Al Sahwa (one of my favorite blogs on issues related to the war and counterinsurgency) points us to a presentation by Colonel Andrea Thompson on the state of the Afghan insurgency as viewed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Al Sahwa has a good rundown on the important points, so head over there to read it.
I’ll only add two points: First, the map on page 3 requires a bit more detail in Pakistan; the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan is reduced to a small chunk of South Waziristan, when in reality the movement straddles much of the tribal areas and even in the greater Northwest Frontier Province. Also, Lashkar-e-Taiba is confined to a small area in Kashmir, while we know the group has a strong presence in Punjab (it is based in Muridke just outside of Lahore).
Second, ISAF (at least for purposes of the presentation) is still relying heavily on the Afghan vs. Pakistani Taliban model. See “Was the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban behind the CIA suicide attack?” for a murkier view of the Taliban movement.
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2 Comments
@Bill: Will you write a “State of Jihad” again like you did last years?
I’ve always found it quite enlightening to see all major events summarized at the beginning of a new year.
Bill,
I’m glad you keep questioning the concept of Afghan vs. Pakistan Taliban. Informed people understands different warlord/tribal alliances help make up the Taliban force. But the Afghan-Pakistan distinction seems like a pointless and dangerous misconception.