The Nation, Pakistan
As with Saddam, End of Zarqawi No 'Turning Point' for Bush

EDITORIAL

June 9, 2006
Pakistan - The Nation - Home Page (English)    

HOPES being expressed by the White House that with the death of Mr. Abu Musaab Zarqawi, Washington is nearer the goal of creating a stable pro-U.S. system In Iraq, are likely to prove unrealistic.

Soon after the fall of Baghdad in May 2003, victory was declared and hopes for an early return of U.S. forces were expressed by a jubilant President Bush. With American fatalities mounting, blame was put on the Baathists and the capture of Saddam was defined as the new turning point in the war.

But as Iraq became even more ungovernable, Mr. Zarqawi was demonized as the actual source of terrorism. Now, President Bush considers his death a potential turning point in the ongoing battle against the militants. But many think that for all their spectacular suicide bombings, it hasn't been Mr. Zarqawi and his followers that have been responsible for a majority of attacks or fatalities. Iraq is beset by sectarian militias as well a good number of amorphous guerilla groups that are not controlled by a singular command.

Washington’s calculations about Afghanistan have proved similarly unrealistic. The defeat of the religious militia [the Taliban] was hailed as great victory for America's state-of-the-art weaponry. American satellites could spot the smallest movement on the ground, allowing weaponry to targets precisely. The enemy, it was maintained, would not know what had hit him.

But what happened instead is that the militants broke the myth of weapons superiority being the crucial factor in a hit-and-run war. Since the overthrow of the Taliban regime, more American troops have died, and militants in that country have increasingly utilized tactics developed by their counterparts in Iraq [See Video Below]. With every passing year, the resistance has grown and new records of American and allied casualties have been set. Anti-U.S. slogans are now shouted and posted right inside Kabul, and most Afghans resent the presence of foreign troops.

American and allied forces are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they find it difficult to stay and equally difficult to cut and run. In the eyes of the common man, the regimes that have been set up in the two countries lack legitimacy. Seen as collaborators with occupation forces, part of the hatred against the Americans is deflected toward the administrations they have helped to create.

There is therefore a need for Washington to reconsider its policy, which appears more based on hubris than genuine national interests. As Vietnam demonstrated, it cannot win an unjust and immoral war. As long as foreign troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, anti-U.S. sentiment will continue to rise. The so-called War on Terror cannot be won by way of terrorist acts like the Haditha killings, which is only the latest example. To win this war, a withdrawal of U.S. troops and compensation for the devastation that America has inflicted on Iraqis should be the order of the day.

VIDEO FROM AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN LEARNING FROM IRAQI INSURGENTS

AL-JAZZERA TV, QATAR: Excerpts from an interview with Taliban military commander Mullah Dadallah, May 31, 2006, 00:09:16 MEMRI

"The bombings we carry out - we learned it from them. We learn other types of operations from them as well."

Mullah Dadallah, Taliban Military Commander