Pakistan on the offensive

As Pakistan deals with multiple domestic terrorist attacks and gears up for the third day of its all-out offensive against the Taliban — and militant-infested South Waziristan — the United States is keeping an eye on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Over the past week, Pakistan has witnessed some of its most deadly attacks in recent years, which have killed 160 people. The attacks ranged from terrorist strikes against civilian targets to an attack on one of Pakistan’s most secure institution — its army headquarters.

The rash of attacks demonstrated a need for Pakistan to go on the offensive — a move that has been partially financed by the United States.

Although both the United States and Britain expressed their confidence in Pakistan’s control of its nuclear weapons, the attack on the army headquarters has caused concern at the State Department because it raises the possibility of Taliban spies and double agents within the Pakistani military.

The Pakistani military denies the possibility, but many believe that the attack would have been impossible to carry out without a close inside source providing key information to the militants.

The United States has reason to worry that such inside information about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could possibly be leaked to terrorists. After all, as Bruce Riedel — a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy — wrote in a article for the Brookings Institute blog, “If the Taliban can get into army headquarters, where else might it strike next?”

The country has much to do before it can secure the area. Pakistan’s offensive against South Waziristan consists of 30,000 soldiers. They will be facing as many as 10,000 militants made up of Pakistani and foreign-born fighters from the Taliban, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

The Pakistani army has failed three times in securing the region and has instead resorted to a shaky peace deal. But the recent wave of attacks has proven that deal meaningless, so the army has begun to move in order to dismantle the terrorist sanctuary.

Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari is hoping the recent wave of attacks against Pakistani civilians will create popular support for the offensive.

US officials support the offensive, for if the Pakistani army doesn’t take control of the situation, American positions in Afghanistan could be threatened.

“If it’s a blow to al-Qaida, if it takes away one of their sanctuaries, if it makes Pakistan a safer place, then it will be a positive,” a US military official told the Associated Press.

Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq responded in an interview with the AP, saying “we know how to fight this war and defeat the enemy with the minimum loss of our men. This is a war bound to end in the defeat of the Pakistan army.”

This offensive is necessary for the safety of the entire region and cannot be avoided. The United States has already provided billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan in hopes that the nation would use it to crush its militant Islamic insurgency.

Instead, Pakistan has used the majority of the money to either buy heavy military equipment, such as tanks and missiles to combat its rival India, or to satisfy the greed of corrupt politicians. The nation has tried to avoid such an open war with its insurgents, but now there is no other choice.

The United States must keep the Waziristan-Afghanistan border secure to make sure no terrorists try to flee the area. Furthermore, an increased American offensive on the border may help in surrounding the terrorists and forcing them into a concentrated area, making other parts of the nation safer.

Shots were fired Sunday, and by Monday the Pakistani military had attacked the area on three fronts, surrounding the terrorists. At the same time, refugees must be granted access to camps outside of the warzone. The United Nations says that already 150,000 civilians have left the area, and many more are expected to leave once the fighting intensifies.

Material aid must be made available to refugees by the Pakistani government in order to win their support in the war against the Taliban. By showing they are fighting for the people and their safety, Pakistan is increasing its chances of securing its nation in the long run.

The next several weeks have the potential to greatly reduce or increase Islamic militancy in the region. The world’s eyes will be on the Pakistani military and American financiers as they makes their strike on the terrorist stronghold in Waziristan.

Angad Singh is a sophomore majoring in international relations and communication.