Chogy Reply
"So political machinations or leadership failings have limited the Pak army effectiveness? Or is it that the Pak army itself doesn't have the inherent capability to do the job?"
All of the above?
WRT to the Pakistani Army, I'm not sure how you define "...do[ing]the job...". I know that they've felt woefully un-equipped and untrained for a series of COIN operations and looked to us for a bevy of needs related to both. I don't think we've the full picture of operations in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, S. Waziristan or, now, Orakzai. Anything other than from the director, ISPR Maj. Gen Abbas has been rare.
We DO know that they found it unavoidable to dodge their errant bomb-strike the other day. I don't think that, however, is the only moment of error. I can say I've communication with one pashtun woman who's claimed the FATAville residents feel squeezed between the insurgents and the army. I don't know how true but that's food for thought as to even why she might suggest such.
We can and will leave Afghanistan. We'll do so fairly shortly and, IMHO, largely bereft of most of our original objectives. If not "mission failure" certainly not any full-blown "mission success" either and I'm hardly sanguine about Afghanistan's prospects. That said, Pakistan will for some time be dealing with FATA in all it's myriad forms and problems. I'm not generally very hopeful there either-of solving their issues or necessarily really even wishing so.
"So political machinations or leadership failings have limited the Pak army effectiveness? Or is it that the Pak army itself doesn't have the inherent capability to do the job?"
All of the above?
WRT to the Pakistani Army, I'm not sure how you define "...do[ing]the job...". I know that they've felt woefully un-equipped and untrained for a series of COIN operations and looked to us for a bevy of needs related to both. I don't think we've the full picture of operations in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, S. Waziristan or, now, Orakzai. Anything other than from the director, ISPR Maj. Gen Abbas has been rare.
We DO know that they found it unavoidable to dodge their errant bomb-strike the other day. I don't think that, however, is the only moment of error. I can say I've communication with one pashtun woman who's claimed the FATAville residents feel squeezed between the insurgents and the army. I don't know how true but that's food for thought as to even why she might suggest such.
We can and will leave Afghanistan. We'll do so fairly shortly and, IMHO, largely bereft of most of our original objectives. If not "mission failure" certainly not any full-blown "mission success" either and I'm hardly sanguine about Afghanistan's prospects. That said, Pakistan will for some time be dealing with FATA in all it's myriad forms and problems. I'm not generally very hopeful there either-of solving their issues or necessarily really even wishing so.
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