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. 1. The Pakistani army is scared of the hardy tribals living in North and South Waziristan and in the NWFP. More than a century ago, the British had tried to tame them, with little success. This view is strongly held by Musharraf’s man on the tribal areas, General Aurakzai, who instead favours negotiations rather than military action. 2. The US is wary of sending its own soldiers in there. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, it is aware of the reputation of the tribal fighters. Secondly, it’s army is not knowledgeable of the topography. It cannot launch a campaign without the co-operation of the Pakistani military. The Pakistani government is not very enthusiastic about sending in its army there because it has got a bloody nose once too often. Also allowing US forces on the country’s soil would be political suicide, considering the anti-US feeling in Pakistan. 3. Bush has been accused of being too soft on Musharraf. Instead of banging on the table and demanding Musharraf deliver Laden’s head on a platter to him (after all, Bush continues giving millions of dollars to Pakistan every month, with no question asked). Some see this as Bush’s weakness. Others feel Bush was being wise in not pushing Musharraf too far. A kneeling Musharraf (before the US) would only have strengthened the hands of the Islamists. 4. The inclination of the US military planners of getting results with minimum human casualty has been a hindrance. Direct action by navy Seals is needed, not precision missile attacks to finish off Al qaeda in the Pak-Afghan border. The CIA officers at the Islamabad station call the personnel at the counter-terrorism center at CIA headquarters, as ‘boys with toys.’ 5. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, distracted attention of military planners from the Al Qaeda in Pakistan. Resources meant for the purpose were diverted to Iraq. For instance, when American military and intelligence officials requested additional Predator drones to survey the tribal areas, they were told no drones were available because they had been sent to Iraq. 6. Though Pakistan is supposed to help the US in the war on terror, it has a dual policy on the matter. One is the ‘co-operative’ face of Pakistan, where Pakistan military officers work with the US army and the CIA to hunt down the Al Qaeda. The other face of the Pakistan government is symbolized by the ISI. It has its own agenda, of keeping alive the jehadis on the frontier areas, so that they can be used against India and to also keep alive Pakistan’s interests In Afghanistan. With all these complexities involved, it is no wonder that bin Laden sits pretty in Pakistan and calmly plans the next attack on the US as the US fumes and frets helplessly. Source: IHT