| Q&A: Nato's problems in Afghanistan The Times
09/08/2007
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Michael Evans, the Times Defence Editor, on the challenge to Nato forces in Afghanistan, whose chief made a high-profile plea to member states this week for more troops to fight a surprisingly robust enemy. Who is Nato fighting in Afghanistan? The enemy in Afghanistan, especially in the south, is multi-pronged. The military define them as anti-coalition militia. The main "opposition" consists of the Taleban, two terrorist/insurgent groups loyal to former Mujahidin leaders, Jalalludin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and foreign fighters from as far afield as Egypt, Syria and Yemen who are providing training and funds. Judging by the force of their opposition, they do not seem to be suffering from a shortage of manpower, despite losing large numbers of fighters in the last two months. There are two reasons for this: first, the Taleban, by offering a decent daily rate of at least $10, are managing to persuade disgruntled Afghans, working on the farms, to fight for them over short periods; second, there is a steady flow of recruits coming over the border from Pakistan, fighters loyal to the Taleban who are trained in camps in Quetta in Pakistan. The number of foreign fighters is also increasing, and their expertise is helping to make the Taleban more professional, better organised and more tactically aware. Does Nato have the right winning tactics, but not enough resources, as General James Jones suggests? Nato started off its mission 15 per cent short of the troops and equipment it needed. As a result, Lieutenant-General David Richards, the British commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) did not have enough troops to form a reserve force which he could have deployed to any hotspot. He has the bare minimum of troops, helicopters and transport aircraft - not a good situation to be in when the opposition has all the advantages of knowing the terrain, decades of experience fighting superior foreign forces and a dedication and commitment based on a yearning to return to power. But Nato will defeat the Taleban only if it gets the right balance between sound tactics and keeping the majority of the Afghans on their side. Killing civilians, particularly from the air, will only help the Taleban cause. There is also concern in some parts of Nato about the tactics used by the British commanders. The small units of troops sent to set up bases in the most outlying areas of northern Helmand are stuck in static positions, suffering daily assaults by the Taleban, and unable to do what they are best at which is to launch attacks when they decide, using manouevre tactics to surprise the enemy. Is Nato going about it all wrong? The overall plan outlined by General Richards is to develop special zones of security, one at a time, from which stability will spread. This is the famous "ink spots" tactics used by the British in Malaysia. But his idea hasn't yet begun to take shape. Certainly, the British troops in the outposts in Helmand - Sangin, Musa Qala, Nowzad, Kajaki and Garesch - have little opportunity to spread their influence in the region because they spend all their time battling with the Taleban. Some time soon, General Richards is going to have to put his plans into action which might mean having to rethink the British Helmand policy, and focus troops in fewer areas. Is it winnable at all, or does the experience of the Russians in the 1980s suggest that we are being sucked into a quagmire, with no exit strategy except defeat and withdrawal? It's always unwise to say that the Taleban can be defeated and that a famous victory will be won. It's not as simple as that. The only way Nato will be able to claim success is if the people of Afghanistan realise that they will be better off siding with their own government and the international forces and banning the Taleban from their communities. But they will only do that if reconstruction programmes begin on a large scale, their way of life improves dramatically, and they have the courage to stand up to the menace and threats they face from the Taleban every day.
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