World | Afghanistan

US in the throes of a dilemma

Dana Perino, White House spokeswoman, said recently that previous deals had not worked. US intelligence agencies have warned that past deals only ended up providing a haven for Al Qaida.

  • Financial Times
  • Published: 23:39 May 16, 2008
  • Gulf News

Washington: The government's efforts to negotiate peace deals with militants in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan have raised concerns both in Kabul and Washington, and created a sharp dilemma for the Bush administration. Nato warned last week that the peace deals appeared to have led to increased violence in eastern Afghanistan.

Dana Perino, White House spokeswoman, said recently that previous deals had not worked. US intelligence agencies have warned that past deals only ended up providing a haven for Al Qaida.

One senior US military officer said that while there were serious reservations about the deals, the Pentagon wanted to give the new government and General Ashfaq Kiyani, head of the Pakistani military, "some time to move ahead".

Lisa Curtis, an expert on Pakistan at the Heritage Foundation, said the issue posed a dilemma for Washington. She said the US was caught between wanting to support the new government, which it believes provides the best hope for long-term stability, while remaining concerned that the deals could provide a safer base for Al Qaida. "There is a concern these deals, while they might provide a temporary respite in terms of the suicide bombings in Pakistan, might actually heighten the international threat coming from the region," she said.

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