US president should appoint a special coordinator in Afghanistan- Pakistan region: Brennan
By Sreekanth A Nair
Pakistan has been using Taliban to counter India’s growing influence in Afghanistan, says recently published CIA documents hacked by the Wikileaks. The documents are from the personal email account of CIA director John Brennan.
The documents contain the reports of Brennan written to the US President Barrack Obama two days after he was elected the President in November 2008. The position-cum-strategy paper contains reports on Pakistan, Afghanistan and ideas for US policy towards Iran.
In the report, Brennan says, “While the U.S. Intelligence Community differs on the extent of the relationships, at least some elements of Pakistan‘s military and 3 intelligence services appear to be ambivalent about the anti-Taliban and anti-militant mission in the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area), in part due to their history of close ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan‘s conflict with the Soviet Union and Pakistan‘s use of militant proxies in its conflict with India.”
“Pakistan‘s desire to counter India‘s growing influence in Afghanistan and concerns about U.S. long-term commitments to Afghanistan increase Pakistan‘s interest in hedging its bets by ensuring that it will be able to have a working relationship with the Taliban to balance Indian and Iranian interests if the United States withdraws,” the report says.
Brennan’s report suggests that the US government needed Pakistani co-operation to eliminate the threat from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and they cannot afford to lose Pakistani support for their efforts in Afghanistan.
The main reason for the continuation of co-operation with Pakistan, as pointed out in the report, is that 80 percent of logistical support for the forces in Afghanistan transit Pakistan and currently there is no land alternative.
In the report, Brennan notes that narcotics industry in Afghanistan has links with the Taliban and it leads to corruption at all levels of government and gives financial and logistical assistance to criminal organizations, militia commanders, corrupt officials, and extremist groups. This can be prevented only through counternarcotics campaigns.
“Successful counternarcotics campaigns in the Andes, Thailand, Burma, Pakistan, and India have taught us that a balanced and coordinated effort is the only way to achieve sustainable reductions in drug production,” says the report.
The report also suggests that the US president should appoint a special coordinator in Afghanistan- Pakistan region and the he should look for ways to alleviate Pakistan’s concerns about India‘s influence in Afghanistan.
The report also says about developing agricultural activities in Afghanistan. “Pomegranate trees are highly coveted in Afghanistan and there is a market for them in Afghanistan and overseas. Afghanistan exported 50,000 tons of pomegranates to India last year, yet the Indian market could absorb one million tons. Despite this promising opportunity, the agriculture representative noted that -an investment in tree crops is an investment in the future, which most Afghans cannot afford, especially if they are concerned that the Taliban will continue to grow in strength and will burn down their investment.”
John Brennan appointed as the Director of CIA in March 2013. He held the position of foreign policy and counter-terrorism adviser to Obama initially. He has worked for the CIA from 1980 to 2005. In 2005, he found a private intelligence agency The Analysis Corp (TAC).
The Address Book of CIA chief’s private email ID and internal reports on staffing and purchase details were also leaked along with the report.