General

Beat the Taliban in Afghanistan, push them into Pakistan

Is there ever any good news in this war?

America’s top military man, Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, says beating the Taliban in Afghanistan might mean merely pushing the problem deeper into Pakistan. Mullen almost makes that sound worse. After all, the UN already says up to two million Pakistanis have had to flee the northwestern part of their country, where Pakistan’s army is taking on the Taliban. Now that thousands of new US troops are poring into Afghanistan-partly to help out the beleaguered Canadians in Kandahar- Taliban fighters are retreating to Pakistan. “Can I… [be] 100 per cent certain that won’t destabilise Pakistan?” Mullen said. “I don’t know the answer to that.”

BBC News

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.