Asia burning

The truck drivers who risk their lives everyday in Kabul have a singular important question; why can’t the Americans stop this? Once again Taleban are gaining grounds in Afghanistan and are zeroing in on Kabul. This time they are not confronting or attacking NATO forces directly. They are simply using historic time tested strategy of cutting the supply routes to NATO forces. All trucks carrying supplies to Kabul by road are becoming increasingly vulnerable to rocket attacks by guileful Taleban.In past one week, 13 trucks have been destroyed by Taleban rocket launchers. Truck drivers carrying petrol and Pepsi to NATO troops, who escape narrowly, are witness to such attacks.

Afghanistan is gradually turning into a secure shelter for international jihads and the jihadist movements. It is getting stronger even than Iraq. But how it has been possible? Because they are inviting insurgents newly trained in Pakistan and in many other countries. There is an online network facilitating this process of developing pristine jihads in the country- known as a call for “lions of Islam” to join the war in Afghanistan. And this online recruitment is going on particularly in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Chechnya and Turkey.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) of Pakistan. This is the center place for training to the jihads and is sending them to join the Afghanistan warlords. The boarder line between Afghanistan and Pakistan is facing more attacks these days. According to Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the al-Qaeda-linked foreign fighters are seen with larger groups in Fata. The increase is remarkable with compared to the past years.

Reports say that in the year 2007, there was an agreement between al-Qaeda and Hizb-e-Islami according to which both will work together for the same cause. Abu Yusuf Saleh al-Yemeni, an emissary for al-Qaeda, now except leading al-Qaeda, also manages the Hizb-e-Islami fighters, Taliban and Pakistani militants from bases in Nuristan. This place is seen with more than 400 militants scattered everywhere and moving fearlessly all around. These foreigners include Chechens, Arabs and Pakistanis. More recently Lashkar-e-Toiba fighters have been linked to al-Qaeda.

The increasing strength and dominance of this insurgent group is clearly visible in the recent attack of July 13 that almost overran a remote US combat outpost at Wanat in Nuristan. And it was nothing less than a “first rate” attack in fact. We don’t know what the aim and extent the jihadist movements have set for fighting, but one thing is sure that they become doubly stronger and violent after each defeat.

Source: timesonline

Musa Qala lies in northern Helmand province of Afghanistan and was once under Taleban. Eight months ago it was recaptured by the International Assistance Security Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops. Both Afghan government and British wanted to rebuild the town which was destroyed and neglected over the years. The blueprint for Musa Qala’s makeover was ready in no time. British announced series of projects to rebuild the town. Afghan government offered all cooperation. But the ground work simply stands almost unexecuted after eight months.

The tribal areas of Pakistan (FATA) are turning out to be the biggest headache for both the US and the fledgling Pakistan government. Experts have been pointing out that the area is slipping out of the hands of Islamabad. Musharraf had tried sending in the army but there were heavy casualties with little results. Islamabad has tried to strike deals with the tribal leaders but this has made no impact on the rise of Al Qaeda/Taliban in the region.

The latest G8 Summit at Hokkaido is supposed to address (besides other issues) the problem of global food scarcity. Ban Ki-moon rightly urged the world leaders to be generous and give immediate food assistance to the poorest nations of the world. But the Summit has made a bad start. The rich menu of delicacies which the world leaders will feast upon looks out of place in today’s situation of rising food prices and global hunger. While according to UN estimates, 105 million more people, including 30 million in Africa, could drop below the poverty line because of rising food prices, G8 leaders will bite into caviar, milk fed lamb, sea urchin and tuna, with champagne and wines flown in from Europe and the U.S.

According to recent Pentagon and an independent website reports, combat deaths are on rise in parts of Afghanistan. American military death toll has been the highest in this month of June and they are still counting. There are no confirmed records of civilian deaths which could be increasing as well. Taliban is regaining strength and is reclaiming some parts of the southern and eastern regions of the country.

There are many reasons for the growing strength of Taliban. First of all, it is getting more support from confederation of militant groups from eastern Afghanistan for its fight against American military. These militant groups proliferate along the border of Pakistan and often take refuge in the tribal areas of Pakistan. They even launch cross-border attack into Afghanistan. Pakistan government’s peace talks and negotiations with these groups in the tribal belts don’t seem to work. American officials are growing skeptical about role of Pakistan too.

