"The line of supply may be said
to be as vital to the existence of an army as the heart to the life of a human
being.” - Col. Henderson, George Francis Robert
Secure and swift flow of supplies has great strategic importance and considers
life-line for troops combating insurgency. The disruption of the flow of
supplies to a combating army would certainly obliterate their ability to fight
effectively. All Great warriors throughout history have carefully planned their
strategies around logistics and supplies. Alexander the Great once said, “My
logisticians are a humorless lot----they know if my campaign fails, they are the
first ones I will slay." On the other hand, 18th century’s French military
conqueror and genius, Napoleon Bonaparte describes, “An army marches on its
stomach.” In guerrilla warfare the guerrillas’ main objective is to disrupt the
supply lines in order to deteriorate the psychological and operational skills of
an enemy.
The recent series of coordinated attacks by Baithullah Mehsud led tribal
militants on NATO vulnerable supply convoys and terminals in northern Pakistan
seriously jeopardize coalition military operations inside Afghanistan. These
attacks were well-planned and executed finely. The police and paramilitary
personnel were caught in sudden and could not manage to prevent it. Around 300
containers trucks consisting of both military and non-military goods (including
dozens of Humvees and Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) have been burned down.
The cost is estimated in millions Dollars. Also earlier the past year, four US
helicopter engines worth more than USD 13 millions were stolen in north-western
Pakistan while being trucked from Afghanistan to Karachi port for shipment.
Supply to Afghanistan has never been an easy task. Afghanistan is a land locked
country having no sea-ports and heavily depends on neighboring Pakistan for its
imports and exports. According to Bruce Riedel, a former CIA agent and a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institute, "Afghanistan is a landlocked country.
Everything we want to use to eat, drink and to shoot has to come in from
outside."
It is estimated that 80% of NATO supplies from food to fuel, and heavy military
equipments enter through Karachi sea Port. Then there are two land routes used
for their further transportation to Afghanistan -- 80% through the volatile
Khyber Pass and the remaining 20% via Chaman Crossing in Baluchistan. It is
estimated that nearly 250 container trucks loaded with military hardware and
food stuff are left from Karachi sea-port to Afghanistan to satisfy voracious
appetite of thousands of Allied forces on daily basis. These trucks owner
receive Rs.90000 to Rs.120000 for each trip. According to some local media
reports these trucks’ owners have also been involved in plundering the loaded
trucks destined to Coalition forces in Afghanistan in recent past. The stolen
contents are openly being sold in famous Kaar-Khano Market near Peshawar. Last
year Afghan Currency laden three container’s trucks were hijacked by local
outlaws in Landi Kotal area of Khyber Agency, which were later-on recovered by
Political Administration after immense pressure from US and Afghan’s
governments.
One of the major causes of Soviets' defeat in Afghanistan was their failure to
preserve their supply-lines from growing Mujahedeen raids. Soviets’ main supply
route ran through famed Salang Highway which links Kabul with former Soviet's
city of Termmez in Tajikistan. Some highly successful raids were carried out by
veteran Mujahidin Commander Ahmad Shah Masood led Panjsherri militants on
Soviets supply convoys passing through this route. These attacks proved decisive
for their extraction.
The Pakistani government authorities seem unable to contain these attacks as
they have already been in a war with insurgents in various parts of the FATA and
NWFP and don't want to open another front. However, one of the main objectives
behind recent military operation in Khyber Agency against militants is to secure
NATO supply line from day to day raids of the militants.
Afghanistan rugged mountainous terrain, landlocked geographical location, harsh
weather and most vitally the intense resistive nature of its inhabitants has
always made it a hard bite to swallow for all the occupying forces. It has
proved a graveyard for all the world powers from Alexander the Great to Soviets.
America is also facing with the same fate. Western troops despite having state
of the art weaponry and surveillance system could not be able to eliminate the
ragtag Taliban militia in past eight years. The war has cost billions of Dollars
so far. US defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a three-page letter dated December
31, 2008, to House of Representatives’ Defense Appropriations Subcommittee (DAS)
asked for additional $70 billion for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq this year. If
the Congress approves the Pentagon’s desired amount, total spending on the wars
will reach $9.27 trillion since 2001. It has also made one thing quite clear
that the thing that has made Afghans unwinnable is their extreme sense of
freedom and honor.
These recent attacks on Coalition forces terminals in Peshawar trigger Western
military planners to find out another transit route bypassing Pakistan. But they
have fewer options. The other alternate supply route for coalition forces in
Afghanistan is through Russia and Central Asia. For this purpose NATO has
started negotiation with former Soviets’ republics of Central Asia,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan bordering Afghanistan. A ‘Central
Route’, which would go through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and then into
Afghanistan is also being discussed. Presently, only 20% supply comes into
Afghanistan via air using Russian air space.
But Americans and its European allies are still reluctant as they do not want to
bring Russia back to a region from where it was forcibly ousted in 1989 in the
result of decade long western sponsored Afghan liberation war. They also don't
want to be a victim of Moscow diktats and black-mailing in future. As Russia, in
its recent conflict with Georgia has threatened to suspend an agreement struck
in last April, 2008 allowing NATO to take supplies and equipments to Afghanistan
through Russia and Central Asia. Northern routes are longer, more expensive,
much difficult, largely landlocked and under Russian influence.
Safety of these supply routes is vital for the Coalition forces military
operations against Taliban in Afghanistan. Especially the recent US decision to
deploy 20000 to 30000 troops in Afghanistan along with Pak-Afghan Border to
contain cross-border infiltration will certainly need a more secure, easy and
swift flow of supplies. In recent months Taliban has increased their assaults on
allied forces supply convoys inside Afghanistan, mimicking tactics used against
the British in 1841 and the Soviet Union two decades ago. British and Canadian
troops based in Southern Afghanistan are the most vulnerable as they hugely rely
on supplies from Pakistan. For instance, the main British military base at Camp
Bastion, Helmand province in southern Afghanistan alone requires more than a
million liters of liquid fuel a week.
There are some 70000 Western forces in the country for which food, fuel and
equipments must be imported, mostly via Pakistani soil. The vulnerability of the
supply line has made majority of NATO member countries reluctant to send more
troops to Afghanistan. These recent attacks by insurgents both in Pakistan and
Afghanistan made it clear that their jugular-vein has almost fallen in Taliban's
hands.
Blaming Pakistan for poor security measures to preserve NATO supply line is not
desirable as in Afghanistan, Taliban are being paid by NATO designated
logistics’ contractors for safe supply to coalition forces. According to Times
Online on December 12, 2008 "allied supply convoys pay their enemies (Taliban)
for safe passage for their supply". Taliban militia controls 75% of Southern and
Eastern Afghanistan.
The growing US drones attacks into our tribal area, resulting in killings of
innocent civilians seriously outrage sentiments of general Pakistani public
against the PPP led democratic government for delivering of logistic support to
coalition forces in Afghanistan. Two major political parties Jamat Islami (JI)
and Pakistan Therik-e-Insaf (PTI) openly call for human blocking of the routes
leading to Afghanistan. Now the time has come that the government must respect
the public’s inspirations and takes a firm decision to abandon any such supplies
to those who don’t respect our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Soviet’s defeat in Afghanistan made one thing crystal clear that Afghan’s
fortune runs through Pakistan. Any attempt to diminish Pakistan's role regarding
Afghanistan will bring nothing but chaos and anarchy in the entire region.