1 of 6 U.S.-Afghan-Pakistan border centers open

March 30th, 2008 Aimon · No Comments

TORKHAM (AP) — U.S., Afghan and Pakistani officers opened the first of six joint military intelligence centers along the Afghan-Pakistan border Saturday, an effort to cut down on militants’ movement in a region of rising terrorist activity.
The centers represent the latest step in American efforts to get Afghanistan and Pakistan to coordinate in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The countries have a history of rocky relations, though ties have recently grown warmer.

The military centers, to be staffed by about 20 personnel from the three countries, also will allow Afghan and Pakistani officials to use America’s intelligence-gathering might. The officers can watch live video feeds from U.S. spy planes in the centers — real-time information that can be relayed back to ground forces on both sides.

Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, told about 100 military personnel from the three countries at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at a small border outpost that they were taking “a giant step forward in cooperation, communication and coordination.”

“This facility represents our best opportunity to move forward in our common mission to rid this region of the scourge of terrorism,” Rodriguez said. “The border coordination center is the cornerstone upon which future cooperative efforts will grow.”

Pakistan’s tribal regions close to the rugged Afghan border have long been considered a likely hiding place for al-Qaeda and an operating ground for Taliban militants planning attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of harboring Taliban militants, a charge Islamabad has denied. Pakistani officials have conceded, however, that fighters do cross into Afghanistan.

Insurgents also have increased their attacks in Pakistan over the past year. Eastern Afghanistan, where the U.S. military primarily operates, has seen a drop in violence in recent months.

Three of the coordination centers, which cost about $3 million each, were to be built in Afghanistan and three in Pakistan, said U.S. Brig. Gen. Joe Votel.

“The macro view is to disrupt insurgents from going back and forth, going into Afghanistan and back into Pakistan, too,” Votel said. “This is not going to instantly stop the infiltration problem, but it’s a good step forward.”

Pakistani Lt. Gen. Mohammed Masood Alam, the top army commander in the country’s volatile northwest, said the war on terror is of common interest to the world, but more so to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“Terrorism can’t be fought alone. It has no borders, no laws,” Alam said. “It’s going to be a long effort. It can’t be done overnight.”

Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, the chief of operations for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said the opening of the coordination center was a milestone.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are two brothers. No one can separate them,” he said. “This center will give the opportunity to our young officers on both sides … to share information and coordinate intelligence in proper time.”