President Bush seems to desperately want to add laurels to his presidency in its twilight hour. How else could one explain the striking off of North Korea from the terrorism blacklist? It is very likely that North Korea has been supplying nuclear arms technology to Iran and Syria. It is also very probable that it is continuing with its nuclear enrichment programme.

President Bush not only took off the ‘bad boys’ label from North Korea but has also sent in shiploads of badly needed wheat into the country. In return for what? For a dramatic destroyal of the old Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Besides that North Korea has only given some details of its nuclear programme. What is totally missing is any mention of its enrichment plans and its aid to Iran and Syria.

As President Bush nears the end of his term, it seems the vow he had made in 2001 to finish off Osama bin Laden will remain unfulfilled. The reason is the Al Qaeda has found a safe haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Security experts say that Al Qaeda is planning a major attack on the USA on the scale of 9/11. Despite Pakistan being on the side of the USA, why is the terror organization still thriving in Pakistan? There are no simple answers to this complex issue.

An American diplomat left North Korea on 9th May with boxes of documents (approximately 18,000 secret papers) containing details of two decades of Pyongyang’s nuclear secrets. That was the beginning of a process of undoing a long standing global-Asian tension. The unbending North Korea gave the signal of budging and the US was always there to make room. Prez Bush has responded by announcing that he would lift trade sanctions dating back to the 1950-53 conflict and remove North Korea from the US terrorism blacklist. It was necessary for him to score a foreign policy win before quitting his office later this year, but his declaration came with a rider - he said that the move could be reversed if North Korea fails to comply with US demands and abandon its nuclear program in a verifiable way.

Rumour says that the future of the American Marine Corp is going to be in Afghanistan. News that the bush administration is retooling it Afghanistan Stratergy and the fact that the Marines will soon be turning over the security responsibility for the Anbar province back to Iraqi forces. The Marines may still stayover at Iraq to help Iraqi forces but there are plans for gradual withdrawal.

As far the tribal areas problem in Pakistan is concerned, the arrival of a democratic government at Islamabad seems to have made no difference. The fact is the politicians are so busy arguing over the removal of Musharraf and the re-instatement of Justice Chaudhury and company that they have not paid proper attention to the issue. Officials from the Awami National Party have said they can get the militants to the negotiating table and even hammer out a deal, but the main federal parties have not consulted them on the matter. The interior minister himself seems to be in the dark about how things stand in the tribal areas.

A vulnerable peace deal is in place in the Swat region of Pakistan’s northwest frontier province. For months Pakistani security forces have been fighting Islamic radical groups resulting in hundreds of deaths in the region. As the peace deal is in place there is a glimmer of hope that peace will persist bringing normal life back in this picturesque valley.

In a chilling message to the people of Pakistan and to the rest of the world, former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has hinted that President Musharraf could be hanged in the near future. Addressing a mass rally at the stroke of dawn on saturday at the end of a cross-country motorcade protest demanding the reinstatement of chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhury and other judges.

The political scenario in Pakistan showed its ugly side yet again, with the former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif publicly acknowledging that his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) is pulling out from the newly formed coalition government as no consensus between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and his party could be reached to facilitate the reinstatement of the ousted judges (sacked by President Musharraf). This very ouster of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Iftikhar M. Choudhry, had led to countrywide protests and agitation where hordes from judicial fraternity had courted arrest against Musharraf’s move.

Giving a clear hint of vindication – Nawaz Sharif was overthrown way back in 1999 by Musharraf in a coup when he was the army chief – with this decision, he may have aired his intention to his coalition partner, Mr Zardari. Of late, differences between the coalition partners too have come for some scrutiny, with neither of them clearly stating their stand on Musharraf’s continuity.

Are Japan and China inching closer to each other to start a new era of political and diplomatic bonhomie? The inhumane Japanese atrocities on the Chinese during the Second World War had embittered the Chinese towards Japan. However, with time being the best healer, both the countries seemed to have buried the past. After a decade, a Chinese President will be visiting Japan. Despite of best efforts by the two countries there are some contentious issues waiting to be resolved.