Hamid Karzai has had enough of Pakistan meddling in his country; so he went to the first nation on anyone’s how-to-put-Pakistan-in-its-place list: India.
In the process, he made things a lot more difficult for the Taliban and al-Qaeda elements along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Here are the details in the “strategic partnership” between Afghanistan and India (CNN): “a wide range of political, trade and person-to-person links” including “train(-ing) Afghan security forces.” In other words, when we’re gone in three years, the folks responsible for helping Afghan forces defeat the Taliban will be the one nation on the planet who hates the terrorist crew more than we do.
Speaking of the Taliban, their former-best-friend-in-Kabul had this to say about them (Washington Examiner): “Karzai had said over the weekend he was giving up on negotiating with the Taliban directly, and accused Pakistan of doing little to help rein in terrorists.” Lest we forget, Karzai was supposed to re-integrate the Taliban and welcome the return of Pakistan’s long shadow over his country, not ask its mortal enemy to train the Afghan army.
The signers of the deal tried to downplay the significance, but I’m all but certain the Taliban and al Qaeda noticed. After waiting out the Americans for over a decade, they’re seeing who will replace us as the Afghanistan’s sponsor – and India will never give up this fight.
I almost wish Osama and al-Awlaki were still alive to see it.
Almost.
Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal
