Terrorist Ties Across the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border
"The recently released video of Hakeemullah Mehsud, chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Humam Balawi, the suicide bomber who carried out the attack at a CIA post in Khost, Afghanistan, has come as a rude shock to those who earlier failed to realize that all major terrorist networks in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region have institutional links with each other. Pakistanis, Afghans, Central Asians and Arabs operating from the area may belong to different groups and speak different languages but they very often share ideology and targets. They help each other in logistics and especially when one of these groups is under attack. Clearly, failure of coordination between NATO, Afghan and Pakistani security forces is proving to be very costly and counterproductive. The Obama administration's new policy direction for the region will be seriously undermined if this state of affairs continues,” says Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellow Hassan Abbas.
Hassan is based in New York. To arrange an interview, please contact the Asia Society communications department at 212-327-9271 or [email protected].