TTP's Afghan sanctuaries must be eliminated

US Centcom commander General Lloyd J Austin's recent visit to Rawalpindi/Islamabad came at a time the US is in the process of troop drawdown from Afghanistan, and Pakistan is weighing military option to deal with the Taliban insurgents in the event of likely failure of the ongoing talks. Both sides need to work together with a sense of urgency. The Centcom chief was reminded by his civil and military interlocutors that the 23 FC personnel who were brutally beheaded a few days ago by a TTP faction were held in captivity on the Afghan soil since their capture in 2010. Presumably, it was also pointed out that the current head of the TTP, Mullah Fazlullah, since his ouster from Swat, has been operating from Afghanistan to launch attacks into Pakistan. These violent men are believed to have found safe havens in the neighbouring Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan with the connivance of the Kabul government. For some inexplicable reason the Isaf forces on the other side of the border did little, either, all this while to eliminate these extremists.

Some of the TTP's ideologically driven factions with foreign fighters are linked to al Qaeda. Notably, before military action forced Mullah Fazlullah and his men out of Swat, he was being helped by foreign fighters in unleashing a reign of terror in the area. These men pose a long-term threat to US' own security interests. As things stand, the Karzai government continues to refuse to sign a bilateral security agreement the US has been seeking for a residual force to stay on for training and counterterrorism work after the combat troops leave the country at the year end. The US is looking for an alternative counterterrorism operations base in Central Asian countries. It also needs to support Pakistan's efforts to deal with its Taliban problem. The way negotiations with the Taliban are going, it seems the government will ultimately have to use force. If and when that happens, the TTP leaders, like before, are expected to escape across the border into Afghanistan. In such an eventuality, Pakistani and US forces must act like a hammer and anvil to deal with fleeing militants. Unless the two sides join hands, the extremists will survive to try and destabilise Pakistan, and plan acts of terrorism against the US.

For its part, Pakistan too has to open the Nato supply lines that the PTI has closed demanding the US stop drone strikes. Blocking the route is unhelpful at a time it is being used for withdrawal rather than to bring in supplies for the war efforts. Responding to Islamabad's requests earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced an informal stop to drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas except on al Qaeda operational leaders while Islamabad pursues peace talks with the Taliban. After that, it does not make sense for the PTI to continue blocking Nato's retrograde route. As the US wraps up its combat mission in Afghanistan, it is in the interest of all involved, especially Pakistan, to ensure a tidy end to the conflict. All political forces, including the PTI, must support the government in its efforts to finish off militancy, providing safe exit to Nato forces.