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US digs in deeper in
Afghanistan
By Syed Saleem
Shahzad
KARACHI - After Afghanistan and
Iraq, a new phase in the United States' "war on terror"
is under preparation in which the military-minded
decision-makers in Washington have short-listed
various possible targets, including Iran and
Syria. In this scenario, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) will play a role, as will
Pakistan.
A legacy of the Cold War
is widespread anti-US sentiment in the South
and Central Asian regions, including Pakistan,
which has strong links to militancy. The US has
already drawn Islamabad into its fold, and wants to keep
a close eye on it to ensure it remains fully
on side, and Washington also wants to be in a position
to monitor the region closely.
Well-placed sources in Brussels have told
Asia Times Online that as a result, a strong NATO
base will be established in the Afghan province of
Herat, bordering Iran, and a logistics hub for
NATO might be established in Pakistan's southern
port of Karachi.
Construction work
has already begun on the NATO base in Herat, under
the surveillance of Italian troops stationed there
as part of the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force contingent of peacekeepers in
the country. Currently, about 8,000 of these
soldiers from 36 countries serve in Kabul and
nine provinces north of the capital. The new base
in Herat is expected to be big enough for
about 10,000 troops, will feature a military airbase,
and will act as NATO's headquarters in the country.
There are also about 18,000 US troops in
Afghanistan.
A request for a NATO
logistics hub in Karachi has already been conveyed
to Pakistan. General Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, NATO
deputy secretary general, was scheduled to meet
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf in
January, but the meeting was postponed. Their next
meeting is likely to be scheduled within the next
few weeks and a decision taken on the hub.
A top retired military official and
strategic expert told Asia Times Online that this
development signifies longer-term goals for the US
and its allies in Afghanistan.
"The
development looks to be part of a new US plan in
the region because previously they had a logistic
hub at Karachi airport as well as an operational
facility at Jacobabad Airbase. As soon as they
occupied Afghanistan, they abandoned the Karachi
airport facility and moved everything to Bagram
Airbase [near Kabul]. Similarly, they have kept a
very minimum of infrastructure at Jacobabad
Airbase and abandoned operations from there. Their
operations now also originate from Bagram
Airbase," the official said.
"After having
abandoned their facilities at Jacobabad and
Karachi, the reopening of facilities in Herat and
Karachi port gives a clear message that the US has
some new and long-term designs in Afghanistan,"
the same strategic expert maintained.
"However, we cannot imply with the
construction of a logistics hub that NATO would
have any plans for a military base at Karachi port
because the port's infrastructure and limited
capacity do not allow for such a military base,
which essentially needs a big area."
The strategic picture is completed when one
tracks other US footsteps: it has asked for the use of
a base near Khuzdar in Balochistan province
(about 400 kilometers from Karachi), which will soon be
operational for US troops.
Now that
President George W Bush has won his second term,
his priorities have visibly changed. The manhunt
for al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan has
virtually stopped. Whether it is military
exercises or dialogue between the US and Pakistan,
the "war against al-Qaeda" is a lesser priority:
more important are agreements over the sale of
military hardware and an increased role for the US
in the region.
Syed Saleem
Shahzadis Bureau Chief, Pakistan, Asia Times
Online. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com.
(Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All
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