Afghan Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, US Aides Say

Trusting an alliance with divided allegiances is difficult, if not impossible. Pakistan is a US ally in the fight to control Afghanistan, but evidence has emerged that Pakistani military intelligence operatives provide support for Taliban attacks on foreign troops. “The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements,” report Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt for the New York Times, quoting anonymous sources with classified information. Pakistani officials deny that the support strengthens the insurgency, according to the New York Times report: “They said the contacts were less threatening than the American officials depicted and were part of a strategy to maintain influence in Afghanistan for the day when American forces would withdraw and leave what they fear could be a power vacuum to be filled by India, Pakistan’s archenemy.” Shifting alliances and breeches of trust complicate any strategy for stabilizing the region. – YaleGlobal