Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US Join Forces
The budding military alliance between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US against Taliban forces should come as no surprise to anyone following events of the past eight years. The US has supported Afghan and Pakistani efforts to defeat the Taliban for nearly a decade. And Taliban fighters have shown no inclination to lay down their arms and make peace.
Now, Pakistani military officers are working directly with US officers in the deployment of a devastating new weapon. Aerial drones guided by pilots at a base in Afghanistan have given the allies a close up view of Taliban movements in the Swat region of Pakistan.
Knowing where to find enemy fighters gives the Pakistani military an obvious advantage. Once a drone identifies a Taliban fighter, it can track that fighter for days without being detected. One Taliban soldier leads the drones to other soldiers. This allows Pakistani forces to know exactly where and when to attack. Pakistani officers won’t even need to use the drones for firing on enemy forces. Pakistani soldiers on the ground can handle that, thanks to their tactical superiority.
In the past, residents of mountainous northern Pakistan held a natural advantage in battles against invading armies because they knew the terrain so well. But in 2009, Taliban fighters are up against well trained, fully equipped Pakistani soldiers who are already acclimated to the conditions.
According to reports, Pakistan is planning to take the fight directly to Taliban strongholds in Waziristan. If true, it indicates that the Pakistani army intends to completely neutralize the Taliban, rather than just drive them out of the Swat valley.
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