News
Sunday, May 11, 2008
US considering ‘Anbar model’ for FATA
* Military spokesman says US has not tabled issue for discussion
By Iqbal Khattak
PESHAWAR: The United States is interested in implementing the ‘Anbar model’ in the country’s Tribal Areas to train local communities against Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants. The proposal is gaining ground, as the architect of the model, incoming US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General David Petraeus, successfully implemented it in the Iraqi province of Anbar when he was commander of the coalition forces in Iraq. Under the initiative, General Petraeus created a brigade of young Sunni men trained by Americans to bolster local security. The US provided the locals with weapons and a monthly stipend of $300 to ensure security in the Anbar province. Nothing formal: “It is likely that the Anbar model can be replicated in the Tribal Areas,” a source told Daily Times, on condition of anonymity. However, they were unable to say when the model might be put to the test. However, military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said that the issue had not been tabled for discussion by the US. “There is nothing formal” about the implementation of the ‘Anbar model’ in FATA as yet, he told Daily Times by phone. A military source said that the model was debatable, adding, “I think the ‘Anbar model’ must be studied before it is tried in our Tribal Areas.” He said that while he had not studied the model, if there was a chance that it could work, then it should definitely be extended to FATA. Former FATA security chief Brig (r) Mehmood Shah said money and favours “work in the Tribal Areas”. However, he said that the model should be implemented by Pakistan itself and not the US. Meanwhile, the US is establishing direct contact with tribal chieftains as Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher addressed a tribal jirga in Landi Kotal recently. According to sources, senior US commander Admiral Eric Olson, chief of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM), also visited the Khyber Agency on April 12 and met local tribal elders. Similarly, a delegation of tribal elders is visiting the US, and is expected to meet senior State Department officials, including Boucher.
Courtesy Daily Times