Tensions between the US and the Taliban have been high for quite a while but there is a Taliban threat which is emerging out of Pakistan which needs to be dealt with one way or another. The US has been prodding and urging the government of Pakistan to take care of the problem but the response has not been enough to be of any kind of serious help to us.
The first problem that I want to address in case of such a military strike is the land features of Pakistan. The land is rough, mountainous, and rugged. It is not conducive to the movement of large or heavy forces. A military response would have to rely on special operations troops and light infantry soldiers. These troops would not be able to cover much ground so it would be slow going. This presents the problem of growing resistance in that country. Resistance would invariably swell and might reach dangerous levels before the mission could be accomplished successfully.
The logistics of such an operation would also be daunting. Our forces are already stretched thin and there is too much land mass to adequately cover. Resupply would be very difficult because there are so few roads which could support heavy vehicles laden with supplies. In addition, supply vehicles traveling long distances are easy ambush targets. Small guerilla units could use the high ground to make quick work of any vehicle convoy which would happen to venture through their area of operation.
Political sentiments in the area are not good for us and the present sentiment would not help us at all. Taliban leaders inside of Pakistan have the ear of the people, who would see any such operation as an invasion. Sentiments of the surrounding Arab nations also are not good. The Pakistani government is under very heavy internal and external pressure to not cooperate with us in any way. Lets keep in mind that they do not want to lose face with their Arab brothers. The Pakistanis would very likely protest any unilateral action that we might take even though they have been dragging their feet when pressured by us to do something. They have to live with the Taliban so they have to at least maintain the appearance of being sympathetic to their cause.
Poor intelligence would also hinder any US military operation in Pakistan. Human intelligence is the most important kind of intelligence but if the population does not trust us they will be slow to want to give us any help at all. Our drones have done an excellent job for us but drones are not adequate without some kind of overlapping intelligence assistance.
The Waziristan area is the problem area but the Pakistanis won't conduct any offensive operations there because they are busy elsewhere. They may be trying to keep things calm with the Taliban in case we leave and the Taliban comes back into power. In that case you can kind of understand the predicament that they are in. They know that the Taliban can't be wiped out and they know that the US can't maintain a presence there forever. They have to play both ends of the fence for their own survival.
I perceive that any combat in the area would primarily be accomplished by drone and missile strikes. Special Operations troops and light infantry would also play a large role. Such an operation would not be winnable in the sense of wiping out the Taliban. Any such operation would have to be very limited in scope and might serve to degrade the operations of local Taliban, but they would quickly disperse to another area and pick up where they left off. The reason why such an operation is being considered is because there is strong evidence which shows that elements of the Taliban in the Waziristan area are behind several failed attacks on US soil. This puts the US in the predicament of having to make a response which may not be effective at all. Military Ring Express
The first problem that I want to address in case of such a military strike is the land features of Pakistan. The land is rough, mountainous, and rugged. It is not conducive to the movement of large or heavy forces. A military response would have to rely on special operations troops and light infantry soldiers. These troops would not be able to cover much ground so it would be slow going. This presents the problem of growing resistance in that country. Resistance would invariably swell and might reach dangerous levels before the mission could be accomplished successfully.
The logistics of such an operation would also be daunting. Our forces are already stretched thin and there is too much land mass to adequately cover. Resupply would be very difficult because there are so few roads which could support heavy vehicles laden with supplies. In addition, supply vehicles traveling long distances are easy ambush targets. Small guerilla units could use the high ground to make quick work of any vehicle convoy which would happen to venture through their area of operation.
Political sentiments in the area are not good for us and the present sentiment would not help us at all. Taliban leaders inside of Pakistan have the ear of the people, who would see any such operation as an invasion. Sentiments of the surrounding Arab nations also are not good. The Pakistani government is under very heavy internal and external pressure to not cooperate with us in any way. Lets keep in mind that they do not want to lose face with their Arab brothers. The Pakistanis would very likely protest any unilateral action that we might take even though they have been dragging their feet when pressured by us to do something. They have to live with the Taliban so they have to at least maintain the appearance of being sympathetic to their cause.
Poor intelligence would also hinder any US military operation in Pakistan. Human intelligence is the most important kind of intelligence but if the population does not trust us they will be slow to want to give us any help at all. Our drones have done an excellent job for us but drones are not adequate without some kind of overlapping intelligence assistance.
The Waziristan area is the problem area but the Pakistanis won't conduct any offensive operations there because they are busy elsewhere. They may be trying to keep things calm with the Taliban in case we leave and the Taliban comes back into power. In that case you can kind of understand the predicament that they are in. They know that the Taliban can't be wiped out and they know that the US can't maintain a presence there forever. They have to play both ends of the fence for their own survival.
I perceive that any combat in the area would primarily be accomplished by drone and missile strikes. Special Operations troops and light infantry would also play a large role. Such an operation would not be winnable in the sense of wiping out the Taliban. Any such operation would have to be very limited in scope and might serve to degrade the operations of local Taliban, but they would quickly disperse to another area and pick up where they left off. The reason why such an operation is being considered is because there is strong evidence which shows that elements of the Taliban in the Waziristan area are behind several failed attacks on US soil. This puts the US in the predicament of having to make a response which may not be effective at all. Military Ring Express
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