Thousands of Pakistanis are fleeing the Swat valley, where the government is intensifying its fight against Taliban militants. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians who have fled the embattled areas and officials are struggling to deal with the refugee crisis. More civilians took advantage of the lifting of a curfew in parts of the valley on Sunday to escape the fighting and join those already flooding refugee camps. For more we turn to the BBC's reporter in Islamabad Mark Dummett.
To see the BBC's report on the refugee situation in Pakistan, click here.
The U.K. has sent more than 8,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, but the account of one soldier, Michael Saunders, has become a local link to the war for residents of Worcester, England. Michael's been sending home stories of his first few weeks in Afghanistan to the local pub where, over a pint, the locals can keep up with his travels. The Takeaway talks about the experience with his sister, Tracy Tyrls.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrives in Washington today as part of a series of meetings this week that may determine his and his country's future. Today, President Obama's special envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, testifies on the administration’s plans for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tomorrow President Obama meets with Karzai along with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in talks to stabilize the volatile region. A lot is at stake for President Karzai. His visit comes amid reports of bombs being dropped in the Taliban-controlled region of the country and his selection of a controversial warlord as a vice-presidential running mate. While much is at stake for Afghanistan, there is a lot on the table for the U.S., too. Joining The Takeaway is Ambassador Robert Finn: he was America’s first Ambassador to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2002. He currently has a dual appointment in Princeton's Department of Near Eastern Studies and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
"For Afghanistan, and for our relationship with Afghanistan, the United States should not be supporting a particular candidate. I don't know who's going to win, but Afghanistan has to choose its own leader and not have someone outside telling it what to do." —Ambassador Randy Finn on elections in Afghanistan
The Department of Homeland Security last week warned in an internal memo that the disastrous economy may spur some Americans to join right-wing extremist groups. The memo focused particularly on U.S. servicemen and women and drew outrage from some who say it paints returning vets with an ugly brush. Janet Napolitano, the head of DHS, has been apologizing ever since. But does the report hold any water? The Takeaway talks to Charles Blow, an op-ed writer for our partners, The New York Times. He's been taking his own look at the link between the economy, extremism, and servicemen.
For more, read Charles Blow's article, The Enemies Within, in the New York Times.
Last week, hundreds of women marched in the streets of Afghanistan to condemn a new law that critics say legalizes marital rape. Outrage from both Afghan women and the international community over the passing of this law has been well-documented and President Karzai is reconsidering signing the law. But what does this indicate about the push to democratize Afghanistan? Are we seeing growing signs that some Afghan women have finally had enough of restrictive laws? The Takeaway talks to Gretchen Peters, former Afghanistan and Pakistan correspondent for ABC news and author of the forthcoming book, Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda.
"Many women in Afghanistan itself object to this type of legislation and want to see change in their country." —ABC News correspondent Gretchen Peters on the protests in Afghanistan
Our partners at the New York Times have footage of the protests in Kabul:
International aid organizations are expected to release a report today outlining their concerns over the expected troop surge in Afghanistan. This report comes as world leaders are gathered to celebrate NATO's 60th birthday party and President Obama is expected to ask NATO allies to contribute more troops to Afghanistan. But the western aid agencies are worried that more troops will lead to more civilian casualties, a big problem in the effort to win over the Afghan population. To explain their concerns over President Obama's plan is Matt Waldman is head of policy at Oxfam International in Kabul, Afghanistan.
"This is not only about security and military objectives, this is also about the Afghan people and providing a better life for them." —Matt Waldman head of policy at Oxfam International on aid to Afghanistan
The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and his counterpart from Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, met in the Turkish capital Ankara yesterday. They agreed to increase military cooperation against Islamist extremists. It’s a significant step, because relations between Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan have been frosty after Afghanistan had accused Pakistan of not doing enough to prevent militants attacking from the Pakistani side of the border. The meeting came as the Commander of U.S. forces in the region, General David Petraeus, told a Senate hearing that the fight against the Taliban in Pakistan would continue because, as he put it, the Taliban pose a threat to Pakistan’s very existence. Rob Watson is the BBC’s Defense and Security correspondent, he joins us now.
"If you have better relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, perhaps — with a strong emphasis on the perhaps — there could be better security along the border." —The BBC's Rob Watson on the meeting between the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Monday's attack on a police academy in Lahore, Pakistan revealed the continuing security problems that Pakistan faces. As President Obama reimagines our engagement with Pakistan, Afghanistan and the entire region, we talk with Emile Nakhleh, former Senior Intelligence Officer and Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program in the CIA’s Directorate of Intelligence and author of A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World.
Delegates from more than 70 countries are in The Hague to discuss Afghan reconstruction. The big hope is that the 70 countries meeting there today will be able to breathe new life into the campaign to defeat al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan and put the country on the road to some kind of security and stability. Afghanistan's neighbors are all there, including Iran. So is the America Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. BBC's David Loyn joins us from The Hague with the details.
