DESPITE billions of dollars in US military payments to Pakistan over the past six years, the paramilitary force leading the pursuit of al-Qaeda militants remains underfunded, poorly trained and overwhelmingly outgunned, US military and intelligence officials said.
The Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, cited the rising militant threat in declaring a state of emergency on Saturday and suspending the constitution. But rather than use US funding to bolster its counter-terrorism capabilities, Pakistan has spent the bulk of the more than $US7 billion ($7.6 billion) in military aid on heavy arms, aircraft and equipment that US officials said are far more suited for conventional warfare with India, its regional rival.
| That's because the Paks have always felt more threatened by India than by the Pashtuns, local holy men, Talibunnies, and general assorted nuts in the northwest. |
That has left fighters with the paramilitary force, known as the Frontier Corps, often equipped with little more than "sandals and bolt-action rifles", to face al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters equipped with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. The arms imbalance has contributed to al-Qaeda's ability to regroup in the border region and reflects the competing priorities that were evident even before this weekend between two countries that are self-described allies in the "war on terrorism" but have sharply divergent national security interests.
| Even if the Pak troops were willing to fight in the northwest, which isn't clear at all, putting them in a position where they're out-gunned means that all the fight is going to go out of them. This isn't an operation being mounted by professional soldiers. |
US officials have urged Pakistan to move more aggressively against militants and bolster the capabilities of the Frontier Corps, a locally recruited force of about 40,000 formed under British rule and traditionally used to guard the border and curb smuggling.
Even front-line units with upgraded weapons are woefully unschooled in counterinsurgency tactics. Last week, Islamic militants captured dozens of fighters and paraded them before Western journalists, the latest in a series of embarrassing encounters.
| Counterinsurgency work is hard -- ask our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's damned difficult to do well even when troops are properly trained and equipped. The Paks are neither, so it's no surprise that even their 'elite' troops can't do it. |
Pakistan recently has indicated that it will enlarge the corps and expand its role in pursuing al-Qaeda. But, without access to aid, US officials said the new strategy amounts in some ways to starting from scratch more than six years after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
| Enlarging the Corps won't do any good at all given the lack of funding, equipment and leadership. That will just recruit more local boys to do something that they don't want to do in the first place. It'll mean some new, plush billets for officers, however, so all won't be lost. |
"The view in Washington is that the Frontier Corps is the best way forward because they speak the language and understand the culture, terrain and local politics," said a Pentagon official. But transforming the corps into a force that can contend with militants in the tribal area "will take years to bring to fruition", he said.
The US Special Operations Command is exploring efforts to pay off tribal militias unaffiliated with the Pakistan Government and arm them to root out al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. "You can't buy them, but you can rent them," said a source. |