Together Against the Taliban

A little more than a year since Obama’s inauguration, the world is starting to see the first results of Obama’s political and military strategy in Afghanistan. “Operation Mushtarak” — which means “together” and represents the major allied offensive since the American invasion in 2001 — deployed 15,000 American, British and Afghan soldiers in the province of Marjah, one of the fundamental bastions for the Taliban. For three years, Marjah (located in the south of the country) represented an impenetrable redoubt for Afghan and NATO forces, embodying the role of a “sanctuary” where the Taliban had the capacity to train people, fabricate explosives and, more importantly, cultivate poppy fields with the sole purpose of producing opium.

Many have criticized Washington for putting the Taliban “on the alert” by announcing the imminent attack through various channels. However, such a calculated infiltration allowed civilians to abandon Marjah and also caused many of the Taliban to desert the area, thereby reducing the number of casualties on both sides. Moreover, on this occasion, the Afghan army held an undeniable leading role, demonstrating that all the time and funds invested in training the new military body were not lost.

Another front in this war is in neighboring Pakistan, another victim of the Taliban and a country trying to sustain its role as a U.S. ally. This week it was revealed that, as a result of combined operations between the CIA and the Pakistani intelligence services, three Taliban leaders were captured, among them Abdul Ghani Baradar. Baradar is of extreme importance to the Taliban movement and one of Osama Bin Laden’s former allies.

The detention of such an important figure will debilitate the Taliban for some time and will demonstrate that the U.S. and Pakistan are overcoming the problems that perplexed cooperation between the two countries during George W. Bush’s time. Throughout Bush’s tenure, the Pentagon accused the Pakistani intelligence services of offering support to the Taliban. Currently, the White House is allowing for major participation for the Pakistani authorities in anti-terrorist operations within the country’s borders and Pakistan is demonstrating that it is a reliable partner in both diplomatic and military terms.

Nevertheless, there remains a lot of work to be done because Marjah is only one part in the vast Afghan territory under Taliban control. Moreover, the government of President Hamid Karzai is still questioned with regard to its ability to maintain efficiency and reduce corruption. But the current strategy seems to indicate that Obama possesses a better understanding of how to confront this dangerous and versatile enemy. More than anything else, in order to defeat the Taliban, the involvement of the Afghan and Pakistani people is indispensable.