Pakistan’s intelligence agency has demanded tighter control
of the Afghan border by Nato troops to stop Taliban fighters
escaping its operations in the North West Frontier.

Major General Athar Abbas, director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, said that a cross-border flow into Afghanistan was hampering its campaign to crush the Taliban. “We are at full stretch. I have to say that the border is a joint responsibility,” he said in a presentation to the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank.

“Nato must stop the cross border flow.”

Pakistan has rapidly expanded its presence along the Afghanistan border, which crosses mountains and deserts, after years of complaints from Nato that it was not doing enough to stop Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters finding safe haven in its territory. According to Maj Gen Abbas, there are now 821 Pakistan army checkpoints on the border, but just 112 Afghan army or Nato posts.

Pakistan officials have proclaimed the success of its operations in the autonomous territories dominated by Pashtun tribes that have sheltered the Taliban.

But a senior official conceded that it had not set a date to launch military operations in North Wazirstan, the mountainous region were Osama bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda leaders are thought to be sheltering.

“The best we can say is that North Waziristan is being controlled through squeezing effects from all sides,” the Pakistan official said.

“These leaders are having great difficulty communicating and they have been denied freedom of movement.” ….

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Commentary by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: There are a couple of important points to make here. First, and perhaps most important, is that it does appear that now we ARE working more effectively with the Pakistani intelligence service, whereas before it appeared we were almost on a Cold War footing with them. That bodes quite well for the future. Secondly, if we ARE going to help seal the border, it will mean many more casualties, more national and world’s treasure and young men’s blood poured into Afghanistan.

However, look at the figures for border checkpoints mentioned above. We really need to appreciate what that must mean for Pakistan, it seems to me, and step up to the plate. In for a penny, in for a pound. Or at least some kind of compromise move wherein we do actually try to better seal of our side of the border more effectively, even if not so effectively as Pakistan would want. First we need to get Kandahar to the point where it’s pacified, and that does seem to be in the process of being accomplished. It seems to me that events are trending inexorably towards the diminishing of Taliban strength and our eventual victory. And that of course, is the whole ball of wax.