In a statement last Friday, the Obama administration said that there will a significant increase in U.S. and international support to Pakistan and Afghanistan, both for economic development and for defense against al Qaida. Adding to the 17,000 troops ordered to deploy last month to Afghanistan, 4,000 are now scheduled to train the Afghan security forces. Meanwhile, the President has authorized $1.5 billion a year in direct support to the Pakistani people over the next five years.
Joining The Takeaway to answer whether or not this is will be effective is Craig Mullaney. He is a West Point grad, a Rhodes Scholar, and was a captain in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and national security advisor to the Obama campaign. He also wrote about his experience in the memoir Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education.
Here is Craig Mullaney speaking with Wired's Danger Room:
President Obama plans to announce an expansive new plan for Afghanistan in a speech at the White House this morning, committing thousands more troops and starting what's being called a "civilian surge." He told Congressional leaders that he'll set the first benchmarks for progress in fighting al Qaida and the Taliban. Obama's plan also reportedly intends to "recast" the Afghan war as more of a regional issue, involving Pakistan, India, China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. Thom Shanker, Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times, and Mark Mazzetti, defense correspondent for the New York Times, join The Takeaway for more on what's next in the region.
The Takeaway looks at two stories in the global news today with our partners, the BBC. First, President Barack Obama unveils his Afghan war strategy today. Officials say the President plans to send thousands of more military and civilian trainers on top of the 17,000 combat troops he's
already ordered. The plan includes no time line for withdrawal of troops.
In other news, the Sudanese government says an air attack on the country in January destroyed a convoy carrying weapons intended for Hamas in the Gaza strip. The numbers killed in the attack fluctuate wildly, but the story's made big news in Israel whose prime minister has hinted that Israel's air force was involved. For a look at both these stories we are joined by the BBC's defense correspondent Rob Watson and the BBC's Arab Affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi.
"There's no point in making progress in Afghanistan if the source of the trouble, the other side of the border, is still continuing to bother you." —BBC correspondent Rob Watson on President Obama's strategy in Afghanistan
Is President Obama planning an expansion of operations in Pakistan? He very well might be. An article in today's New York Times reveals that President Obama and his national security advisers are considering expanding the American covert war in Pakistan far beyond the tribal regions on the border. The Takeaway talks to The New York Times' terrorism correspondent Eric Schmitt about this news.
In an attempt to quell the fighting with Taliban militants, the government in Pakistan's embattled Swat Valley has agreed to allow the extremely conservative Sharia religious law to become the law of the land. When former Army Supply Sergeant Kristen L. Rouse heard that news she was very concerned. As someone who had served along the Afghan border and seen the brutality of the Taliban against
people, even children, who violate the religious strictures she decided to speak out and write a letter to the New York Times. She joins us now as does Christine Fair, a senior political scientist at The Rand Corporation and an expert in Pakistan security issues, to discuss the latest developments in the Swat Valley.
First Lady Michelle Obama visited Fort Bragg in North Carolina yesterday and asked people to embrace the military families in their communities. With an expected surge in U.S. forces to Afghanistan later this year—approximately 17,000 new troops will be deployed there—her message comes at an important time.
In the op-ed piece, How to Leave Afghanistan from the New York Times, Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. says the U.S. should pull out of Afghanistan altogether.
Vice President Biden is in Brussels asking NATO for more troops to send to Afghanistan. The U.S. plans to infuse 17,000 troops in the months to come. In light of this, General David McKiernan, the commander of U.S. and NATO led forces in Afghanistan, said they are not winning the fight against Taliban insurgents in the southern part of the country. In a New York Times interview last Sunday, President Obama even admitted that the coalition is not winning in Afghanistan.
Art Keller, a former case officer with the CIA who served in Pakistan in 2006, joins The Takeaway to talk about the situation. He has written an op-ed piece in the New York Times looking at America's policy in Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants to hold a conference on Afghanistan this month, and U.S. officials say Iran will receive an invite. Yes, that's "axis of evil" Iran. Ali Ansari of the University of St Andrews joins The Takeaway to explain the role Afghanistan could play in forming new international bonds.
As George Mitchell, President Obama's special envoy to the Middle East finishes up a day in the West Bank, we're taking a look at the challenges that lie ahead for all the President's envoys. Both Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, have long roads ahead of them. One man who can sympathize: Dan Simpson. Now an editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Simpson served as special envoy to Somalia from 1994 - 1995 and was an Ambassador to Congo and the Central African Republic. He joins us now with his insight into the world of the special envoy.
Russia last week marked the 20th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan with avowals from its leaders that they really, truly do not want the American military mission there to suffer the same humiliating fate. But what do the Russians really want in Afghanistan and what does it say about American-Russian relations? To help answer that question, we are joined by the New York Times' Moscow Bureau Chief Clifford J. Levy, who has been following this story closely.
