ISI Supporting Taliban - Free Essay Example

So far, it is right to deduce that the claim that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is funding and supporting Taliban stirs different reactions, particularly when the international community is involved. To some extent, different investigators have disproved the claim that the Taliban gets support through training, surveillance, and funding from ISI. There have been various suggestions that Islamabad is partnering with anti-terror groups to hunt down the Taliban. It is a case of mixed opinions. However, consistent and in-depth investigations reveal that there are close ties between ISI and the Taliban to the extent of Pakistan providing the Taliban a haven in the borders to advance their criminal activities.

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Currently, the U.S. government has intervened in diverse ways to break the relationship between ISI and the Taliban. The main objective is to reduce the Taliban's capacity such that it is not strong enough to continue with its activities with ease. Since 2001, Felbab-Brown (2018) observes that suspension of military aid to Pakistan is among the most punitive actions that the U.S. has done to curb terrorism. Through such interests, it is apparent that the U.S., as a pivotal part of the international community, is aware of the link between the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI. Despite the consistent denials from some political segments, particularly in Pakistan, there is no denying that ISI plays a fundamental role in the Taliban's havoc in Afghanistan.

Despite its efforts, the U.S. has continued to face significant setbacks in its efforts to control the Taliban. According to Katzman and Thomas (2017), the U.S. is consistently frustrated by Pakistan's submission to the Afghan's Taliban to act as its haven. As Afghanistan continues to face challenges due to the lack of stable governance, the Taliban, through the assistance of ISI, continues to benefit. Direct military aid is among the most obvious ways in which the Taliban gets support. Ridel (2013) further observes that the Taliban has been benefiting from military intelligence. In such cases, the impact is high, and a lot of soldiers have lost lives as well as Afghan security personnel and civilians. It is a situation that has destabilized Afghanistan primarily for Pakistan's political interest.

From investigations, it has emerged that a lot of activities proving that ISI supports the Taliban have been taking place at the Afghan-Pakistan border. From an investigative report in the Washington Times, the Taliban uses some known neighborhoods in Pakistan as safe havens. It is in these places that they get military aid as they meet ISI officials (Gertz, 2018). A close analysis of what has been happening refutes the claims that ISI has not been playing an instrumental role in the Taliban's advancement in Afghanistan.

One of the most worrying observations is that the areas where the Taliban operates freely are known. For instance, the group's leadership runs its activities from Pashtunabad and Gulistan as well as the regions nearby. As Gertz (2018) further highlights, a lot of activities between Taliban and ISI takes pace in Killa Abdulla, and the residents are aware of such activities. As a confirmation that the support takes place publicly, Taliban fighters are usually seen ferrying weapons in motorbikes and vehicles while being accompanied by the ISI members. If such assistance was not available, there is a high chance that the current damage could have been minimal and the U.S. could have succeeded in calming the political situation as well.

For smooth operations, criminal organizations require funding as well. From investigations, past and current financial support to the Taliban can be proven. According to Khan (2018), Pakistan intelligence not only provides the necessary training and sanctuary to the Taliban but also funds its activities. Indeed, the funding is on a scale higher than what can be established. Worse, the connection has reached to a level where the ISI intelligence can attend the Taliban's supreme council meetings freely. At a glance, such a relationship shows that despite the Taliban being a criminal organization, Pakistan must be using it to advance its political agenda in Afghanistan, among other objectives.

As part of military support, the ISI protects the Taliban from possible arrests and scrutiny. As a result, they can operate more freely in the border and surrounding regions. As ISI conducts security patrols, the Taliban can transit along the main highways and even use ISI's vehicles at times. Furthermore, the local police cannot control the Taliban's activities since the group operates under ISI financial support and military equipment (Khan, 2018). Due to the close ties between the Taliban and ISI, the police become powerless and afraid to intervene, and many have lost their lives as they try to intervene without knowing what has been happening.

Since the relationship is undeniable, it is vital to examine why Pakistan is committed to assist the Taliban's activities through ISI to ensure that the criminal organization gets military and financial aid. According to Felbab-Brown (2018), Pakistan fears a situation where Afghanistan will be stable to provide a haven for outside powers or fight anti-Pakistan militant groups. Pakistan, through ISI, also hopes that the Taliban will continue being influential in Afghanistan to the extent of acquiring political power. Being a significant part of the Taliban's activities, Pakistan will be able to regulate Afghan's political and economic activities among other interests.

Overall, it is right to deduce that from the different in-depth investigations that ISI has been supporting the Taliban through military operations and funding. Through such support, Pakistan is aiming to advance its interests in Afghanistan, an objective which is difficult to realize in a stable political climate. Even though the U.S. has tried to intervene occasionally, it is evident that military action cannot be the solution to Pakistan's behavior towards Afghanistan. For any progress to take place, international forces need to reorganize their approaches as they seek to control the situation.

References

Felbab-Brown, V. (2018, Jan 5). Why Pakistan supports terrorist groups, and why the US finds it so hard to induce change. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/01/05/why-pakistan-supports-terrorist-groups-and-why-the-us-finds-it-so-hard-to-induce-change/

Gertz, B. (2018, Mar 14). Pakistani covert support for Taliban revealed. The Washington Times. retrieved from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/14/inside-the-ring-pakistani-covert-support-for-talib/

Katzman, K., & Thomas, C. (2017, Dec 13). Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30588.pdf

Khan, S. (2018, Sep 20). Double Game: Why Pakistan Supports Militants and Resists U.S. Pressure to Stop. CATO Institute. Retrieved from https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/double-game-why-pakistan-supports-militants-resists-us-pressure-stop

Riedel, B. (2013, Aug 24). Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/pakistan-taliban-and-the-afghan-quagmire/