The recent attacks in Afghanistan that killed 9 U.S. soldiers were a deadly reminder that Operation Enduring Freedom is still very much a hot war -- and is steadily getting hotter. This is made frighteningly clear by a stream of recent reports showing that Al Qaeda is flooding back into the country and into neighboring regions in Pakistan, threatening the security gains that have been made since OEF was launched nearly six years ago.
The cost of neglecting this theater of operation the past few years is becoming all the more painfully obvious. According to one senior Taliban source, speaking about Al Qaeda: "They are awake...They are coming and going easily. In the last year, they have been organizing more day by day." The AP reports that a "fresh influx" of Al Qaeda recruits is coming in from areas ranging from Central Asia and Chechnya to Turkey and Middle East.
Reporting also shows that the new crop of foreign fighters is making their way into Afghanistan via training bases in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), next door in Pakistan. This is the area that chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, commented on recently saying that "There are clearly more foreign fighters in the FATA than have been there in the past. What that really speaks to is that's a safe haven and it's got to be eliminated for all insurgents, not just al-Qaeda."
More alarming still is a bold display of confidence from Al Qaeda in offering an interview in the past few weeks from Abu Mustafa al-Yazid, who ranks number three in the organization's hierarchy, to the Pakistani Geo TV channel. According to NBC News, "it was the first time since 2002 that any top al-Qaida official has taken the security risk of sitting down for an interview with a bonafide journalist." Yazid used the interview to call "for the destruction of Pakistan's government" and to state Al Qaeda's intent to "recapture Afghanistan."
As pointed out by Al Qaeda expert Michael Scheuer, Yazid also seized the forum to remind people about the group's assault on the Danish embassy in Pakistan, and what it says about Al Qaeda's ongoing abilities and tactics.
The Taliban too is expanding its ranks with increasing numbers of foreign fighters coming in the country via Pakistan, according to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. According to this report, "Afghan and foreign troops are reporting a greater sophistication in Taliban tactics such as multiple roadside bombs and complex ambushes, factors indicating more training and possibly the presence of foreigners."
What Does All This Mean?
First, we must obviously devote more time, resources and focus to operations in Afghanistan. The outcome of Operation Enduring Freedom will have enduring results for the United States and our national security, and we must do whatever it takes to win that fight, to create a secure and stable Afghanistan, to prevent the Taliban from reclaiming power, and to prevent that country from serving as a base for Al Qaeda operations.
And, secondly, in regards to Pakistan, the United States must embark on an invigorated three-part strategy. First, we must encourage and support the building of sustainable institutions and enhancing the power of Pakistani civil society. Next, we must engage in tougher and smarter diplomacy to enhance our power in the region, especially when it comes to stemming the spread of WMD-related technology and weapons proliferation. Lastly, we must impose a more results-oriented system of military aid to ensure that in providing funding, we are not degrading our own efforts in the region.
The necessity of especially this third part of the strategy is made all the more glaring by the New York Times recent report that just recently, for instance, the CIA's deputy director traveled to Pakistan "to confront Pakistan's most senior officials with new information about ties between the country's powerful spy service and militants operating in Pakistan's tribal areas." New York Times reporting also claims that American intelligence officials have linked the ISI with the bombing of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, and have information showing that the ISI is "increasingly providing militants with details about the American campaign against them."
The fight in Afghanistan is not lost -- but there is no time to lose.