New Us Offensive In Southern Afghanistan Puts Pakistani Military On Alert

U.S. Marines cross a bridge in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province, 04 Jul 2009As thousands of U.S. Marines push deep inside Taliban territory insouthern Afghanistan, there is concern in Pakistan that fleeing Afghaninsurgents will cross the porous border, putting more pressure on thearmy as it wages its own campaign to rid Pakistan of Islamicextremists.

Beforethis week's surge of 4,000 Marines and hundreds of Afghan forces intoAfghanistan's southern Helmand province, the issue of how such a boldmove would impact Pakistan was already on the minds of top U.S. policymakers.

Richard Holbrooke (file photo)
The top U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan,Richard Holbrooke, was very public about his concerns regarding thepossible influx of Islamic fighters into Pakistan during a visit toIslamabad last month.

"We are concerned that there may be somespillover effect, as there was in the past," he said. "I've raised itrepeatedly in Washington and here and in Kabul. I don'twant to be an alarmist here."

"But the one thing that is very importantis that as the ISAF (NATO) forces operate in the areas near thePakistan border, that the impact on Pakistan be taken into account atall times and that the Pakistani security forces are properly aware ofwhat the military actions are so they can do what is necessary toprotect your border," he added.

Just hours after the announcement of"Operation Strike of the Sword," aimed at securing Helmand province,the Pakistani military deployed soldiers to the rugged and porousborder in southern Baluchistan, situated directly across from Helmand.

Pakistan'sconcerns come at a particularly challenging time for the army. Themilitary is trying to complete a two-month offensive to dislodgeTaliban fighters in the Swat Valley region, and will soon begin asimilar operation to hunt down top Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud inSouth Waziristan.  

Major General Athar Abbas (File photo)Top army spokesman Major General AtharAbbas says Pakistani officials have been speaking to U.S. and Afghanofficials about how to prevent the infiltration of insurgents.

"Weare coordinating with each other. We are sharing intelligence," hesaid. "Whenever there is an operation close to the border area wherethere is a possibility of either exchange of firing or crossing. So wekeep each other informed and both sides remain well-informed so thatthey can avoid the possibility of accidental fire or friendly fire. "

But the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is long and notoriously easy to cross, especially in southern Baluchistan.  

Pakistanis facing other burdens, too. Among them: how to repatriate the morethan two million people displaced by the Swat Valley offensive.  

Althoughan estimated 87 percent of those who have been displaced are not incamps, those who are will soon be confronted by Pakistan's monsoon(rainy) season. Humanitarian relief officials warn that heavy rainscould spread water-borne diseases in the camps, which are made up oftents that will not be able to withstand pounding rains.

Martin Mogwanja is the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.  

Displaced children from Pakistan's Swat Valley wait to receive food at Shiekh Yasin camp in Mardan, 03 Jun 2009"Wewill also need possibly additional resources," he said. "There may haveto be some camps or parts of camps that would have to be moved. As youknow, some of the camps are in the low lying areas and the mostflood-prone districts are Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar. Thoseare the same districts where there are a majority of IDP camps."

AsU.S. Marines continued their new offensive across the Pakistani borderin southern Afghanistan on Saturday, militants targeted a military basein the east with a truck bomb. The attack in Paktika province sparkeda long battle that left two U.S. soldiers dead. Airstrikes were calledin to end the fighting, which local officials say killed more than twodozen Taliban fighters.