans. What they are doing in Kandhahar and other consulate? They are not sleeping there !! US should take notice of this thing .
India does not have good relations with any of it's neighbor ? And everybody knows why !! US should not ignore this if it really wants to
bring peace in Afganistan!!
Too much talk,let the soldiers take over! Lots of ammo, heavy weapons, many helicopter gunships. Destroy all men in that area. Taliban gone! Peace restored!!!!
This analyst is exactly right on the money. US needs to build a second stronger front against Taliban. If we are "allowed" to attack the frontier region where the Taliban are aggregating, we can solve some of the destabilization Pakistan is suffering. Pakistan's problems are fundamental though and this is just one of the many problems we have in this region.
I think Sec. Clinton is right all along the lines that the US has disengaged in the total pull out of US troops in Afghanistan which diverted the troops to topple Saddam Hussein in Iraq – for no reason at all.
Al Qaida has exploited these move and has diverted their own crude intelligence patterned after a land which US troops have no control, especially in the mountains dissecting the Afghan/Pakistan/India borders. This is a vast space and the no intrussion that bars the US troops in the Pakistani domain, has surely made it difficult to contain these ethnic uprisings.
The extremist are now grandstanding for the sake of showing cooperation to the Pakistani government, that whill eventually contain the whole Pakistan in a matter of time.
Notice that there are a lot of people, and have been in the past, that are screaming all the World's problems are the result of American involvement – that everything would be fine if we would only just stop sticking our noses into everyone else's business. This is extremely high school and idiotic, but is nonetheless quite common. Expect it to continue because the ugly truth about this position is that it actually means "we don't care because it's not about us".
The real question that needs to be answered has finally been asked. We’re all wondering why they don’t just get out there and deal with these people. I'd say Pakistan is up to their ears in alligators and is not even in a position to ask for help.
Lets not deny that Taliban or Mujahidin were created for a purpose and were thrown away with their wepons after purpose was served. India is already playing a big role in the region by continuing arming these Taliban or Mujahidin to keep Pakistan destabilized. These guys living in the hills are not using two decade old arms, they got current and most modern ammo to support their adventures. Where are they coming from, obviously there are no arm factories in Afghanistan or Pakistan. It is high time to open our eyes and recognize what played under the cloak.