The arrival of spring in Afghanistan has been marked by a series of multiple attacks by the Afghan Taliban thus dismantling all claims of the Americans of a sure victory in Afghanistan.
Can this new spate of violence be translated as an intelligence failure on the part of the Americans that had just announced last month of a guaranteed weaker position of the Taliban terming them incapable of launching a major offensive such as that launched in Afghanistan.
Whether this was a superior assumption that was proved wrong or an open invitation to the Taliban is something that needs to be seen as things unfold in this backdrop. How, pray, a handful of militants could penetrate so deep into a heavily guarded and secure area in the Afghan heartland?
Apparently, a failure to avoid such an occurrence and to substantiate claims of victory of sorts over the Taliban, the best possible American response has emerged in the form of scapegoating Pakistan yet again. Is there a shortage of Taliban in Afghanistan, that those based in Pakistan need to be highlighted every now and then a failure of the American/allied and Afghan security forces is witnessed in Afghanistan?
All previous incidents and episode of such nature have made it easy to predict the eventual outcome of the attack that a 10 year old with an average IQ could give a true prophecy in this case. Pressing Pakistan for an offensive in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and a sudden acceleration in the frequency of drone strikes is something that every analyst tells us is sure to come.
It is time that America accepts its failure and recognize its weaknesses where such grave mistakes on the part of its security forces in Afghanistan is leading this war into, so that appropriate measures be taken to rectify the situation instead of thrusting blame left and right.
LUBNA UMAR
Islamabad
