The Western Powers with over 150,000 military forces in or adjacent to Afghanistan and their network of support and supply bases outside the country need to re-conceptualize the Mission to crush Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Experts admit that a military strategy will only accomplish so much. Essentially, the Afghans must take control in fighting the violence, terrorist raids into their villages and in bringing greater levels of peace, security and prosperity. If national leaders of Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq and other dysfunctional states are seen as heads of a criminal national syndicate with alliances to local syndicates rather than as simply crusaders against Terrorism, then it will be easier to pull out foreign troops, decrease the spending of foreign treasure and create conditions for Afghans and anti-terrorist Muslim movements to take over the fight to bring peace and local security. The military role should be minimized, except for an increase in drone strikes across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.
Here are a few suggestions for speeding up the pullout from Afghan and other states combating terrorist organizations:
First, we should invite, fund and recruit special units of adventurous Muslim retired officers and young or unemployed Muslim soldiers that disagree with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda Ideology of Murder and Mayhem to fight in a pan-Muslim Army equivalent to the old colonial Foreign Legion or African Commando units. Then, embed these units with the elite of the Afghan national army or local police in key valleys along the frontlines bordering Pakistan. Build up the Afghan Army and Police by having a predominance of Arabic and Afghan speaking instructors rather than foreign non-speakers. Downgrade Euro and US military operations, except for the drone strikes, as of July 2011 and dramatically increase the drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The hundreds of billions of dollars to fight the current wars are unsustainable for much longer. More importantly, it is inefficient and extremely wasteful.
Secondly, another anti-terrorist strategy is the active sponsoring of TV, radio and print media operations that promote any and all less extreme Islamic values 24/7 for all men, women and children. There should be accredited cyber K-12 schools, agricultural and trade schools with Afghan trained teachers and religious leaders available for both boys and girls. The proposal includes the giving of every Afghan, among its various minority groups in all areas of the country, media and radio that ensures access to the media 24/7. By a mass media communications strategy, the State can have a presence in all parts of the country and can keep the faces of government leaders and its major terrorists, rapists, and wanted criminals posted in every media, government outlet and post office. In essence, it needs to do what the FBI has done to fight the various criminals and their syndicates across the US since the late 1920s. The media needs to televise the local major jurga forums as well as creative business, sports, religious and arts peoples from all its ethnic communities. This 24/7 strategy should apply to media as well as to all the police and military compounds in the country with a fund at each of these elite military and national police institutions that can pay for civil informants as to local terrorists. As part of its urban anti-terror strategies, the government should have cameras at and near all major cities and towns as well as compounds and military barracks so that terrorists do not surprise trainees, military or police officials.
Also, the Afghans needs to create distinct Afghan uniforms for both the more elite members of the military and its national police forces as was done with Italy’s Carabenieri and Canada’s RCMP and its distinct red uniforms. These forces need special issue equipment and training so as to trace all its equipment if stolen or traded. Rotate the elite military and police officers as well as their families to lower chances of graft and criminal activities and increase their loyalty to the State. Provide better housing and educational opportunities for all these elite troops and their families. Pay and promotions need to be linked to the accomplishment of local and national performance goals while on duty. Another option is to have liaisons with the local beggar communities in each major town and city as was done in pre-industrial Europe.
Karzai Family Criminal Syndicate has the protection of all the Western powers in Afghanistan. This Family syndicate may be exposed for short periods of time, a case in point is the activities of his brother the banker, but the Karzai criminal syndicate will remain in power since it is the key national group binding the national criminal network for most of the drug and land-based lords in Afghanistan’s twenty-eight provinces. As Peter Galbraith pointed out, while investigating corruption and Karzai government election practices, all but one of Karzai’s Ministers and their Departments are actively involved in corrupt practices. As the New York Times and other media outlets have documented, each week officials are leaving the country with suitcases of foreign funds or using the development money and contracts to build palatial residences or the palaces and fortresses of local warlords. Especially telling is the Karzai control of a province adjacent to Iran since that country is a key transit route in the drug and money trade. Karzai is frank that he receives sacks, bags, suitcases of funds from the Iranians as well as other foreign States. The Karzai syndicate and most of the drug lords will remain in power until such time as another crime syndicate leader is found in Afghanistan.
If any Euro or other countries were serious about cleaning up corruption in Afghanistan or Yemen or even Pakistan, they would indict any Afghan or other officials that have dual citizenship, much as the US did to Karzai’s brother, who is a US citizen and a syndicate front banker that controlled the money laundering operations for the Karzai family, government and its drug lord allies. As with Iraq, those that oppose the government criminal syndicates in power are no different. However, those with less power should be monitored and encouraged to call for an end to corruption so that those in power can be kept on their toes.
The US, Euro States and even Russia are all agreed that they need to stay the course in Afghanistan since it is a resource rich country and also a transit country for potential oil and gas pipelines to Pakistan and energy hungry India. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban need to be crushed or marginalized enough for the pipeline and mining activities to take place in and through Afghanistan.
Perhaps, if we re-conceptualize the current anti-terror strategy as one of dealing with criminal syndicates, we could make greater impact in neutralizing the threats in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. We need to give these criminal bosses of networks deals and incentive they can’t refuse while rooting out the terrorists in their territories, using the media to expose both their terrorist enemies and when the time comes even them.
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