The Next War (II)
2009/05/22
War Support
The Bundeswehr will broaden its support for the Pakistani armed forces' war in the northwest of the country and, as a first step, train nearly 500 Pakistani soldiers in Germany. This was announced by the German Ministry of Defense following the Pakistani Minister of Defense's visit to Berlin. In addition, Germany will help to establishment six "border control centers" along the Afghan-Pakistani border, "to deprive the Taliban of sanctuaries."[1] The German government also "welcomed" the opening of negotiations on the establishment of a NATO Liaison Office in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. This "could enormously help to improve military communication" assesses the German Defense Ministry, in view of the most recent Pakistani army's offensive in the insurgent areas, not far from NATO's Afghan theater of operations.
Highest Possible Pressure
The German commitment to support the Pakistani military campaign against anti-western rebellions in the Northwest of Pakistan was announced immediately preceding the offensive. The US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, declared on May 5 that the "highest possible pressure" should be exerted on the government and military in Islamabad to join "our struggle against the Taliban and their allies."[2] This demand was directed at Islamabad's efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict. May 6, US President, Barack Obama, received his counterparts, Asif Ali Zardari (Pakistan) and Hamid Karsai (Afghanistan) in Washington. On the same day in Berlin, the German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef Jung assured the Pakistani Minister of Defense of German support. On May 7, the Pakistani Defense Minister personally explained Pakistan's next steps, at a meeting of high-ranking ministry officials and German foreign policy specialists organized by the CDU-affiliated Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Immediately thereafter, the Pakistani army launched a long-term major offensive in the Swat Valley, aimed at militarily crushing the rebellions. "Swat is just the start. It's a larger war to fight," confirmed Pakistan's president a few days ago.[3]
Arms Supplier
New arms deliveries to the Pakistani army in support of the war are being discussed in Berlin.[4] German arms exports to Pakistan had already dramatically increased within the framework of the West's "war on terror" (german-foreign-policy.com reported [5]) reaching nearly 164 million Euros in 2007, raising Pakistan to seventh place on list of recipients of German war machinery. As the Pakistani Defense Minister reported in Berlin, his army would particularly like to receive helicopters, night-vision technology and "Dingo" wheeled armored vehicles produced by the arms manufacturer Kraus-Maffei Wegmann, in Munich. The "Dingo" is also used by the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan. It is projected to be equipped with a new ground surveillance radar and is particularly suited for counterinsurgency.[6]
Indirect War Financing
Alongside the training programs for the Pakistani military and past, as well as projected, arms deliveries, the so-called humanitarian aid for Pakistani war refugees can be considered an indirect means of financing the war. For months, Pakistan has been recording a large number of domestic refugees fleeing the northwest of the country. The major offensive has triggered a stampede of far more than a million refugees. Huge sums are needed to house and feed them. Washington has now announced it will furnish US $100 million, thereby keeping the Pakistani military's options open. Berlin is also participating. The so-called humanitarian aid furnished Islamabad by the German government has reached around 12.5 million Euros this year. Incidentally, the financial aid furnished for the Pakistani war refugees is also a means of keeping them in Pakistan, rather than continuing their flight toward Europe. These payments correspond to what the government is demanding as a means to ward off migration.[7]
NATO Mission?
In addition, a NATO military mission to Pakistan has been in discussion for some time. The United States has been bombing locations in Northwestern Pakistan with their drones for a long time; even Special Forces of the US military have already been fighting on Pakistani territory. The German commander of NATO's "Allied Joint Force Command" in Brunssum, The Netherlands, recently spoke out in favor of the demand for NATO participation in this new war. On Tuesday, Pakistan's General Chief of Staff, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, held talks at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. The contents of these talks are still top secret. Kayani is considered a reliable ally of the West. He owes his career to his military training, among others, at the US Armed Forces' "Command and General Staff College" at Fort Leavenworth, USA.
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