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> increase the military presence to a level that they could effectively remove the Taliban With Pakistan providing huge financial and logistical support to th

> increase the military presence to a level that they could effectively remove the Taliban With Pakistan providing huge financial and logistical support to the Taliban, it would never be eliminated. Geopolitical experts understand that so long as Pakistan has the India problem, Afghanistan will have the Taliban as a buffer state.

jdeibele 7y ago
China is supposed to back North Korea because it acts as a buffer between China and South Korea. Pakistan is between Afghanistan and India. https://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/Afghan_etc.htm https://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/Afghan_etc.h... I'm confused as to how it would be a buffer. Can you explain?
- anarazel 7y ago
  One of the recurring complains / concerns of Pakistan is/was that Afghanistan post invasion was cooperating too much with India. From what I understand (which is certainly very limited) that was more fear than reality. But from the POV of Pakistan's,hugely anti-India, military, it's not that hard to understand how being encircled by India and a "puppet state" is seen as threatening. I think there's pretty good evidence that the ISI has (does?) financed/organized training camps for anti India groups (like Lashkar-e-Taiba) in Afghanistan.
- jorblumesea 7y ago
  A few reasons. 1) Fear of Indian sponsored proxies and being squeezed from both sides. An India friendly Afghanistan presents an existential danger to Pakistan's interests. Pakistan does not want to be encircled by hostile powers. 2) An unstable Afghanistan means possible anti-Pakistan elements taking root. Better to sponsor known "pakistan friendly" elements like the Taliban instead of unknowns. 3) Defense in depth. Pakistani military and political doctrine would use Afghanistan as a redoubt. Most of Pakistan is extremely flat until you get to the Hindu Kush/Pamir mountains. The idea would be, let India steamroll the flat lands, retreat into the mountains and cross the durand line, coordinate the response from Afghanistan.
smt1 7y ago
Historically, the Pakistani intelligence forces have armed various mujahideen groups, both in Afghanistan, and in Indian Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Afghani government post-911 has been fairly close to India. This hasn't been true as much recently because the Taliban and other groups became extremely powerful in Pakistan, especially in Pashtun tribal areas, and the Pakistani military was forced to intervene. However, the Pakistani military has never been able to completely corral their intelligence services, which is one reason why there isn't as much cooperation between the US and Pakistan anymore (they were once close allies), with US/India ties becoming closer and closer instead.

jdeibele 7y ago

China is supposed to back North Korea because it acts as a buffer between China and South Korea. Pakistan is between Afghanistan and India. https://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/Afghan_etc.htm https://www.atlapedia.com/online/maps/political/Afghan_etc.h... I'm confused as to how it would be a buffer. Can you explain?

anarazel 7y ago
One of the recurring complains / concerns of Pakistan is/was that Afghanistan post invasion was cooperating too much with India. From what I understand (which is certainly very limited) that was more fear than reality. But from the POV of Pakistan's,hugely anti-India, military, it's not that hard to understand how being encircled by India and a "puppet state" is seen as threatening. I think there's pretty good evidence that the ISI has (does?) financed/organized training camps for anti India groups (like Lashkar-e-Taiba) in Afghanistan.
jorblumesea 7y ago
A few reasons. 1) Fear of Indian sponsored proxies and being squeezed from both sides. An India friendly Afghanistan presents an existential danger to Pakistan's interests. Pakistan does not want to be encircled by hostile powers. 2) An unstable Afghanistan means possible anti-Pakistan elements taking root. Better to sponsor known "pakistan friendly" elements like the Taliban instead of unknowns. 3) Defense in depth. Pakistani military and political doctrine would use Afghanistan as a redoubt. Most of Pakistan is extremely flat until you get to the Hindu Kush/Pamir mountains. The idea would be, let India steamroll the flat lands, retreat into the mountains and cross the durand line, coordinate the response from Afghanistan.

smt1 7y ago

Historically, the Pakistani intelligence forces have armed various mujahideen groups, both in Afghanistan, and in Indian Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Afghani government post-911 has been fairly close to India. This hasn't been true as much recently because the Taliban and other groups became extremely powerful in Pakistan, especially in Pashtun tribal areas, and the Pakistani military was forced to intervene. However, the Pakistani military has never been able to completely corral their intelligence services, which is one reason why there isn't as much cooperation between the US and Pakistan anymore (they were once close allies), with US/India ties becoming closer and closer instead.