How the Pakistani Taliban Matters to the US - Research Paper Example

Why and how the Pakistani Taliban and its activities matter to the United States The Taliban refers to an Islamist militant movement that has been operating in both Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1996. The movement came to the limelight at this time for enforcing the Sheria law as well as committing brutal repression of women in these countries. However, these forms of human rights violation did not matter much to the United States at first until terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on the World Trade center that killed several US citizens leaving scores seriously injured. Investigation later showed that the Taliban group had some links with the Al-Qaida group led by Osama Bin Laden. This became apparent since Taliban offered him asylum in Afghanistan under the protection of its leader Mullah Mohammed (Gunaratna and Iqbal, 2011). The Taliban poses security concerns to the united states. For instance, even after overthrowing the Taliban group in 2001, the group especially the Pushtun movement in Pakistan reemerged and regrouped, presenting a serious security threat to the US and its allies. The group is still teaming up with Al-Qaida to organize terrorist attacks against the U.S. and its allies. Pakistan is one of the U.S. allies that helped during the Afghanistan invasion to capture Osama Bin Laden and to render the group irrelevant. Santana and Bangash (2012) reveals that Pakistan Taliban still continue to carry out hundreds of bombings and other attacks and raids against US and Pakistan military bases. These was evident when the Group’s spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, on Thursday 16th August, announced that they had carried out pre-drawn attacks as a revenge measure for killing of their leader Baitullah during a US drone strike in 2009 and the killing of Osama bin Laden by the US commandos in 2011. A part from the fact that this group is linked to the terrorism, the U.S. is also concerned with the way it violates human rights in Pakistan, something US cannot just sit and see, being the superpower. Just recently in June 2012, the group through its commander banned polio vaccination in North Waziristan, just days before more than 161,000 children were to be inoculated. The commander linked the ban to US drone strikes and that the CIA could use the campaign for espionage (Santana and Bangash, 2012). It has also to been noted that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Therefore, the safety of these weapons in the country has been of a major concern to the US. Experts reveal that Pakistan has about 100 nuclear weapons and is still expanding its arsenals. The great danger that US fear is that if terrorism is not controlled in Pakistan, these weapons could fall into the wrong hands of Pakistan Taliban’s or Al-Qaida, which may pose great danger to US and its allies. As such, this group has to be stopped at all cost according to Gunaratna and Iqbal (2011). Response of the United States to the Pakistani Taliban or its activities One of the major responses taken by the U.S. to stop this terrorist group is to carry out bombardments on the group’s hiding points in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This has helped a great deal as it has weakened the group since the U.S. began the strikes in 2009. This is evident from the killing of their leaders like Baitullah Mehsud in 2009 and their chief sponsor, Osama bin Laden (Roggio, 2012). The US is also using NATO and Pakistan government as its major ally in the fight to help capture and killed the Taliban and Al-Qaida leaders, who have been carrying out insurgency in the country. For instance, the U.S. recently called on Pakistan’s troops to carry out attacks on the Haqqani militant network who have been camping in North Waziristan. NATO has also been helping a great deal in the fight to eliminate the Taliban insurgents in the country (Gunaratna and Iqbal, 2011). It is also reported that U.S. has been using members of the public to help in identifying and nabbing the militants. This is because it was felt that it is the people who can easily identify the terrorists especially in tribal areas. This has also been of help as Roggio (2012) reveals that one of the Pakistan Taliban Leader, Tariq Afridi, who has been responsible for several attacks and kidnappings in the tribal areas, was rumored to have been killed by a family member. In fact, it is believed that even capturing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan could not have been easy without the involvement of members of the public. Gunaratna and Iqbal (2011) notes that the US is actively engaged in politics in Pakistan to prevent Pushtuns, the main Pakistan Taliban tribes, which compose more than 42% of the total population from ascending to power. This is based on the belief that allowing this tribe that has been supporting terrorism to ascending to power would be of great danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world. Therefore, the U.S. is using its influence to ensure that the Taliban lead tribe does not gain power. United State’s Response to Pakistani Taliban activities After the 9/11 terrorist attack, the United States engaged the United Nations security council in drafting legislations that could cripple the activities of the Taliban. The United Nations passed two new resolutions that would help in fighting terror attacks. The first resolution (1373) demanded that all terrorist groups be criminalized in all countries as well as freeze their sources of income. The resolution also demanded that all countries assist each other in tracing and investigating terrorists (Comras, 2010). The United States response to Taliban has not been effective. In particular, the country reacted to the group cautiously during the time Taliban was emerging in 1990s. The United States hoped that Taliban would help in bringing democracy and stability in the region and would be favorable to the United States interests. The United States had interests in the construction of oil pipelines from central Asia across Afghanistan by a US oil company known as UNOCAL. The Taliban expressed good will to America at first and pledged that they would respect human rights as well as seek an Islamic form of democracy (Comras, 2010). The Taliban consolidated power during the period they were being supported by the United States. However, the country failed to through diplomatic means to persuade the group to respect human rights. In addition, the United States also tried to persuade the Taliban to treat women and other minorities with respect. By 1998, the United States lost hope in the progress of diplomacy in persuading Taliban to honor human rights. The movement was also involved in funding al-Qaida in bombing the US embassies in Nairobi and Darussalam in 1998. The United States, while responding to the attacks, staged several bombings in Afghanistan that killed several people. However, Bin Laden and other leaders were not killed. The bombings failed in a strategic sense. In particular, most Islamists saw Bin Laden as a symbol of Islamic world (Comras, 2010).The Taliban turned against the United States fearing that they would be viewed as pro United States and Saudi Arabia. The Taliban committed to protect Bin Laden leading to further terror activities by the Taliban and al-Qaida. How to make the response more effective The sources of funds that assist the terrorists in carrying out their activities should be frozen. The provisional measures of freezing and seizing and the penalty of confiscation should apply to any funds, whether their origin is lawful or unlawful, if funds are provided or collected for use in terrorist attacks. The United States, in collaboration with the united nation’s Security Council should freeze funds and other resources of the Taliban and other terror groups. All states in the world should be made responsible by helping to freeze the funds of terror groups. In addition, all individuals associated with terror group leaders should have their funds and properties frozen. These individuals can use their property and funds to aid terror activities across the world. Self defense should be necessary and proportionate. Force should not be used as a response to past attacks since several deaths have occurred. Self defense would help the United States and the rest of the world to deter and prevent future terrorist attacks or make terror activities difficult, if not impossible. The Taliban have invested in the production of mass destruction weapons. America and the United Nations should put more business sanctions to these groups and the countries in which they operate. In addition, security measures should be put in place to counter the threats of the destructive weapons being held by Taliban. Winning hearts and mind, economic aid and democracy are the best responses to terrorism. The United States should look into ways of instituting democratic principles in terror groups and the countries in which they reside. In addition, winning of hearts and minds should be aimed at teaching the youth about the dangers of terrorism, making them learn all human beings are brothers regardless of our religion. References Roggio, B. (2012). Pakistani Taliban ‘chopped’ off the heads’ of 7 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan. August 30, Retrieved from: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/pakistani_taliban_ch_1.php Santana, R., & Bangash, B.K. (2012). Taliban storm Pakistan air base linked to nuclear program, killing 1 in brazen assault. Edmontal Journal. August 16. Retrieved from: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/mobile/news/world-news/Gunmen+kill+Shiite+Muslims+forced+buses+northern+Pakistan+official/7 Gunaratna, R., & Iqbal, K. (2011). Pakistan: Terrorism ground zero. New York, NY: Reaktion Books. Comras, V (2010), Flawed Diplomacy: the United Nations & the war on terrorism, New York: Potomac Books, Inc. Read More