WHERE THE WAR ENDS:

Haven for the Taliban (Washington Post, November 2, 2003)

THE PAKISTANI CITY of Quetta lately has become more than a provincial capital; it might also be described as the new headquarters of the extremist Taliban movement, which ruled Afghanistan and sheltered Osama bin Laden until two years ago. According to one recent report by the respected Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, "Thousands of Taliban fighters reside in mosques and madrassas with the full support of a provincial ruling party and militant Pakistani groups. Taliban leaders wanted by the U.S. and Kabul governments are living openly in nearby villages." Mr. Rashid quoted the provincial government's information minister as saying, "Only the Taliban can constitute the real government of Afghanistan." During a recent visit, The Post's John Lancaster met with a Taliban recruiter who described how he traveled with 14 other Pakistanis across the border into Afghanistan last summer to wage war against U.S. and Afghan government forces. "It's no problem at all to cross back and forth," the recruiter said. [...]

The Bush administration seems to believe it has no choice but to work with Mr. Musharraf, who is good at promising to combat Islamic extremism -- and at pointing to it as the alternative should his government fail. In late September the administration coaxed its client to sign a written agreement promising to strengthen control over "frontier areas bordering Afghanistan." That's a big job, but it's hard to see why Mr. Musharraf can't at least prevent open Taliban operations in Quetta and other cities. Congress recently renewed conditions on aid to Pakistan and added a provision requiring the administration to certify that Pakistan is cooperating in the war on terrorism. If the United States is to continue supporting his regime, the general must be held to that requirement.

The final battle of the war on terror will be fought in Pakistan, with or without the aid and acceptance of its government. But until we're ready for it, Mr. Musharraf seems the best of a series of bad alternatives there.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 1, 2003 12:10 PM