By Sabir Shah in The News, Oct 20, 2022
LAHORE: Having returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, some 20 years after their ouster by the American troops, the Taliban have now reportedly surfaced in the picturesque Pakistani valley of Swat, which produces 13 per cent of the country’s tomato and specialises in peaches and contributes to around 60 per cent to the national fruit production, research shows……
As far as Pakistan’s losses due to “War on Terror” are concerned, the finance ministry had estimated that between 2001 and 2018, the direct and indirect cost incurred by Pakistan due to incidents of terrorism amounted to $126.79 billion or equivalent to Pakistani Rs10,762.64 billion.
The January 12, 2021 edition of the “Gulf News” had quoted Major General (now Lieutenant General) Babar Iftikhar, the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), as saying that Pakistan has lost 83,000 lives during the US-led War on Terror, which has also cost almost $126 billion to the Pakistani economy.
The general further asserted that intelligence sharing with 70 countries had helped Pakistan Army eliminate the militants, securing regional peace and stability.He revealed: “More than 18,000 terrorists have been killed during the War on Terror in the last two decades. At least 1,100 Al Qaida terrorists were either captured or killed in 1,237 operations to ensure global peace and security during the same period, Pakistan has witnessed 86 per cent reduction in terror attacks since 2013 and 45 per cent decrease in 2020 compared to the previous year (2019).”
General Babar had maintained: “The law-enforcement agencies averted more than 50 per cent of the terror threats during 2020. Suicide bombings have also seen a 97 per cent decline since 2009. The high impact terror incidents that had hit an annual peak of 90 in 2013 had now dropped to around 13. Nearly 83 per cent of the 2,600-km Pak-Afghan border has been secured, while more than 37 per cent fencing of Pak-Iran border has been completed. Almost 482 out of 1,068 border posts have been built. Due to the fencing, terror incidents in border areas have seen a 55 per cent decrease while IED blasts in border districts reduced by 16 per cent.”
It is imperative to note that during Pakistan Army’s 2017 “Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad,” the security agencies claim to have conducted more than 371,000 intelligence-based operations, including 50 major offensives, and succeeded in recovering 72,227 weapons and 5 million rounds of ammunition, hence dismantling the terrorist support base, their facilitators and financiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts and Balochistan.
Coming to the American losses during the “War on Terror,” the Rhode Island-based Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs had estimated a few years ago that since invading Afghanistan in 2001, the United States has spent $2.313 trillion on the war, which includes operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The afore-mentioned American university’s research paper states: “This amount of $2.313 trillion does not include funds that the United States government is obligated to spend on lifetime care for American veterans of this war, nor does it include future interest payments on money borrowed to fund the war. This $2.313 trillion spent on Afghanistan is a portion of the total estimated cost of the post-9/11 wars. At least 243,000 people have died as a direct result of this war. These figures do not include deaths caused by disease, loss of access to food, water, infrastructure, and/or other indirect consequences of the war. The figures for Afghanistan are part of the larger costs of the U.S. post-9/11 wars, which extend to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. The numbers are approximations based on the reporting of several data sources.”
Meanwhile, the “Council on Foreign Relations,” a 101-year-old renowned American think tank specialising in United States foreign policy and international relations, writes:
“The War on Terror has killed more than 6,000 US troops and contractors, besides leading to deaths of over 1,100 Nato troops. Some 47,000 civilians died, and an estimated 73,000 Afghan troops and police officers were killed between 2007 and 2021. Tens of thousands of Taliban fighters are also believed to have died. The number of US. troops in Afghanistan peaked at around 100,000 in 2011. At its height, Nato had more than 1,30,000 troops from 50 nations stationed in Afghanistan.”
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1001711-revisiting-us-pak-losses-in-war-on-terror-as-taliban-resurface-in-swat
- PAK SCENE – TALIBAN- TERROR SURGE
Terror attacks in Pakistan surge by 51pc after Afghan Taliban victory
by Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, October 20th, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed a record 51pc increase in the number of terrorist attacks in a single year after the Afghan Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August last year as a result of the withdrawal of the US forces.
As many as 433 people were killed and 719 injured in 250 attacks in Pakistan between August 15, 2021, and August 14, 2022, Islamabad-based think tank, Pak Institute of Peace Studies (Pips) data revealed.
In comparison, it said, the country witnessed 165 attacks that killed 294 people and injured 598 others from August 2020 to August 14, 2021.
These were some of the findings shared in the fifth issue of Pips’ Paper Series released on Wednesday.
The purpose of these analytical papers is to expand the knowledge base of key stakeholders on Pakistan’s Afghan perspective, and its role and interest in Afghan peace and reconciliation.
“The mindless jubilation over Taliban victory is now turning into a rude shock because the evolving security situation under the erratic Taliban rule indicates Pakistan is about to face yet another ordeal viz-a-viz terrorism,” the think-tank said.
The issue while quoting a United Nations report said there was no sign that the Taliban regime was taking steps to limit the activities of foreign terrorist groups on Afghan soil. It added that as per the UN report foreign terrorist groups based in Afghanistan take the Taliban victory as a motivation to disseminate their propaganda in Central and South Asia, and globally.
Key terror outfits with active presence in Afghanistan include Al-Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K). So far, the Taliban have acted only against the IS-K because it actively challenges the group’s rule.
The issue underlined that there was a wave of fear and panic among residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the reported return of TTP militants from Afghanistan in recent months.
The publication while quoting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said more than 300,000 Afghans have fled to Pakistan since the Taliban takeover.
The figure contests Pakistani authorities’ claim that about 60,000 to 70,000 Afghans entered Pakistan since August last year.
The issue included two papers expected to demonstrate an overall understanding of a variety of viewpoints and positions mainly around emerging events and developments in Afghanistan and their implications for Pakistan and the region.
The first paper, by Ahmed Ali, evaluated the post-US militant landscape of Afghanistan and its implications for Pakistan in terms of insecurity and terrorist violence. Apart from discussing the state’s responses to tackle extremism and terrorism, the paper also provided a set of policy recommendations.
The second paper by Urooj Jafri discussed at length Pakistan’s challenges and policy responses in the face of Afghan refugees and border control.
The author held with the latest developments, Pakistan, like other countries in the region, officially resisted accepting a new influx of refugees. However, Pakistan still had an opportunity to win the hearts and minds of Afghan people with a sympathetic visa policy and facilitation of cross-border movement. https://www.dawn.com/news/1715927/terror-attacks-in-pakistan-surge-by-51pc-after-afghan-taliban-victory
