Afghanistan: The Need for New Ideas
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 22 September 2017 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Afghanistan: The Need for New Ideas, 22 September 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 18, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59cb66a84.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
With the commitment of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, Kabul is also eager for a shift in Washington's attitude toward Pakistan. Meanwhile, plans for a new Afghan militia that can be deployed to troubled areas in support of the national army have come in for criticism.
Afghan media recently seized on an apparent admission by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that the perpetrators of a devastating truck bombing that hit Kabul in May had come from Pakistan (Tolo, September 18; Pajhwok, September 18). The blast hit Kabul's diplomatic district, killing at least 150 people, according to some reports (al-Jazeera, June 6). In an interview with the Financial Times, Abbasi said it "seemed" that the bombers had crossed over the border from Pakistan (Financial Times, September 17).
Such finger pointing between Afghanistan and Pakistan is not unusual, but it has taken on a renewed intensity in recent weeks after the U.S. administration changed tack to commit another 3,000 troops to Afghanistan and hinted that it could take a stronger line on Pakistan's efforts to tackle militants.
That could explain a report in the Afghan government-run Hewad newspaper, which claimed Taliban officials have been fleeing safe havens in Pakistan amid a wave of "mysterious" assassinations (Hewad, September 17). Possibly as it attempts to gauge the U.S. position, Pakistan is cracking down.
The report's other claim that fleeing Taliban leaders are making contact with the Afghan High Peace Council, the inefficient government body attempting to bring armed groups into the peace process, seems more fanciful. It seems more likely that Kabul will have a fight on its hands, one it appears intent on tackling with a planned new militia, despite criticism from rights groups and politicians who argue the funds would be better spent on support for the national army (Weesa, September 17).
The force, which will fall under the control of the ministry of defense, is modeled on the Afghan Local Police (ALP), an initiative that began in 2009 and aimed to establish localized units in areas under threat from the Taliban. It is now an established part of the Afghanistan security landscape. Supporters say a community-based force is naturally more effective at tackling local insurgents, but the picture is more mixed, with some units better than others and many accused of perpetrating abuses.
The proposed new militia could reportedly number 20,000 fighters (Tolo, September 15). Human Rights Watch has urged Kabul to abandon the idea, warning an outsourced defense force will be hard to control and risks becoming a means to bolster local strongmen (Tolo, September 18).
