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US will be Defeated in Afghanistan
– former CIA hand
Washington/Islamabad, Dec 31 (IANS) A former senior CIA operative
who tracked Osama bin Laden for 10 long years foresees "an apparent
American defeat in Afghanistan".
Michael Sheuer said the way ahead in Afghanistan and along the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border "ultimately would lead to the defeat of
US and NATO forces and the demise of the Karzai government".
Scheuer told the Daily Times in Washington that by failing to
accomplish the only mission that had to be accomplished in
Afghanistan, the US was now faced with a growing insurgency that
probably already outnumbered the combined US-NATO forces.
But he has handsome words of praise for Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf. The US has seldom found an ally better than Musharraf,
who has acted to advance "US interests" even while jeopardizing his
own, Sheuer observed. Some of Musharraf's actions, like sending
Pakistani troops to tribal areas, were clearly "against Pakistan's
interests" and have "brought his country to the brink of a civil
war", he said.
By not abandoning the Cold War practice of trying to find foreigners
to do "America's dirty work, we have blithely assumed that
Musharraf's Pakistan is an American proxy, with national-security
interests that mirror those of the US", he said.
"The truth is that virtually none of the many things Musharraf has
done to assist the US in Afghanistan has been in Pakistan's national
interest; indeed, by sending the Pakistani Army into the Pashtun
regions he brought his country to the brink of civil war."
His praise for Musharraf was in sharp contrast to criticism from
most American think tanks who, while crediting the president with
working to fight terrorism, accuse him of either not doing enough or
serving the interests of the Pakistani Pushtuns who support the
Taliban and host foreign and Al Qaeda fighters.
The Sep 1 agreement that Musharraf's regime signed with the tribals
in North Waziristan has worked precisely in that direction and
incensed Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Musharaf had also worked to rescue Pakistani nationals fighting
alongside the Taliban, when the latter's regime fell, allowing in
the process many key Taliban and Al Qaeda hands to escape, they have
said.
However, Sheuer takes a peep into American history to draw an
analogy about Musharraf's role.
"In future years, when America's defeat in Afghanistan is apparent,
and if he survive, Musharraf would be able to reflect on his
relationship with President (George W.) Bush and say - as president
Lincoln said about Union General McClellan - 'Poor George, I did all
I could to help him, but he proved unable to do anything to help
himself'."
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